“It's been a long time since I've had a day like this" - Annemiek van Vleuten completely drained after ridiculously quick day at La Vuelta Femenina

Finishing way ahead of schedule, stage 3 of La Vuelta Femenina, the longest stage of this years edition was raced at a rapid 45.6kph. "Wow," said Annemiek van Vleuten following the stage.

“It's been a long time since I've had a day like this," says the legendary Dutchwoman in a post-stage interview posted the official Twitter account of the Movistar Team. "So much wind and action. Tuesday was already very nervous, but I enjoyed it now. We had prepared it so well with the team and that plan was executed perfectly. It went full throttle and the peloton broke immediately, after which it was still a long time to the finish."

Finishing 12th on the stage, van Vleuten is now up into the top 10 of the general classification. "All in all it was a tough day, but a very nice one. We had to do it together, I think everyone goes to bed tired," continues to 40-year-old.

"I'm very happy to be part of this, especially since we managed to get some time on some favourites," she points out after the likes of Silvia Persico, Blanka Kata Vas and Amanda Spratt all lost time on a brutal, windy day of echelons and considerable time gaps.