Vuelta – Karo sticks with the favorites on Stage 3

Stage 3 of La Vuelta Femenina this Tuesday followed a similar pattern to the previous two. On another demanding finish, the Mayenne Monbana My Pie team once again placed a rider in the group contesting the win, this time with Karolina Perekitko. She also made a jump in the overall classification.

At the start on Tuesday, an attacking mindset prevailed within the Mayenne Monbana My Pie squad. From the very first kilometer, Méral-based rider Justine Gegu launched an attack in an attempt to form the right breakaway. Unfortunately, the race dynamics ultimately distanced her from the leading group. The team then had to work together heading into the finale, which once again promised to be lively. Polish rider Karolina Perekitko, leader of the French ProTeam, managed to follow the various accelerations from the favorites and finished 30th on the line. For the third consecutive day, Mayenne Monbana My Pie placed a rider in the group fighting for victory.

Justine Gegu. “At the start of the race, my goal was to go in the breakaways. However, I’ve been sick for a few days, so I wasn’t feeling great. I was more focused on staying in the peloton as long as possible and saving energy for the coming days. But at one point, I saw an opportunity to attack, so I went for it. Four riders joined me and we worked together. I didn’t take many turns because I wasn’t in great shape, but in the end, the break lasted quite a long time. It was a great experience and really amazing to be part of.”

Damien Pommereau, sports director. “Like yesterday, there weren’t many riders in the breakaway. Justine attacked but was countered. She went again in a group of three chasers and they stayed within 20–25 seconds for quite a long time. Then they started to lose time and, after spending a long time in no man’s land, they sat up. The peloton accelerated for the first time before the intermediate sprint with bonus seconds, 20 km from the finish, and then split apart a few kilometers later. Karo made it into the first group of around 35 riders; Natalie didn’t miss much to be there as well. The final section was a bit too steep for her.”

Stage 3 results : 30 - Karolina Perekitko

44 - Natalie Quinn

79 - Alice Coutinho

80 - Marine Allione

83 - Francesca Hall

93 - Léa Rondel

94 - Justine Gegu

General classification after Stage 3 : 34 - Karolina Perekitko

42 - Natalie Quinn

70 - Alice Coutinho

75 - Marine Allione

94 - Justine Gegu

95 - Francesca Hall

104 - Léa Rondel

Photo credit : Eduardo Saiz