“The polka dot jersey is secondary” - Puck Pieterse targets Tour de France Femmes stage win after seizing mountains lead
CyclingMonday, 03 August 2026 at 20:00
Puck Pieterse has made clear that wearing the polka-dot jersey will not satisfy her main Tour de France Femmes ambition, despite taking control of the mountains classification on Stage 3.
The Fenix – Premier Tech rider collected maximum points on the Col de la Faucille and continued scoring across the road to Poligny, climbing from ninth to first in the competition with 18 points.
Nikola Noskova sits four points behind, while stage winner and new yellow jersey Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset moved into third on 11. Pieterse, however, remains more interested in standing on the podium as a stage winner than defending the jersey at all costs.
“It’s always special to participate in the award ceremony,” Pieterse said. “The group was together, so there were points up for grabs and I made my moves to take them.”
Stage win remains the priority
Pieterse’s attacks for mountain points came during a stage that immediately placed the race’s faster riders under pressure.
She led over the Col de la Faucille after Lorena Wiebes had been dropped and also scored on the Cote de Lajoux, building an advantage that cannot change during the Stage 4 individual time trial. “The main goal is a stage win, so the polka dot jersey is secondary,” Pieterse said. “But it will be super cool to ride in this jersey.”
Her opening three days have already included two very different performances. Pieterse finished fourth on the uphill sprint in Lausanne before remaining with the leading General Classification contenders across the much harder terrain towards Poligny.
She also retained ninth overall, 2:10 behind Haugset and level on time with riders including Demi Vollering, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Kasia Niewiadoma, Elisa Longo Borghini and Marlen Reusser.
Pieterse is a former Tour de France Femmes stage winner
Pieterse searching for another Tour victory
Pieterse is no stranger to winning at the Tour de France Femmes, having beaten Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma in a three-rider sprint on Stage 4 of the 2024 edition.
Her performances since then have strengthened her reputation as a rider capable of winning from reduced sprints, selective classics-style stages and aggressive racing over repeated climbs.
Stage 3 began with a crash involving Pieterse, Vollering, Magdeleine Vallieres and Noemi Ruegg, but all four were able to continue. Pieterse quickly returned to the front and was already collecting mountain points by the summit of the day’s first major climb.
The time trial will keep the polka dots on her shoulders for at least one more day. Once the road stages resume, Pieterse will have to decide how much energy to spend defending a jersey she enjoys wearing but does not regard as the prize that matters most.
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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