Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) claimed victory on Stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse Women, narrowly edging out Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) in a dramatic photo finish. Balsamo surged ahead 250 meters from the line and briefly raised her arm in celebration, but Bredewold mounted a powerful sprint in the final moments, making it a tight contest. In the end, Balsamo held on, securing her fifth win of the season. Swiss champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Tibco) completed the podium in third.
“I’m thrilled! Today was a major target for us. After struggling over the last couple of days, winning today feels incredible,” Balsamo said after her win. “It was so close, but my teammates worked incredibly hard, and I wanted to repay that effort. I ended up going for a very long sprint—maybe too long—but it was just enough to get me over the line.”
The stage saw Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Tibco) make an early break, leading the peloton for almost 90 kilometers. Her advantage peaked at 1:45 minutes, but with 34 kilometers to go, the chasing peloton caught up after a series of attacks on the Aegeristrasse climb. Although several riders tried to break away again, the stage ultimately concluded with a sprint finish involving 34 riders.
Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) gained a second on Marlen Reusser (Movistar) during the day’s bonus sprints, reducing her deficit to three seconds heading into the final stage.
The 123.1-kilometer course, starting from Campus Sursee in Oberkirch and finishing in Küssnacht, was mostly flat—typical of Switzerland—but featured two categorized climbs: the Bööler Passhöchi and the Aegeristrasse.
Faulkner’s lead increased steadily to 1:45 minutes with 47 kilometers remaining. As the peloton set its sights on two upcoming bonus sprints, Faulkner claimed three seconds in both, but Vollering also picked up three, while Reusser took two in each. At that point, Faulkner’s lead had shrunk to just 20 seconds, but she managed to stay ahead until a breakaway formed on the Aegeristrasse.
Daniek Hengeveld (Ceratizit), followed by Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime) and Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), bridged across to Faulkner. When this group was caught, a counterattack came from Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike), but the peloton responded quickly, and soon other moves followed. After multiple attempts, a strong breakaway including Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) and Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez) was reeled in just 31 kilometers from the finish.
As the race neared the final kilometers, several riders tried their luck, but none could break away successfully. At 11 kilometers from the line, Wyllie made another move with Hengeveld and Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM), but they were quickly caught as more riders bridged the gap. With 7 kilometers to go, Nienke Vinke (Picnic PostNL) launched a fresh attack, followed by Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), Kraak, and De Vries, but they too were absorbed before reaching the 5-kilometer mark.
Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) crashed with 3.7 kilometers left but managed to chase back to the peloton without losing any time in the general classification.
With the finish line in sight, Reusser was positioned by her teammates Floortje Mackaij and Mareille Meijering, before Emma Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek) and Balsamo took control in the final kilometer. At the 400-meter mark, Balsamo, Bredewold, and Vas were all in contention, with Balsamo making her decisive move. Despite Bredewold’s late charge, it was Balsamo who crossed the line first, securing a well-earned win.
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