Michaela Drummond sprints to victory in Portugal as Frankie Hall takes overall lead

Stage recap

The stage, covering 121.9 km from Anadia to Pombal, saw early action with Vera Vilaça and Ariadna Gutierrez involved in a crash at kilometre 6, though both were able to continue. Shortly after, Danielle De Francesco and Tamsin Miller broke away, establishing a lead of 1:25 over the peloton. By kilometre 20, the peloton increased its pace, reducing the breakaway’s advantage to 15 seconds. However, the gap grew again, reaching 3:55 at the 54 km mark.

As the race progressed, the peloton gradually eroded the breakaway’s lead. With 28 km remaining, DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK surged to close the gap, reabsorbing the breakaway riders 8 km later. At the 10 km mark, the race saw Stage 2 winner Mara Roldan suffer a mechanical issue, causing her to lose contact with the main group. Despite her efforts, Roldan, who finished 31st, was unable to regain her position, losing her overall lead.

A crash with 2 km to go disrupted the peloton, leading to a fragmented sprint finish. Drummond emerged victorious on the final ramp in Pombal, making it her second stage win of the race. India’s Grangier secured second place, with Le Deunff in third. Frankie Hall finished 14th and claimed the general classification lead, capitalising on Roldan’s misfortune.

Daniela Campos, the best-placed Portuguese rider, finished seventh and moved up to third in the general classification, also taking the lead in the youth classification.

New Jersey Holders

The stage reshuffled the jersey standings significantly. Frankie Hall now leads the general classification, with Marie-Morgane Le Deunff taking over the points classification. Daniela Campos holds the youth classification lead, while Michaela Drummond reinforced her position atop the points leaderboard.

Reflecting on her victory, Michaela Drummond said, “It feels incredible to win another stage here. The team worked perfectly, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Frankie Hall, the new overall leader, shared her thoughts on the race dynamics, stating, “It was a tough day with a lot of attacks, but staying focused helped me take the leader’s jersey. It’s an honour to wear it going into the next stage.”