Perfect, Unexpected Day for Femke Gerritse and Sd Worx – Protime

Huesca, Tuesday 6th May 2025

“I honestly didn’t expect this.” SD Worx-Protime’s Femke Gerritse started the third stage of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es between Barbastro and Huesca, a rolling course where the wind was the main menace, with La Roja in sight as she just trailed two seconds behind overall leader Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco). The Dutch rider already overtook the Italian in the GC by claiming bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, and later sealed her new status atop the standings by triumphing in the final sprint ahead of living legend Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike). After a good start in Barcelona and this perfect day in Huesca, Gerritse now has a 12” advantage on Vos and Paternoster. The landscape will slightly change tomorrow in Zaragoza, though, as the route between Pedrola and Borja is lumpy and riders with climbing prowess will probably prevail.

142 riders took the start in the 3rd stage of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es, which covered 132,4 kilometres between Barbastro and Huesca, at 13:50. There were three DNSs: Chloé Dygert (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto), Georgia Baker (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Laura Lizette Sander (Team Coop-Repsol), all of them sick. As for the race, Maaike Coljé (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Marion Borras (Cofidis), Magdalene Lind (Coop-Repsol), Marina Garau (Bepink-Imatra-Bongioanni) and Ariana Gilabert (Eneicat-CM Team) went clear after just 3 kilometers. Once they were gone, Lea Lin Teutenberg (Lotto Ladies) set off in an unsuccessful pursuit that lasted for nearly half an hour. She was brought back at kilometer 24, when the five women at the front enjoyed a 2’25” advantage over the bunch.

Gerritse in the GC lead already after the intermediate sprint

The breakaway clocked a maximum gap of 3’15” at kilometer 40 over a peloton where no team took the reins, yet the sheer fear of echelons prompted teams to speed up ahead of every turn in the road. Things got serious at around kilometer 95, when Coljé accelerated at the front and dropped both Gilabert and Borras off the breakaway while the bunch increased its pace in view of the intermediate sprint. The three women remaining at the front were brought back at kilometer 99. Shortly after in Tramaced (IS, km 101,6), Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime) was the quickest, defeating Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) to claim six bonus seconds that put her at the top of the virtual GC, right ahead of the Italian rider.

Nervous approach to the finish

Riders were exposed to remarkable crosswinds from the right-hand turn in Grañén (km 108) all the way to the finish, and echelons duly took shape. Lidl-Trek managed to save a pretty dangerous situation in which both their main sprinter Anna Henderson and their GC spearhead Riejanne Markus got dropped, and likewise for AG Insurance-Soudal with their leader Ashleigh Moolman. The pack got reduced to just 60 riders as it approached the finish line in Huesca, and was slightly disrupted by a crash at its tail end inside the final three kilometers. SD Worx-Protime put a perfect lead-out to set up Femke Gerritse for a powerful sprint in which she managed to keep Vos and Uno-X’s Linda Zanetti at bay in order to claim an excellent victory to round out a perfect day.

STAGE 3 RESULT

1. Femke Gerritse (Team SD Worx – Protime) 03h23’24’
2. Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +00’00”
3. Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) +00’00”

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Femke Gerritse (Team SD Worx – Protime) 06h07’50’
2. Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +00’12”
3. Letizia Paternoster (Liv-Alula-Jayco) +00’12”