Tears of joy for Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig after Tour de France Femmes stage win

Dane ecstatic after sprinting to stage three triumph. Marianne Vos retains overall race lead by 16 seconds

DRINKING IT IN: FDJ Suez Futuroscope's Danish rider Cecilie Ludwig celebrates after winning the 3rd stage of the new edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race, a 133,6 km race between Reims and Epernay on July 26, 2022. (Photo by JEFF Pachoud/AFP

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig won stage three of the Tour de France Femmes, from Reims to Epernay, after out-sprinting overall race leader Marianne Vos on the final steep ramp to the finish, overlooking the champagne vineyards of the Marne.

The Dane, in tears of despair after crashing and losing time on stage two, was in tears again, but this time of joy after her explosive acceleration took her clear of Vos in the last 100m. It is hard to imagine a more exuberant winner in the long history of the Tour de France.