Cédrine Kerbaol scores in Riazor with a late attack
May 5 th 2026 - 17:34
The expected bunch sprint just outside the Riazor stadium in A Coruña saw Cédrine Kerbaol score her first stage win in La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es with a powerful late attack. The EF Education-Oatly rider launched her flyer with a bit more than two kilometres to go, overpowering a peloton that had been significantly decimated by a succession of sharp hills and strong attacks in the closing kilometres. Second across the finish line, Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) fell just 2” short of taking La Roja from Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez), who remains in the overall lead as Kerbaol climbs in the standings up to third place, just 4” behind the German national champion. This is the second win for EF Education-Oatly in La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es, following Noemi Rüegg triumph in the opening stage. The race will continue on Wednesday with its fourth and final chapter in Galicia - yet another hilly stage, this time in the province of Lugo, between Monforte de Lemos and Antas de Ulla.
118 riders took the start in the third stage of La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es,which started from Padrón to finish in A Coruña after 121,2 lumpy kilometres, with a fast run-in in coastal roads and into the city that seemed suitable for a bunch sprint. There were two DNSs: Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) and Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek). The real start was given at 14:02, with Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto Intermarché Ladies) attacking and going clear from the gun. A 40-minute chasing effort by Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health), Justine Gégu (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Marina Garau (Vini Fantini-Bepink) was unsuccesful, and the leading duo built a sizable gap on the peloton that reached 3’44” at kilometre 32.
Wilson-Haffenden, the strongest up the road
FDJ United-Suez (defending La Roja, Franziska Koch) and AG Insurance-Soudal (protecting the chances of Stage 2 winner Shari Bossuyt) took the reins in the peloton and steadily reduced the advantage of the leading duo, which was down to 1’40” with 50 kilometres to go. Vervloet couldn’t keep up with Wilson-Haffenden’s pace and was dropped shortly after, at km 79. The Tasmanian rider managed to increase her gap and enjoyed a 2’05” lead at kilometre 90. She managed to stay away until the Intermediate Sprint in Arteixo (IS, km 104,5), where the Liv-AlUla-Jayco time trialist only had 25” on a peloton where Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) respectively took 4” and 2” bonus seconds.
Attacks galore in the closing kilometres
Wilson-Haffenden would be caught with 15 kilometres to go, as the peloton hit two sharp hills that would shake things up. Two accelerations by Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) and an attack by Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) caused some splits and saw overall leader Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) struggle. 30-odd riders were in the lead with 5 kilometres to go, including all main GC riders. It was with little more than 2 kilometres to go that Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) hit the afterburners to open a gap that would enable her to triumph at the finish line right outside the Riazor stadium, keeping her chasers at bay by just four seconds.
