At first glance, stage 3 of La Vuelta Femenina finished in the expected mass sprint, but the final 30km of the stage saw plenty of action with echelons and crashes. Several GC contenders lost minutes while others were saved by the 3km rule.
Ane Santesteban (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi), instantly noticeable in the polka-dot mountain jersey, was involved in a first crash with 50km to go. The Basque climber could return to the peloton, but her troubles were far from over.
