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Kirsten Frattini

La Vuelta Femenina 2026 stage 3 preview - A day for the opportunists with relentless climbing on the roads to A Coruña

A general view of the peloton competing during the 12th La Vuelta Femenina 2026, Stage 2 a 109.8km stage from Lobios to San Cibrao das Vinas / #UCIWWT / on May 04, 2026 in San Cibrao das Vinas, Spain. (Photo by Szymon Gruchalski/Getty Images).

The previous day's stage 2 brought havoc to the peloton with a punishing course of never-ending short climbs. While none were categorized, the day ended with a small-group sprint, with Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) taking a surprise win and Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) moving into the overall race lead.

Overnight leader Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) crashed out just 13km from the finish line.

The peloton will take on another relentlessly undulating day of racing on Tuesday. Again, there may not be categorised ascents on tap for stage 3, but the theme of this Vuelta will be in the route's non-stop ups and downs.

The third day of racing begins in Padrón, and the peloton will race for 121km along a lumpy course to the finish in A Coruña. We can expect either a winning breakaway or another small-group sprint.

With only seconds separating the top 10 in the GC standings, it is also a good opportunity for GC contenders to gain small gaps on their rivals before the race heads into the proper mountains.

La Vuelta Femenina 2026 stage 3 profile (Image credit: La Vuelta Femenina)

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our La Vuelta Femenina coverage as the likes of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and others battle it out. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from one of the biggest women's stage races of the season. Find out more.

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