Kim Le Court-Pienaar of Mauritius captured stage three of the Lloyd's Tour of Britain Women on the Great Orme, a 2.5km summit finish in Llandudno, north Wales, to seize the overall leader's green jersey. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider attacked with three kilometres remaining on the winding final climb and crossed the line 13 seconds clear of Germany's Liane Lippert of Movistar, with Sweden's Caroline Andersson of Liv Alula Jayco finishing third, a further seven seconds back.
The 104.7km stage, which started from Mold, marked the shortest stage of the women's Tour of Britain and the first time Mold had hosted the start of a Tour stage. According to route previews, the stage included approximately 1,617 to 1,927 metres of climbing, with gradients on the final climb reaching up to 15 per cent.
Le Court-Pienaar now leads the overall general classification by 26 seconds over Lippert, with the Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes in third position, 35 seconds behind. The 30-year-old's commanding performance came in dry conditions, a stark contrast to her experience in last year's race when she held the green jersey after day one before crashing heavily in rain during the second stage from Hartlepool.
You can never be too confident. Last year I took the green jersey on day one then on day two I crashed out, so we'll keep our head on our shoulders and keep fighting until the end.
How did the sprinters perform on the climb?
Wiebes, the world's best sprinter at 27 years old, had dominated the first two stages with victories in both fast finishes. However, the SD Worx-Protime rider lost the overall lead once the race finished on the Great Orme, an iconic part of Tour of Britain history. Despite the demanding climb, Wiebes held on well to finish just 42 seconds down on Le Court-Pienaar on the day, though she also surrendered the red points jersey to the stage winner.
Who claimed the mountains jersey?
Britain's Lauren Dickson of FDJ United-Suez claimed the blue queen of the mountains jersey and now leads the competition by 12 points. Belgium's Fleur Moors of Lidl-Trek retained the white young rider's jersey.
What safety concerns surround the race?
The Tour of Britain Women took place under heightened scrutiny over rider safety following the death of Fin Tarling a week earlier. The 19-year-old Welsh cyclist was struck by a van that had strayed onto the course during the Volta a Portugal. His older brother Josh is scheduled to compete in the three-week Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour for Netcompany Ineos, which began on Saturday.
During the opening stage, Australian rider Maeve Plouffe of O'Shea Red Chilli posted on social media that
there were cars from the general public coming at me from all directions, including one that nearly hit me on a roundabout. Despite these concerns, Plouffe praised the overall organisation of the race.
What lies ahead in the race?
Stage four, scheduled for Saturday, presents a hilly 138.3km challenge to Hay on Wye on the Welsh-English border. The route could see a fast finish if the sprinters manage to navigate the climbs first, setting up a potential battle between the climbers and those seeking a late-stage sprint opportunity.
Key Facts
- Kim Le Court-Pienaar won stage three of the Lloyd's Tour of Britain Women on the Great Orme, a 2.5km summit finish with gradients reaching 15 per cent
- Le Court-Pienaar leads the overall classification by 26 seconds over Liane Lippert, with Lorena Wiebes 35 seconds back in third
- The 104.7km stage from Mold was the shortest of the women's Tour of Britain and included between 1,617 and 1,927 metres of climbing
- The race proceeded under heightened safety scrutiny following the death of Fin Tarling during the Volta a Portugal a week prior
- Stage four on Saturday is a 138.3km hilly route to Hay on Wye on the Welsh-English border
