As it happened: A surprise late solo move takes the win in stage 3 of the Vuelta Femenina

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of stage three of the Vuelta España Femenina.

Yesterday was another gripping, enthralling day, with many a tale to being told.

Shari Bossuyt the dramatic stage 2 sprint as Franziska Koch takes second place and the overall lead.

It was a difficult day for EF Education-Oatly though.

Their Former Swiss champion, Noemi Rüegg started the day in the leader's red jersey, but crashed out of the race.
She's since been diagnosed with a broken shoulder.

Today's stage is another tough one, with more than 2,000m of vertical ascent. We roll out from the town of Padrón at 14:00 Spanish time, and finish in A Coruña 121.2km later.

Riders are already heading to the start, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) doesn't look too happy with the weather.

The organisers describe the day as flat, and admittedly there are no classified climbs, but...

It's a day for the opportunists with relentless climbing on the roads to A Coruña.

And we're rolling for 4km of neutralised riding before the stage gets going proper.

There's little change in the weather from previous stages, with a maximum temperature forecast at around 15º, some rain and winds up to around 18km/h from the north-west. That could cause some issues in the bunch as we run along the coast later.

Our race leader, Fransika Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ) and stage two winner Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) before the roll out.

We're racing, with 121.2km ahead of us.

The flag drops

We had 118 riders start the stage today, Noemi Rüegg wasn't the only one to leave the race after yesterday's stage.
Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) and Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) have also withdrawn overnight.

They join a growing list of riders dropping out of the 2026 race.

With only two kilometres done we have two riders away, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto-Intermarché Ladies) have 18 seconds.

Now Justine Gégu (Mayenne-Monbana-My Pie) has set off in pursuit of the leaders, with Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health) and Marina Garau (Vini Fantini-Bepink) joining her.

Wilson-Haffenden and Vervloet are 49 seconds ahead with Gégu, Ragusa and Garau 14 seconds behind them.
It seems the Mayenne team were looking for the breakaway today.

With 110km to go Wilson-Haffenden and Vervloet now lead the peloton by 1.35 with Gégu, Ragusa and Garau 35 seconds behind them.

The breakaway is formed

Marina Garau is the best placed breakaway rider in the breakaway, trailing Koch's overall lead by 2.13. She might well be the virtual leader on the road very soon.
Her Vini Fantini-Bepink team is the lowest ranked team in the race and the only third division, Continental squad.

But Garau's group are not gaining time at the same pace as Wilson-Haffenden and Vervolet who are 2.15 ahead, while Gégu, Ragusa and Garau are only 1.33 in front of the peloton.

The two groups are coming together now, it seems as though the leading pair are waiting for the chasers.

Wilson-Haffenden and Vervloet lead the peloton by 2.19 with the chasers 20 seconds behind.

100km to go

Though she is on an Italian team, Garau is one of only eight Spanish riders who started the race on Sunday, partly because there are no Spanish Continental teams anymore.
We investigated the state of women's pro cycling in Spain, La Vuelta is thriving but the lower levels are struggling.

It's proving harder than they hoped for Gégu, Ragusa and Garau to reach the leading pair, they've slipped back very slightly.
Will they even get there?

The two groups have been up the road a while now and still they're separated, though the gap is coming down and they're almost together. Garau is now the overall leader of the Vuelta on the road.

And it's all change.
Garua's group have seven up the ghost, sat up and are heading back to the bunch.
Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto-Intermarché Ladies) lead the peloton by 3.10.

90km to go

Wilson-Haffenden started the day 5.20 down on GC, while Vervloet was at 19.56, neither is a threat to the overall lead, will the bunch let them fight for the stage, or will the sprinters want another battle?

There are now two groups on the road, Wilson-Haffenden and Vervloet lead the peloton by 3.44, the race rolling at an average speed of about 36km/h.

But we could have another sprint on our hands. Yesterday's was very dramatic, with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) relegated for an irregular sprint.

"If I start a sprint tomorrow I would do exactly the same," she said afterwards.

This is a strong and mature ride from the two escapees.
Wilson-Haffenden is only 20, while Vervloet is just 22-years-old.
They lead the peloton by 3.11.

80km to go

The peloton are getting organised now and the gap has dropped below three minutes.

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With no classified climb on the route today, we do have an intermediate sprint, though it's not until 16.7km to go.
The brakaway's advantage continues to drop, it's now only 2.35.

The gap has settled, the peloton have brought the breakaway too within reach and they now sit at 2.30 in front. They're not likely to win, but that's the beauty of cycling, you never know.

70km to go

Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ) is leading the race overall, though she's yet to win stage, she was third on stage 1 and second on stage 2. What are the chances she keeps her red jersey with a win today?

We're more than halfway now and about to reach the highest point of today's stage. It's actually been almost all uphill from the start and we're 502m above sea level.
Wilson-Haffenden and Vervloet lead by 1.53.

60km to go

We're heading north now, towards the coast, reaching it 30km from the line. Then it's basically east, along the coast.

The wind is just about what it was at the start, about 16km/h from the north west, so it'll be a decent cross tail wind when they hit the coast, this may well bring some action.

Much of the road to the coast is downhill, so the pace is high but Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto-Intermarché Ladies) are being reeled back in quickly now, their advantage is down to only 1.09.

There are a few climbs on the coast road. One in particular, with 15km to go, just after the intermediate sprint, could cause some issues, with short ramps of double digit gradients.
It's a great place to attack, especially with that cross tail wind.

And now the gap has gone out again, it's over two minutes, the peloton taking the chance to get rid of rain jackets, grab a bottle and the red jersey stop for a comfort break.

49km to go

An interesting change at the front of the peloton, with Liv-Alula-Jayco and Vini Fantini-Bepink leading the peloton alongside UAE Team ADQ.
The gap sits around the two minute mark.

The bunch is beginning to turn the screw once more, a variety of teams now on the front as Vervloet drifts off Wilson-Haffenden's wheel and the gap slips below two minutes once more.

40km to go

We've already climbed around 1300 of the 2000m on today's stage, it's lumpy from here on in, no big climbs, but six of them making life difficult.

This is a great ride from Wilson-Haffenden. Vervloet is well and truly dropped now, while the Lidl-Trek rider has increased her lead to 2.15.

Wilson-Haffenden is nailing it now, a former Junior time trial World Champion, she's also the current Australian TT champ.

We're on another little climb now, and we'll see the seas very soon, the race following the coast with the sea on their left.

Vervloet is caught and dropped by the bunch led by the yellow jerseys of the Visma-Lease a bike team.
Wilson-Haffenden's advantage remains around the two minute mark.

30km to go

Visma-Lease a Bike have dual aims here, first to keep their GC leader, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot safe, but secondly to protect Sarah Van Dam, who could do very well here.

Van Dam has done well in northern Spain before, taking 3rd overall at Itzulia Women after finishing second on the stage into San Sebastién last year.

Now the bunch lifts the pace, the FDJ team of race leader, Franziska Koch on the front, reducing the gap to 1.41.
Whatever happens this is a great ride from Wilson-Haffenden.

It's not looking so good for Wilson-Haffenden now, her gap is down to only 1.20.

Wilson-Haffenden's lead is now only 1.12 as the peloton get ready for the intermediate sprint, where it seems the bunch may be eyeing the bonus seconds on offer.

20km to go

The pace in the bunch is such that some very decent riders have been dropped, the last descent and the ensuing climb causing some damage.

Just a handful of seconds now for Wilson-Haffenden as she approaches the intermediate sprint in Arteixo.

The Australian rider should hang on for the sprint, though the peloton will be hot on her heels.

And Wilson-Haffenden makes it through the sprint, winning 6 bonus seconds, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) takes 4 and Koch 2 seconds.

Wilson-Haffenden is within touching distance of the peloton now, the race is really on.

15km

We're on yet another one of the small climbs now, the one which may prove a good attacking point and Wilson-Haffenden is caught.

More riders dropped from the bunch as a furious pace is set on this climb. Wilson-Haffenden is one of them, slipping back after a tough day out and a great ride.

Attack on the climb from Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-Sram-zondacrypoto) the Polish champion is really stretching things out here.

More attacks from the leading group of about 12 riders, though riders are coming back.

Amstel Gold Race winner, Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) lifts the pace, but nothing's sticking and a group of about 25 are at a the front.

Overall leader Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ) is dropped, though other group is coming back to the leaders, including Koch and Lotte Kopecky.

And another attack, Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) attacks and gets a gap, Remember the Paris Olympics? Can she do that again?

SD Worx head to the front en masse to bring the American rider to heel.

10km to go

More riders are coming back now.
The final 6km are a roller coaster. Largely downhill, there are nine roundabouts, a short stretch of cobbles and a right turn at about 600m to go. From there it's slightly uphill too!

Faulkner is still out front, with a handful of seconds, SD Worx are still doing the work. The undulating terrain suits the Olympic champion perfectly.

But FDJ have come to lend a hand and Faulkner is almost caught, though she's not giving up.

Still Faulkner dangles off the front but no, she's caught, SD Worx controlling on yet another little rise.

Julia Kopecký lead for SD Worx now, can her namesake and team mate repay the Czech rider's work?

There are about 30 women in the leading group as Niewiadoma-Phinneyy attacks again.

It looks like Kopecký and Kopecky are dropped, but Niewiadoma-Phinney is caught as another attacks goes, this time form Visma-Lease a Bike.

Descending now and we'll be on the cobbles soon. They were used in O Gran Camino recently and caused plenty of punctures.

5km to go

Another attack from Visma, but we're descending a wide road so it's tough to make a difference. Mavi García leads. But not by a lot.

The race has reformed and around 25 riders are together as we enter the final 3km.

Letizia Paternoster is being led out by her Liv-Alula-Jayco team mate as we bump along the cobbles.

Ef Education Oatly made their move, Cedrine Kerbaol attacking and getting a gap. She can do this.

The chase is stretched out a real desperate pursuit, but the French rider could have this, she's done it before.

Kerbaol has a huge gap, surely no one can bring her back, the chase is in one long liine.

1km to go

Alone inside the final few hundred metres for Kerbaol.

Kerbaol does it, out-riding the sprinters, with Kopecky finishing second.

Kerbaol wins the stage with Lotte Kopecky second and Sarah Van Dam third.

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What a race EF Education-Oatly are having. They won the opening stage with Noemi Rüegg before the Swiss rider crashed out on yesterday's second stage. Today they rode brilliantly, Kristen Faulkner attacking late on, Alice Towers making her own move before Kerbaol made the day hers.

Once again SD Worx-Protime were outwitted, they had numbers in the final, but were unable to take advantage after Kerbaol's late, race winning move. Lotte Kopecky especially will be frustrated finishing second for the second time in three days and being relegated on the other day.

EF Education's whole approach is perfect for a finish like today's, allowing them to take advantage with aggressive unconventional moves which triumph over the more structured tactics of other teams.

As for Franziska Koch, she and her FDJ United-SUEZ team defended the red jersey brilliantly, the German herself battling to finish 15th to maintain the overall lead.
The team will be disappointed that Juliette Berthet lost 1.44, slipping down the GC, though fellow climber Évita Muzic remains in within touching ditance of the red jersey..

Tuesday's fourth stage sees the peloton tackle a 115.3km route between Monforte de Lemos and Antas De Ulla. For the third day running they'll climb more than 2,000m, though this time there are two third category climbs, 96 and 31km from the line.
We could witness another reduced bunch sprint, though, with bigger time gaps a breakaway might be allowed its head.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoyed following the race with us and we'll see you tomorrow, stage four rolls out at 14:05 local time, so we'll be with you just before that.