“I was so dizzy at the end... I couldn’t lift my arms off the bike” - Sigrid Haugset stuns herself with record-breaking 88km Tour de France Femmes solo to claim yellow
CyclingMonday, 03 August 2026 at 18:18
Sigrid Haugset admitted she could barely process what she had done after completing a record-breaking 88-kilometre solo to win Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes and take the yellow jersey.
The Norwegian champion delivered the longest successful solo attack in the history of the women’s Tour de France across its different editions, resisting a relentless pursuit from Lotte Kopecky before reaching Poligny alone.
Haugset began the day 46th overall, one minute behind Lorena Wiebes. By the finish, she had climbed 45 places and opened a lead of 2:02 over Kim Le Court-Pienaar, with Demi Vollering a further four seconds behind.
“I feel I have to say yes,” Haugset said when asked whether it was a dream come true. “But I haven’t really thought about it because I never thought it was possible. Standing here is unreal.”
“Shall I drop back to her?”
Haugset had continued alone after an earlier 11-rider move was caught, but she did not immediately see Kopecky’s pursuit as something she could survive.
The Belgian attacked from behind with around 75 kilometres remaining and initially sat roughly 90 seconds away. Haugset even considered easing up and waiting. “When I went, it was 90 seconds to Kopecky and I thought she would catch me, so I thought, ‘Shall I drop back to her?’ Second place is good,” she explained.
Kopecky spent much of the afternoon trapped between Haugset and the peloton. The gap eventually fell to ten seconds inside the final 12 kilometres, with the Norwegian visibly struggling as the road flattened towards Poligny.
Haugset nevertheless kept riding. Kopecky began to fade, the gap widened again and the stage slipped beyond the Belgian’s reach. “But I had to give it my all and I can’t believe she didn’t catch me,” Haugset said.
Too exhausted to celebrate
Haugset crossed the line after more than two hours alone at the head of the race, but there was no conventional victory salute. “I was so dizzy at the end,” she admitted. “I know my boyfriend will be so angry with me for not celebrating, but I couldn’t lift my arms off the bike.”
The effort had delivered far more than a first Tour de France Femmes stage win. Haugset also claimed yellow after Wiebes was dropped on the Col de la Faucille and lost more than enough time to end her two-day spell as race leader. Her 88-kilometre solo now stands as the longest successful lone attack in the history of the women’s Tour de France, regardless of the version of the race.
Haugset left Geneva as a rider still searching for the biggest victory of her career. She arrived in Poligny as a Tour de France Femmes stage winner, the new yellow jersey and the author of one of the event’s most extraordinary performances.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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