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Eneco Tour Women: Femke Markus solos to victory as Lieke Nooijen defends lead on punchy stage 3

Stage 3 of the Eneco Tour Women delivered a dramatic finish in Sittard and Watersley, where Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) dominated the punchy 88-kilometer route to claim her first victory of the race. Markus launched multiple solo attacks, ultimately breaking away 17 kilometers from the line and holding off a reduced peloton to secure the stage win by five seconds over Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike), who maintained her overall lead despite the aggressive tactics.

The uphill finale saw a fierce sprint among the chasing group, with Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels) and Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL) rounding out the podium, while Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) finished sixth after navigating the hilly terrain. Nooijen, who entered the stage 43 seconds behind Markus, now leads the general classification by 28 seconds, setting up a tense final two stages where she’ll aim to solidify her title bid.

The stage’s four laps included the Schatsberg climb and a steep finish, forcing a tactical battle that saw the field whittle down to under 25 riders before Markus’s decisive move. Sandrine Tas (Lotto Intermarché) also struggled on the day, dropping from second to 15th in the GC standings after losing significant time on the stage.

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