Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) and Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (UNO-X Mobility) make a move on stage 3(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ella Simpson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) in a solo breakaway became briefly the virtual leader on the road(Image credit: Getty Images)
STIRLING AUSTRALIA JANUARY 19 Noemi Ruegg of Switzerland and Team EF EducationOatly Orange Santos Leaders Jersey competes during the 9th Santos Womens Tour Down Under 2025 Stage 3 a 1059km stage from Stirling to Stirling 444m UCIWWT on January 19 2025 in Stirling Australia Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images(Image credit: Getty Images)
Compact peloton on the undulating roads (Image credit: Getty Images)
Peloton racing in the Adelaide Hills on stage 3(Image credit: Getty Images)
Game face for race leader Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) at the start in Stirling(Image credit: Getty Images)
Swiss champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) survived an onslaught of attacks in the final 30 kilometres to win the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under in Stirling. She fought til the end and finished third on the stage to secure her first WorldTour stage race victory.
An isolated Rüegg had to close down gaps by herself numerous times as she was tested by multiple riders and teams but no move was able to escape leading to a reduced bunch sprint.
Following her teammate’s wheel, Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) bidded her time in the reduced peloton and opened her sprint in the final metres to take the stage victory. Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco ) finished second on the stage, just ahead of Rüegg.