Giro Donne Stage 3 Live - Vos pips Kool on the line to claim 31st Giro win

Vos goes early and its the same two as yesterday that go with here. Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) gets closest as she throws her bike on the line but its Marianne Voss who claims her 31st Giro Donne victory in a superb peformance. Elisa Balsamo sits up with five metres to go, knowing she wouldn't be able to claim consecutive stage wins. That was superb from Vos

Balsamo is on the wheel of her Trek team mate Elisa Longo Borghini in about fifth place as we go into the final kilometre. Here come the headwinds...

Movistar are on the front but their sprinter, Emma Norsgaard, is nowhere to be seen. She now starts to move up as we enter the final 3km.

Team Jumbo-Visma and Team BikeExchange-Jayco are on the front. BikeExchange have nearly all there riders together and look to be in a perfect spot to launch their sprint.

We're all back together. The catch has been made as the pace starts to pick up.

In almost a carbon copy of yesterdays stage the peloton are about to swallow up the breakaway with 10km to go. They are 15 seconds back and the race will be back together in the next few moments. Teams will now start to get into position ahead of a sprint finish.

The peloton soaks up the chasing group and are now one minute behind the leaders. We are going to have strong headwinds in the closing stages by the looks of it. Who will be able to handle them the best?

The gap to the peloton has gone down again and they are now 1:30 back from the leaders. We look set for a sprint finish as the gap continues to go down. Balsamo is looking relaxed but will know Marianne Voss will be hungry for her 31st Giro Donne stage win after just missing out yesterday.

Trek-Segafredo are now pacing on the font of the peloton for Balsamo in the pink jersey as they start to think about a sprint finish. At the same time, Alessia Viglia (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) has made a move from the chasing group to try and join the trio at the front of the race before the peloton really turn up the heat.

The chasing group have made up about 20 seconds on the breakaway trio and are now thirty seconds back. The peloton have made up a similar amount of time and are now 2:20 back. There's not too much urgency to close the gap just yet.

1. Elisa Balsamo (Trek Segafredo) 2:44:54s

2. Kristen Faulkner (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) +0:04s

3. Georgia Baker (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) +0:08s

4. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx) +0:10s

5. Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma) +0:12s

6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek Segafredo) +0:13s

7. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) +0:14s

8. Lucinda Brand (Trek Segafredo) “

9. Riejanne Markus (Jumbo Visma) +0:15s

10. Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) +0:16s

All three breakaway riders go for the intermediate sprint but its Asia Zontone who goes first and holds on to roll through ahead of Hajkova and Palazzi.

We join the action with 46km to go, 5km away from our first and only intermediate sprint of the day. We have a breakaway of three riders up the road made up of Asia Zontone (Isolmant - Premac - Vittoria), Alice Palazzi (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) and Marketa Hajkova (Bepink). They have a lead of about 50 seconds on a chasing group with the peloton three minutes further back.

Kristen Faulkner (BikeExchange-Jayco) went into the stage wearing the maglia rosa after winning the opening mini time trial but it would be World Champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) who would finish the day in pink as she perfectly timed her bike throw to pip Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma) on the line in a sprint finish.

Welcome cycling fans. We’re here and ready for the third stage of the 2022 Giro Donne. Following Stage 1’s time trial and yesterday's 117.3km trip from Villasimuis to Tortoli we surely look set for another bunched sprint finish as the riders tackle a 112.7km ride starting in Cala Gonone and finishing in Olbia. Although some tasty looking crosswinds down the Sardinian coast may disagree.