It was more than a coming-of-age performance, or a breakthrough victory: it was a record-making, yellow-seizing solo ride.
Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) rode alone at the head of the race for 88.5 kilometres to claim the win in the third stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, keeping multiple world champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) at bay to raise one arm in victory and move into the overall lead.
It’s the first time that a Norwegian cyclist has worn the Yellow Jersey in the women’s Grande Boucle.
Meanwhile, the favourites, busy with their particular GC fight, crossed the finish line in Poligny 2’48” behind. 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.
Some 139 riders took the start in the third stage. On the menu were 156.5 kilometres between Geneva and Poligny to draw to a close the Grand Départ from Switzerland by crossing the French border via the Jura range to encounter the first major mountain of this Grande Boucle, the Col de la Faucille (1ª, km 23.9), ahead of a hilly course all the way to the end of the stage.