Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset takes yellow from Lorena Wiebes after long-range solo break to win Stage 3 at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
Stage 3 | Semi mountain | Women | 03.08.2026
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08:02 PM
HIGHLIGHTS: HAUGSET ROMPS TO STAGE 3 WIN TO MOVE INTO YELLOW JERSEY
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Highlights: Haugset soloes to sublime Stage 3 win to take yellow jersey

Video credit: TNT Sports


17:36
HAUGSET WINS STAGE 3 WITH SOLO BREAK
Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset won the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with an astonishing long range solo break for Uno-X Mobility.
The Norwegian was part of an initial 11-rider breakaway but, as the rest were quickly reeled in by the chasing peloton, she decided to stay out front despite there being 89km to go.
Alone, she rode and rode and rode until she sealed a place in the history books with the longest ever solo breakaway in the event’s history. 
Lotte Kopecky broke free from the bunch to try and chase her down for SD Worx-Protime but the former world champion could not quite manage to do so.
Instead, those two both had solo gruelling rides in roasting hot conditions and while the gap at one point got down to just 10 seconds, Kopecky did not have the legs to reel her opponent in.
Haugset was riding in the Norwegian national jersey. Tomorrow she will be in yellow having taken over at the top of the GC standings. 
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Image credit: Getty Images

Stage 3 rolled out of Geneva with Lorena Wiebes in yellow for SD Worx-Protime but, with the stage immediately hitting the Col de la Faucille, a 11.4km long climb at an average gradient of 6.3%, the sprinter was quickly dropped.
It soon became apparent that she would not be riding back on with the race quickening and attacks at the front a near constant. 
GC contender Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) crashed early on in a multi-rider pile up on a flat section but she was quickly up on her bike again. 
The first proper break formed after the Cote de Lajoux with 11 riders getting free including Kopecky, but once they were reeled back in, Haugset was left out front alone as the race hit the Col de la Savine after 73km of racing. 
With the Norwegian’s advantage heading over the one-minute mark, Kopecky then broke free once again and tried to bridge to her. 
Those two never linked up, both riding solo for kilometre after kilometre. At one point, Haugset led the peloton behind by well over four minutes, but that gap was closed on the final climb of the day with bonus seconds at the top up for grabs.
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‘Something very special’ – Haugset soloes to remarkable Stage 3 win

Video credit: TNT Sports

In the end Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) took those final bonus seconds, which helped her hold on to second in the GC standings. 
But after coming over the top of the climb, most of the GC contenders were content to sit up and ride to the finish, happy to keep some energy in their legs for another day.
As such, it became a battle of wills between Haugset and Kopecky. 
With just under 10km to go, Kopecky could see her rival on the same stretch of flat road. But she later has cramping in her legs and watched as the Norwegian rode away from her once again. 
Haugset was left to cross the line alone, winning by 1’24’’ from Kopecky, with Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) taking third on the stage to grab the final two bonus seconds on offer. 
”I was so dizzy at the end. I know my boyfriend will be so angry with me for not celebrating, but I couldn’t lift my arms off the bike,” Haugset said afterwards, having recorded the biggest victory of her career. 
How much energy she will have going into Stage 4 remains to be seen, with an individual time trial coming up for the peloton.

17:29
WHAT AWAITS TOMORROW
Tomorrow is individual time trial day, so we could well see some seconds gained and lost amongst the GC contenders... ANd we will be back with live coverage from 13:30 BST.
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Image credit: From Official Website

17:21
ico results
THE TOP 10
1. Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 11:17'56''
2. Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) +2'02''
3. Demi Vollering (FDJ–Suez) +2'06''
4. Noemi Ruegg (EF Education-Oatly) +2'10''
5. Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) ST
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) ST
7. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) ST
8. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon–SRAM) ST
9. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) ST
10. Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) +2'15''
17:17
LE COURT REMAINS SECOND OVERALL
"We knew we needed to get the gap less than a minute to grab yellow, unfortunately my team mates did such good job early on they weren't there," says Le Court, and indeed she was quite isolated late on bar one team mate.
She added that no one else wanted to work and it did seem that way, many GC contenders happy to keep their powder dry for the mountain stages later in the week.
17:14
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KOPECKY GIVES HER VIEW
"When she had one minute and the pace was really slowing down, I stayed in the bunch and my legs were too good so I went for the chase.
"I came closer and closer, I tried to really push and I saw her in front of me - but I was empty, my legs were starting to cramp and I couldn't push harder. I had to let her go, I just couldn't push any more.
"On such a long effort, you just cannot cool down any more. She was really strong."
17:09
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TIME TO HEAR FROM THE STAGE WINNER
"I feel I have to say yes," Haugset said when asked if this was a dream come true.
"But I haven’t really thought about it because I never thought it was possible. Standing here is unreal."
She then described her feelings when she heard Kopecky was chasing:
"When I went, it was 90 seconds [to Kopecky] and I thought she would catch me, so I thought 'shall I drop back to her' as second [place] is good!
"But I had to give it my all and I can’t believe she didn’t catch me. 
"I was so dizzy at the end, I know my boyfriend will be so angry with me for not celebrating, but I couldn’t lift my arms off the bike."
17:00
WHAT A RIDE

16:57
HAUGSET MAKES HISTORY
There is a belief that this is the longest ever solo breakaway in the history of the Tour de France Femmes.
Haugset rode away on the Col de la Savine with over 83km of racing still to go...
"An unbelievable ride from her, and she fought so hard, physically and mentally," says Dani Rowe.
"This is going to mean so much to Uno-X. This will mean everything to them, to turn things around and win in that way is just exceptional."
16:55
VOS TAKES THIRD
Marianne Vos sprints to third place and the last few bonus seconds, 2'48'' back in the end.
The rest of the big GC names come in just behind Vos.
16:53
KOPECKY TAKES SECOND
Here comes a dejected-looking Kopecky. Head down, she free wheels over the line, over a minute back in the end.
She tried, but she could not quite reel in the flying Norwegian today.
16:51
Jersey - Yellow
HAUGSET WINS STAGE 3 WITH EPIC SOLO BREAK
Wow. Just wow. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset wins the stage for Uno-X Mobility.
WHat a ride. What a break.
And she will be a worthy wearer of the yellow jersey tomorrow.
"A huge performance, mental, physical, emotional," says Dani Christmas. And she is not wrong as Haugset wraps her exhausted arms around her waiting crew.
16:51
1KM TO GO: HAUGSET INTO THE FINAL KM
Kopecky is dropping back fast now - she knows this one is done...
16:50
1.7KM TO GO: HAUGSET HEADING FOR A FAMOUS WIN
You cannot undersell what Haugset is doing today - a long range solo break that no one could bring back.
She is so close now, so, so close. If she has anything left, now is the moment.
16:49
2.7KM TO GO: SOME MOVEMENT BEHIND
This is not for the win but the bonus seconds. And Le Court is active again, having a little pop off the front. As such, the pace begins to pick back up again between the GC contendors.
But up front, Haugset is 43'' ahead of Kopecky now.
16:45
4.7KM TO GO: NO ONE WANTS TO CHASE
It really does look like the peloton has sat up a little bit, and are going to contest a sprint later on for third place and the last four bonus seconds.
As such, this is all about Haugset versus Kopecky. And that gap is back up to 31'' now.
The Norwegian has her head down, and is grimacing towards what would be arguably the biggest win of her career.
16:42
5.9KM TO GO: THE GAP INCREASES
"It looks so, so hard for Haugset," says Christmas.
The Norwegian leads by 23'' now, and she might have found a second wind. Haugset is headed for the yellow jersey at this rate - but can Kopecky catch her?
Both must have so much lactic acid in their legs.
Haugset is nearly at the 5km to go banner...
16:42
NOT A SURPRISE

16:40
7.4KM TO GO: HAUGSET STILL OUT FRONT
This has to have been a lonely ride for Haugset, and for Kopecky behind too.
But both are still out there, and the gaps are growing not shrinking.
Haugset leads by 22'' in what Dani Christmas has just said would be a "monumental win."
The peloton are 2'51'' back now.
16:38
9.0KM TO GO: HAUGSET REMAINS IN THE LEAD
Somehow Haugset is still out front, alone.
The gap is 12'' to Kopecky. Is she biding her time? Or out of legs?
The fact Kopecky can see her rival has to count for something here...