Lorena Vives solidified her position as the fastest woman in the women's peloton by winning the Giro Donne stage 3 sprint battle ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Chloe Diggart (Canyon-SRAM).

After teammate Barbara Guariski led out, Vives rode clear down the finish straight to take the win by one bike-length over Vos.

"I'm happy to be back here and happy to win again. I really like racing the Giro Donne and I enjoy racing here in Italy," Vives said after the stage.

Asked if he feels pressure on a stage like Sunday, Wiebes replied: "I always feel pressure for the race. I always feel pressure for the finals because I have to get a result for the team. The girls have worked really hard for me.

They have had an unstoppable season so far, but SD Walks lost time on GC in the first test of the second stage race, with Niamh Fischer Black finishing 2:59 behind new race leader Annemiek van Fluten.

Without three big names, Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, and Marlen Reusser, SD Works had "multiple goals," including Fischer Black, Anna Shackley, and Vives and her main outrider, Guariski, a young The GC team was assembled for the Giro.

European champion Wiebes set her sights on a stage win before the race, saying in a team press release: "I had a good experience at the Giro Donne. I have good experience in the Giro Donne, I have already won two stages in 2021, I like the atmosphere, the food is good. I'm going to Italy with a lot of motivation. We are aiming for stage wins. Even the prologue is my goal, especially with Sunday and Monday's stages marked in red. Even the prologue is my goal, because that's where the sprint is most likely to happen. The Dutch championships gave me confidence. My legs were good."

With the first of these two goals already accomplished, Vives is looking ahead to the sprint finish to Borgo Val di Toro on stage 4. Beyond that, his second Tour de France Femme and the World and European Championships await.

"My first six months with Team SD Works are over and I love it. I feel like I will be here much longer. I have already made a lot of progress with this team and I am looking forward to the rest of the season. With the Tour, hopefully the World Championships, and the European Championships coming up, I still have some important goals. Therefore, I need to combine this Giro with training blocks to prepare for what is to come."