Kiwi Wollaston makes podium on Tour de France
Photo:
FDJ-Suez
New Zealand cyclist Ally Wollaston has grabbed another Grand Tour podium.
The 24-year-old finished third on stage three of the women's Tour de France.
The FDJ-Suez rider managed to survive a chaotic sprint finish to the 164km stage from La Gacilly to Angers.
Sprint specialist Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands made an explosive push for the finish as a crash in the final 4km temporarily took out several riders including 2023 champion and Wollaston's team-mate Demi Vollering of the Netherlands.
Opening stage winner Marianne Vos of the Netherlands lost a photo-finish to Wiebes but reclaimed the yellow jersey from Kim Le Court Pienaar, who led the general classification after Sunday's second stage but dropped to second with a six-second deficit.
The stage, mostly on a flat terrain, began without Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini, who withdrew from the race due to a stomach infection.
Vollering, who recovered from the crash, remained in contention in the general classification, sitting 19 seconds behind Vos.
Another New Zealander, Niamh Fisher-Black, is tenth overall, 25 seconds behind the leader.
Wollaston won a silver and bronze medal on the track at last year's Paris Olympics and won world titles in the elimination race and omnium.
She finished third on a stage of the Vuelta Femenina earlier this year.
The Tour continues on Tuesday with stage four, a 130.7km ride from Saumur to Poitiers through another mostly-flat terrain.
The Tour is over nine stages.
-RNZ / Reuters
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