Gunnewijk takes the stage

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Loes Gunnewijk scored her first victory of the season in stage 3 of the Profile Ladies Tour with a daring solo attack on a rainy, cobbled 115km stage in Breda.

The former Dutch champion came in 27 seconds ahead of Nederland Bloeit teammate and race leader Marianne Vos, who led home the sprint from a shattered peloton as rain pounded down on the race.

Early in the stage, a 14-rider breakaway formed in the wind and rain, with the race leader included as well as some of the top names in women's cycling: Kirsten Wild and Chantal Blaak (AA Drink), Emma Johansson and Lisa Brennauer (Hitec products UCK), World Cup leader Annamiek Van Vleuten and Sarah Düster, making four Nederland Bloeit riders in the move with Gunnewijk and Vos, HTC Highroad's Ina Teutenberg, Chloe Hosking and stage 2 winner Elenora Van Dijk, Monia Baccaille (MCipollini), plus Cherise Taylor (Lotto Honda) and Joelle Numainville (TIBCO).

HTC kept the break together to give Teutenberg the cobble sprint prize, but with the sprints behind and the weather deteriorating, Gunnewijk attacked the move with 10km left to go and rode away into the blearly landscape never to be seen by the break again.

"We actually wanted our team to do something later, but the moment was just perfect to try," Gunnewijk said. "I was able to keep pulling out the gap, and thereby gave a further confirmation that my form right now is just perfectly fine."

As Gunnewijk enjoyed her stage victory, Vos narrowly out-sprinted Wild at the line to further extend her overall lead and points classification jersey.

Johansson was awarded the most aggressive rider's prize on the stage, while Blaak maintained the best young rider's jersey by her presence in the breakaway.

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