Blanka Vas Claims Victory in Final Stage of Tour de Romandie for Women
Blanka Vas, a rider from the Hungarian team SD Worx-Protime, emerged victorious in the third and final stage of the Tour de Romandie for women. The race, which took place on a hilly route, saw Vas win a thrilling sprint among three riders. However, the most significant achievement of the day went to Elise Chabbey, a Swiss cyclist from FDJ-SUEZ. Chabbey secured third place in the stage, which allowed her to overtake overall leader Urska Zigart (AG Insurance – Soudal) and claim the leader’s jersey.
The race had faced some challenges earlier in the week when five teams were disqualified for refusing to wear GPS trackers. Despite this setback, the event continued as planned on Saturday, with the queen stage being a key highlight. While Elise Chabbey won the stage, Urska Zigart retained the leader’s jersey due to her strong performance in the prologue.
The gap between Zigart and Chabbey was minimal—just 8 seconds—making the final stage around Aigle highly anticipated. Yara Kastelijn also remained close behind, adding to the excitement of the competition. Before the battle for the overall classification could begin, a large breakaway group formed, consisting of riders such as Nina Buijsman (FDJ-SUEZ), Evy Kuipers (Fenix-Deceuninck), Laura Stigger (SD Worx-Protime), and Asleigh Moolman (AG Insurance – Soudal).
Breakaway Group Faces Challenges
Claire Steels (Movistar) was tasked with winning mountain points and was tied with the mountain leader, Urska Zigart. However, as the final approach began, it seemed that the breakaway group’s lead would not last long. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels) suffered a clumsy fall in the leading group but managed to rejoin the peloton. By the time the breakaway riders reached the penultimate climb, their lead had shrunk to just 40 seconds.
During the climb, the gap continued to decrease, reducing the leading group to ten riders. In the peloton, the pace remained calm, with Chabbey choosing to wait for the final ascent towards Antagnes. On the flat section leading up to the climb, the remaining breakaway group was almost caught by the peloton, where UAE Team ADQ took control. As the final climb began, the breakaway group was eventually caught, setting the stage for the main contenders to take over.
Pressure on Zigart in the Final Climb
Erica Magnaldi (UAE) created a gap early in the climb, and Zigart was left behind in the second group. However, Chabbey maintained her composure, allowing Zigart to return to the front. Magnaldi was eventually caught, leaving Paula Blasi as the only one who could challenge the leaders. Although Blasi couldn’t escape, Zigart struggled to maintain her position. At this point, Chabbey pulled away, with only Blasi able to follow.
At the top of the climb, the gap was small, but Zigart continued to lose ground. She received support from Kastelijn in the chase, while Magnaldi worked hard to stay close. The situation became two against two, until the chasing group grew larger. Things looked promising for Zigart until she took a corner too fast and lost contact. With help from teammate Mireia Benito, she managed to rejoin the group but had to close the gap if she wanted to retain the lead.
Vas Makes a Strong Move
Meanwhile, Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) descended the hill aggressively and joined the two leaders. This move disrupted the cooperation among the leaders, allowing the pursuers to close in. The gap shrank rapidly: 15, 10, 7 seconds… In the final meters of the climb, the tension was palpable. Vas ultimately held on, securing the stage victory ahead of Blasi and Chabbey.
In the end, Chabbey had enough energy left to take the yellow jersey from Zigart, who finished 11 seconds behind. The final standings reflected a dramatic finish, with Chabbey claiming the overall lead and Vas celebrating a well-earned stage win.
