Baloise Ladies Tour: Zoe Bäckstedt wins her second time trial of the week during stage 3a to retake the lead overall

Zoe Bäckstedt took her second time trial victory of the week on Saturday, the Canyon-SRAM rider winning stage 3a of the Baloise Ladies Tour. The British rider’s win came on the back of her win in Wednesday’s prologue, and propels her back into the overall lead.

Starting as the penultimate rider off the ramp, Bäckstedt covered the pan-flat 8.4km course in 10.08, 13 seconds faster than Australian champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek), with Lotte Kopecky a further seven seconds down in third.

After winning stage 2 on Friday, Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) started the day in first place overall, but was unable to defend that position, finishing the stage in ninth, 35 seconds down, and slipping to third overall.

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Stage 3a took place in Maaseik, in Belgium’s far east, and was the first of two stages on Saturday, with a 104.8km road race coming later in the day. With a 23-second general classification lead over Wilson-Haffenden, Bäckstedt is well-placed to defend the jersey.

Of the early starters, Slovakian champion Viktória Chladanoňová (Visma-Lease a Bike) set the early benchmark, stopping the clock in 10.44. AG Insurance-Soudal’s 20-year-old German, Messane Bräutigam, who usually rides with the Belgian squad’s Development team, pushed her very close, stopping the clock just .8 of a second slower, but Chladanoňová’s time stood the test of time.

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However, it was Australian powerhouse Lauretta Hanson who toppled her, the Lidl-Trek rider taking almost seven seconds out of her. However, Hanson was put in her place, first by Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), then by her compatriot and teammate, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden.

Stage 3A Results

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