Lorena Wiebes delivered her first win of the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women on stage 3, navigating a crash-ravaged finale with poise and precision to win the sprint into Trento. With heavy rain falling inside the final 6km, chaos struck the peloton just before the expected bunch sprint, but Wiebes held her nerve and finished off a textbook lead-out from Lotte Kopecky.
Earlier in the day, the 122km route from Vezza d’Oglio to Trento had looked like it would run to plan for the sprinters. The stage opened with the ascent of the Passo del Tonale – the highest climb of this year’s race – but it came early and did little to split the bunch. Usoa Ostolaza rode aggressively on the climb, cresting the Cima Alfosina Strada solo to claim the QoM jersey before being reeled in.
Photo Credit: LaPresseBePink’s Nora Jenčušová then took up the baton, holding a narrow lead through the long descent and flat run-in before being caught with 25km to go. With the bunch all back together, attention turned to the expected sprint, but the weather had other ideas.
As the skies opened in the final 6km, conditions turned treacherous. Just inside 2.5km to go, a huge crash tore through the front of the bunch at a roundabout, scattering riders across the slick road surface and wiping out many lead-out trains and GC hopefuls. Anna Henderson, the race leader in pink, was among those caught in the melee, though the 3km rule ensured she retained the maglia rosa for another day.
Marianne Vos swerved onto the grass in a bid to stay upright – a flash of cyclocross instinct in a road race – but the crash reshaped the front of the race. Christina Schweinberger capitalised with a solo attack, briefly holding a gap before SD Worx-Protime regrouped. Barbara Guarischi took up the pacemaking, and then Kopecky executed a perfect lead-out.
Wiebes admitted after the stage that she had feared crashing, too. “I was a bit scared in that last corner,” she said. “I could feel my wheels sliding, but I managed to stay upright.”
Once on the home straight, Wiebes had no equal. Josie Nelson sprinted to a career-best second place in Picnic PostNL colours, while Kopecky, having done the work, still held on for third.
“It’s a pity it wasn’t a full sprint with the peloton,” Wiebes said, “but this is part of racing too. The team were fantastic, and I’m glad I could finish it off for them.”
Despite the crash and the disrupted finale, there were no major time losses for the overall classification. Kopecky gained a few bonus seconds for third place, but Henderson stays at the top of the standings, ready to defend her lead on stage 4’s summit finish to Pianezze – a tough 11km climb averaging over 7%, and the first major GC test of the race.
For Wiebes, it’s a well-earned win after coming through a dangerous day unscathed. For everyone else, it’s a reminder that no Giro stage is ever routine.
2025 Giro d’Italia Women Stage 3 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: LaPresse
