Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory in the third stage of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women in Warrington, marking her third win for SD Worx-Protime in the race. The 106.8km stage was full of action, with multiple attacks throughout the day, but ultimately came down to a sprint finish.
The race began with numerous breakaway attempts, with teams like Hess Cycling Team and Volkerwessels Women’s Pro-cycling Team controlling much of the peloton. Jo Tindley and Maddie Leech managed to establish a solid lead, working together to maintain a gap of four minutes over the peloton. Leech took the first Queen of the Mountain points at 40km, just ahead of Tindley, while Lucy Lee chased from three minutes back.
Despite suffering mechanical issues, Leech claimed top points on the second Queen of the Mountains up Shrigley Road before eventually being caught by Lee and Dimbleby. The trio was reabsorbed by the peloton before the intermediate sprint, where Letizia Paternoster crossed the line first. Tindley, who persevered alone, was finally caught inside the final 15km, earning her the Combativity award for her efforts.
The race then saw a fantastic lead-out from SD Worx-Protime, positioning Wiebes perfectly. Speaking on her win, Wiebes said, “The team did a really good job today. Elena [Cecchini] and Chantal [van den Broek-Blaak] were chasing all day, so from the team car, the pressure was on. We were a bit in the middle, and you all really have to fight for your position near the end. Christine [Majerus] took the last corner first, and then quickly after, Barb [Guarischi] had to go for Lotte, and then I saw only 200 metres to go, so I also started my sprint.”
Wiebes was clear in her satisfaction with the win, adding, “It’s good to finish it off, and the team worked hard for it. In 2022, I also had a successful year in the UK, and I’m not sure why – it’s the roads! We always go for it when we race, and we will go for the fourth stage too tomorrow.”
Charlotte Kool was the closest challenger, finishing second. Kool commented, “Today was an easy day, and nothing special happened until Daniek had a really nasty crash. We all saw it happen, so we were all a bit in shock afterward. We refocused for the final and gave it our all for today’s sprint. The team did amazing; I just made a small mistake. In the end, I came in second again, but I can feel that a win is coming soon.”
Coach Kelvin Dekker echoed her sentiments: “Today, our clear goal was to go for a sprint with Charlotte. We are really sad that we lost Daniek during the day due to a crash, which definitely impacted the team and our plans for the lead-out. Although not everything went perfectly in the lead-out, Charlotte was where she needed to be. She did a good sprint and ended up second.”
Georgia Baker completed the podium in third place. After three stages, Lotte Kopecky continues to lead the general classification, holding onto the GC and sprinters classification, while Anna Henderson’s 25th place keeps her in second overall and retains the Best of British jersey. Lizzie Deignan maintains the Queen of the Mountains jersey, with Eline Jansen staying top of the Best Young Rider classification.
The final stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women will take place in Greater Manchester, which has been named the first European Capital of Cycling for 2024. This last stage promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the race, with the overall winner to be crowned after crossing the finish line in Leigh.
2024 Tour of Britain Women Stage 3 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
All photo credits: SWPix
