The New Zealand rider showed her strength again on the hills in France
Niamh Fisher-Black finished second on day three of the Faun Tour Femmes, narrowly missing out on stage victory in a sprint with Juliette Berthet after another impressive display in the climbs.
The New Zealander was perfectly supported throughout the day, with her Lidl-Trek teammates controlling the race and protecting their GC leader through every phase of the stage. Their work ensured Fisher-Black was always well positioned when the race entered its decisive moments.
Photo by Billy Ceusters/Getty Images
As the road rose upwards, Fisher-Black once again showed why she is the standout climber in the race. Her acceleration on the final climb put her rivals under pressure and reduced the front group, with only a select few able to stay with her. In the end, Fisher-Black found herself in a leading trio alongside Dickson and Berthet of FDJ-Suez, with Berthet narrowly getting the better of Fisher-Black in the sprint to the line.
The result sees Fisher-Black lose the race leader’s jersey, but with the toughest racing still to come, there is little time for disappointment.
Tomorrow’s hilly stage presents another opportunity for the Lidl-Trek rider to fight her way back into the yellow jersey. With three categorised climbs on the route, the terrain is ideally suited to Fisher-Black’s strengths and offers plenty of opportunity to put pressure on her rivals. Lidl-Trek will head into tomorrow with one clear objective: take back the leader’s jersey.
