Norwegian national champion Sigrid Haugset led the race for the majority of the day and held on to become the first Norwegian stage winner in the history of the Tour de France Femmes, and with her solo victory she moves into the leader’s yellow jersey.
After attacking and taking the lead with 89km left to go, the Uno-X Mobility rider dug in deep and stayed ahead of the Belgian Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx – Protime), who battled alone and in vain to catch her. Haugset’s heroic ride has seen her achieve the longest solo breakaway victory in Tour de France Femmes history, and the very first for a Norwegian rider.
Marianne Vos (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) crossed the line third and with that result moves into third place in the General Classification.
Latest Videos FromCycling Weekly
Kim Le Court (AG Insurance – Soudal) finished in fifth and maintains her second place in the GC, with Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) also holding her third-place spot in the GC. However, erstwhile leader Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who was missing in action for most of today, has dropped right out of the top 10.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The 156.5km-long stage, which took riders up into the mountains for the first time and saw the race move from Switzerland into France, was contested in blazing hot conditions, with temperatures hitting 37°C in the shade. But that didn’t deter the Uno-X Mobility rider, who pushed through the pain of her epic solo ride with Viking-like determination, and finished with a broad grin.
“I never thought it was possible,” said Haugset in the post-stage interview. “It’s unreal. When I went, it wasn’t many seconds, and I thought, yeah, she will catch me. And I thought: ‘Shall I just drop down to her? Yeah OK, second is good.’ But I kept on.
“I was think about all my teammates, and everyone cheering from home. And it was like, I had to give it all. And yeah… I can’t believe that she didn’t catch me. And in the Norwegian jersey – it’s fantastic.”
Explore More
