Geneval to Poligny, August 3, 2026 – It was more than a coming-of-age performance, or a breakthrough victory: it was a record-making, Yellow-seizing solo ride. It was one for the books. Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) rode alone at the head of the race for 88.5 kilometres to claim the win in the 3rd stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, keeping at bay a multiple world champion like Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) to raise one arm in victory and get herself in the lead of the overall standings. It’s the first time that a Norwegian cyclist takes the Yellow Jersey in the women’s Grande Boucle. Meanwhile, the favorites, busy with their particular GC fight, reached the finish line in Poligny 2’48” in arrears. Their time to properly show their current shape will come as soon as Tuesday, with the 21-kilometre individual time trial between Gévrey-Chambertin and Dijon.
A total of 139 riders took the start of Stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift at 1:45 p.m. CEST. The 156.5-kilometer route from Geneva to Poligny concluded the Grand Départ in Switzerland, crossing into France via the Jura Mountains. Riders faced the first major climb of the race, the Col de la Faucille (Category 1, km 23.9), before tackling a rolling course to the finish.
Puck Pieterse claimed the polka dot jersey
An early crash brought down several riders, including Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly), before the Col de la Faucille (Category 1, km 23.9). Fortunately, all escaped without injury. The peloton steadily fragmented on the climb as riders lost contact one by one. Among those dropped were yellow jersey holder Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and points classification leader Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), neither of whom rejoined the main group. Meanwhile, Dina Boels (Lotto Intermarché Ladies) abandoned the race.
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) rode aggressively in pursuit of the mountains classification. She reached the summit of the Col de la Faucille first and also led over the Côte de Lajoux (Category 3, km 36), earning enough points to take over the polka dot jersey. The Dutch rider moved ahead of Nikola Nosková (Cofidis) in the mountains standings, while previous leader Océane Mahé (Ma Petite Entreprise) lost contact early in the stage.
Splendid solo effort by Sigrid Haugset
Shortly after the Côte de Lajoux (Category 3, km 36), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) attacked and opened a small gap over the peloton. She was soon joined by Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike), Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez), Rosa Kloser (Canyon//SRAM), Lotte Kopecky, Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime), Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech), forming a 10-rider lead group. Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) later bridged across from the peloton to make it 11 riders.
EF Education-Oatly reeled the group in at the base of the Col de la Savine (Category 2, km 73.1), where Haugset launched a solo attack. She crested the climb with a 35-second advantage over a peloton reduced to approximately 50 riders. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) set off in pursuit with 76 kilometers remaining. Haugset led the race through the intermediate sprint in Champagnole (km 100.7), where the Norwegian national champion held a lead of 1 minute, 20 seconds over Kopecky and 5:10 over the peloton. Adegeest and Lippert attempted to attack from the main group but were unsuccessful. FDJ United-Suez and Visma | Lease a Bike then assumed pace-setting duties in an effort to reduce the gap to the two leaders.
Kopecky fell short of catching Haugset
Haugset reached the Côte de Chaux-Champagny (Category 4, km 131.8) with a 35-second lead over Kopecky and a 2:30 advantage over the peloton. Behind them, Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) launched a powerful acceleration that was matched only by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike), Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) and Pieterse. However, the favorites hesitated to work together, allowing a chase group of roughly 20 riders — including the remaining general classification contenders — to rejoin them. The regrouped favorites crossed the finish line 2:48 behind Haugset.
Haugset came within 15 seconds of being caught by Kopecky with 10 kilometers remaining, but she continued to push into the headwind and ultimately held off the multiple world champion. She reached Poligny 1:24 ahead of Kopecky after spending the final 88.5 kilometers alone at the front. Her victory became the longest successful solo breakaway in Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift history, surpassing Annemiek van Vleuten’s previous record of 62 kilometers on Stage 7 in 2022 en route to Le Markstein. Haugset also became the first Norwegian rider to claim the yellow jersey. Uno-X had captured the race lead in the men’s Tour de France just one month earlier, when Torstein Træen earned the yellow jersey following a breakaway during the opening week.
Haugset had this to say about her win,
“I would say this is a dream come true, but I actually hadn’t even thought about it. I never thought this could be possible. Standing here is unreal.”
“When I attacked, I just had a few seconds on the peloton. I heard Lotte Kopecky had jumped from the bunch and I was sure she would catch me. I thought I might as well sit up and wait for her, because being second to her was already a good enough result for me. But I kept going. My DSs were amazing from the car, pushing me and making me think of my teammates and everyone cheering from home. I had to give it all! I can’t believe Lotte didn’t catch me. And then, I got this victory in the Norwegian national champion jersey!! It’s fantastic.”
“I hadn’t thought of taking the Yellow Jersey. I was just too dizzy at the end of the stage. I know my boyfriend at home must be a bit angry that I didn’t celebrate the victory, but I couldn’t lift my arms off the bike. It was impossible!!”
Stage 3 Results:
| 1 | S. HAUGSET | UNO-X MOBILITY | 04h 05′ 59” | – | B : 16” | – |
| 2 | L. KOPECKY | TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME | 04h 07′ 23” | + 00h 01′ 24” | B : 10” | – |
| 3 | M. VOS | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | B : 4” | – |
| 4 | U. OSTOLAZA ZABALA | LABORAL KUTXA – FUNDACION EUSKADI | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
| 5 | K. LE COURT PIENAAR | AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | B : 2” | – |
| 6 | N. RUEGG | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
| 7 | C. GERY | FDJ UNITED-SUEZ | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
| 8 | C. KERBAOL | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
| 9 | M. MUL | COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
| 10 | M. TRINCA COLONEL | LIV-ALULA-JAYCO | 04h 08′ 47” | + 00h 02′ 48” | – | – |
General Classification after Stage 3:
| 1 | S. HAUGSET | UNO-X MOBILITY | 11h 17′ 56” | – | B : 16” | – |
| 2 | K. LE COURT PIENAAR | AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM | 11h 19′ 58” | + 00h 02′ 02” | B : 8” | – |
| 3 | D. VOLLERING | FDJ UNITED-SUEZ | 11h 20′ 02” | + 00h 02′ 06” | B : 4” | – |
| 4 | N. RUEGG | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
| 5 | M. VOS | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | B : 8” | – |
| 6 | C. KERBAOL | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
| 7 | E. LONGO BORGHINI | UAE Team L’IMAD | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
| 8 | K. NIEWIADOMA-PHINNEY | CANYON//SRAM | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
| 9 | P. PIETERSE | FENIX-PREMIER TECH | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
| 10 | P. FERRAND PREVOT | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 11h 20′ 06” | + 00h 02′ 10” | – | – |
