French rider Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) won the third stage of the Vuelta a España Femenina, a 121.2 km route between Padrón and A Coruña. In the last kilometer, she launched a sharp attack that opened a decisive gap. The peloton could not close it, and the rider, fourth in the overall standings last year, celebrated her first victory of the season after more than 300 days without a win.
The tactical reading of the decisive attack 🚴♀️
Kerbaol's move was not a matter of chance. The cyclist took advantage of the peloton's fatigue after a day of high pace and constant changes of direction in the urban sections of A Coruña. Her team, EF Education-Oatly, controlled the pace in the chasing group to prevent other teams from launching an organized pursuit. The acceleration in the last kilometer, just before a tight corner, forced the rivals to lose their rhythm, and the gap proved sufficient.
The 300-day drought that ended in a sprint 🏆
More than 300 days without winning is enough time for any cyclist to start thinking about changing sports or, at least, blaming their bike. Kerbaol opted for the latter: an attack so sharp that even the Galician wind seemed to apologize. The peloton, meanwhile, wondered if someone had left the key to victory in their pocket. Because, let's be honest, when you've gone that long without winning, the only gap that matters is the one left by luck.