Baloise Ladies Tour: Nienke Veenhoven sprints to second stage win on stage 3b in Maaseik

Bäckstedt crossed the line safely in tenth place, and retained her overall lead with 23 seconds on Australian champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek).

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Taking place in Limburg, the first time the race had visited the region, stage 3b was the second of two stages held on Saturday, following the morning’s time trial, which Bäckstedt won.

Over the flat roads of the 104.8km circuit race, a fairly disorganised peloton stayed mostly together.

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The final 45 kilometres saw a handful of attacks, with Fleur Moors (Lidl-Trek) and Wilson-Haffenden each trying separately to break away, but Bäckstedt was quick to react and close down the moves each time.

Racing concludes on Sunday with stage 4, a 114km circuit around Mechelen, and another flat stage perfect for a bunch sprint.

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