Haugset goes it alone to claim Tour de France Femmes third stage

Sigrid Haugset has seized the yellow jersey after an impressive solo victory on the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes. The Norwegian rider launched a decisive breakaway with over 85 kilometers remaining in the challenging 156.5-kilometer route from Geneva to Poligny.

The stage featured four categorized climbs, and Haugset made her move at the foot of the category two Col de la Savine. She was the first to crest the final climb of the day, the category four Côte de Chaux-Champagny. Lotte Kopecky followed about 30 seconds behind, with a nine-rider group further adrift.

Lorena Wiebes, who had held the yellow jersey after winning the first two stages, lost significant time. She finished more than 20 minutes behind Haugset and dropped to 67th place in the general classification. Haugset's dominant performance saw her extend her lead over Kopecky in the final kilometers, ultimately finishing 1 minute and 24 seconds ahead.

Haugset now leads the general classification by 2 minutes and 2 seconds over Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius. Defending champion Demi Vollering is in third place, a further four seconds behind. This edition of the race covers 1,175 kilometers over nine days.