Shortly after the start in Geneva, the riders were immediately sent uphill. With the Col de la Faucille and the Côte de Lajoux, climbs of the first and third categories respectively, two serious challenges awaited the peloton early in the stage. During the descent of the Lajoux, a strong breakaway formed, including Femke de Vries. The eleven riders at the front were given little room and were caught again at the foot of the third climb.

Sigrid Haugsted then saw her opportunity and launched a solo attack. The Norwegian quickly built a five-minute advantage and only had to keep Lotte Kopecky, who was chasing behind, at bay. Although Kopecky closed the gap to within ten seconds, Haugsted held on and reached the finish after an impressive 84-kilometer solo ride.

In the group of favourites, Ferrand-Prévot showed that she was alert and ready. Last year’s winner responded immediately when Kim Le Court-Pienaar attacked on the final climb of the day, putting her rivals under pressure. De Vries also made a strong impression, staying with the best riders on the climb. A chasing group containing Vos rejoined shortly afterwards and fought for the final podium spot. Vos won that sprint to take third place.

De Vries reflects on the third stage: "Of course we knew it was going to be a tough stage, but I didn’t expect it to explode like this. With the time trial tomorrow, I thought most riders wouldn’t take too many risks today. But the race really came alive on the final climb, and from that moment onwards it was all hands on deck. I had to dig deep, but I was just able to stay with them. Luckily, Pauline was able to follow as well."

Sports director Jos van Emden is already looking ahead to tomorrow’s individual time trial. "So far, everything is going according to plan. Pauline is in a good position, and tomorrow we will aim for the best possible result in the time trial. We are not focused on the others, but purely on ourselves. The goal is to ride as hard and as well as possible. In the end, we will see what the result is."