The third stage took the riders from Sabbioneta to Toano, where the first uphill finish awaited. After a fast opening stage, two riders managed to create a gap. The GC teams were firmly in control and caught the breakaway before the final climb.

At the bottom of the final climb, Fem van Empel was the first to attack. The youngster created a small gap, but was soon brought back in line. De Vries stayed in the front group for a long time, but was unable to keep up with the fast pace after a few kilometres. In the end, she finished just over three minutes behind winner Fisher-Black.

"The day went differently than expected," De Vries looks back on the first tough ride. "I thought we would ride calmly to the start of the climb, but instead it rained attacks all day and it was a battle to stay at the front. When the climb began, I gave it my all, but after a while I had to drop back. It was a hot and tough stage. There was nothing more in it today."

"The results don't lie," team manager Jan Boven continues. "We might have expected a bit more, but Femke is performing about where she should be. The conditions didn't make it very easy." Tomorrow, there’s another hilly stage on the programme. "We need to seize the opportunities we get, although it's going to be a bit more challenging than we hoped."

Mijntje Geurts was involved in a crash due to the chaos just before the start of the climb. She has been taken to the hospital for further examination.