ZOE BACKSTEDT WINS TOUR DE SUISSE FEMMES STAGE THREE

Zoe Backstedt claimed victory in stage three of the Tour de Suisse Femmes on Friday, winning a bunch sprint in Bad Ragaz. The British rider, competing for Canyon-SRAM, produced a decisive finish in the final 300 metres after receiving a lead-out from her team. The largely flat stage concluded with the peloton catching a breakaway group 19 kilometres from the finish.

Backstedt's win marked her ninth professional victory. She now sits 39th on the general classification, more than 16 minutes behind Italian race leader Elisa Longho Borghini. Fellow British cyclist Lauren Dickson remains in second place overall, 25 seconds behind Longho Borghini, after clipping barriers 3.5 kilometres from the finish. All riders involved in that incident received the same time under the final five-kilometre rule.

Stage four on Saturday will feature a 24-kilometre time trial, an event in which Backstedt has recorded five victories during her career. Backstedt suggested the time trial would suit her, though noted that heat and climbing have characterised each day of racing so far. The five-stage Tour de Suisse Femmes concludes on Sunday with a mountain loop starting and finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon.