Backstedt wins Tour de Suisse Femmes stage in sprint finish

"The peloton stayed together in the final kilometres, setting up a fast finish"

Britain’s Zoe Backstedt won stage three of the Tour de Suisse Femmes with a powerful sprint finish in Bad Ragaz.

The stage was largely flat and ended in a bunch sprint after a breakaway was caught with 19km remaining. It formed part of a multi-stage women’s race, and the profile of this stage suited the sprinters.

Backstedt launched her sprint inside the final 300 metres. Her Canyon–Sram team delivered a strong lead-out, helping her move into perfect position. She then accelerated in the closing straight and held off the rest of the field to take the win.

The peloton stayed together in the final kilometres after the break was brought back. This created a fast and controlled sprint finish.

Backstedt praised her team for their work in controlling the race and positioning her at the right moment. It was her ninth professional victory.

She remains more than 16 minutes behind overall leader Elisa Longo Borghini and is not competing for the general classification.

Stage four will be a 24km individual time trial, where Backstedt is expected to be one of the key contenders again.