Sigrid Haugset of Uno X Mobility delivered an upset performance on stage three of the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, capturing the 156.5km stage from Geneva. The Norwegian rider launched a solo breakaway with 113km remaining and held off a determined chase from two-time world champion Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime, who finished one minute 24 seconds adrift.
The mountainous stage through the Jura region began with a steep category one climb at the Col de la Faucille, causing the field to splinter early. Haugset, who entered the race with limited professional victory experience, initiated her decisive move between the second climb and the category two Col de la Savine. Despite Kopecky closing to within approximately 15 seconds during the middle portion of the stage, crosswinds across the harvested fields near Arbois proved decisive, with Kopecky losing 30 seconds and ultimately conceding to the leader.
The 27-year-old Haugset now leads the general classification by two minutes two seconds over Kim le Court of AG Insurance-Soudal. Demi Vollering of the Netherlands sits third, two minutes six seconds back. The stage victory represented a breakthrough for Haugset, who described her disbelief at the result and credited her team’s support during the grueling effort.
Analysts noted that despite Haugset’s commanding position, she is anticipated to cede ground once the race encounters more challenging mountain terrain later in the event. The favorites for the overall crown—including defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Kasia Niewiadoma—remain closely bunched on the general classification, with several riders sitting within mere seconds of each other ahead of the decisive stages ahead.
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