Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka secured her first podium of the 2025 season, sprinting to third place on stage three of Setmana Ciclista Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana today in Valéncia, Spain. The CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto rider had a lead out from teammates Kasia Niewiadoma and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, who positioned the Polish rider for the final sprint. 

Agnieszka was the team’s best-placed rider on the opening two stages, taking seventh and sixth in sprints from a reduced peloton. Her consistency made it clear she could contest for the win should the stage come to a sprint. 

“Our plan for today was to make sure we were always in contention for the stage win. We wanted to have an eye on the breakaway and which teams were in it. We knew that we had Kasia and Cecilie who could go with any action on the climb,” says Agnieszka.

The main climb of the day, the 5.5km-long Puerto de l’Oronet, was raced at a fast pace by several teams, causing an early breakaway to be quickly caught and putting several riders under pressure at the back of the peloton. While a new breakaway of three riders formed, Agnieszka showed her climbing strength, managing easily to stay in the main group over the top with 31km left in the stage. 

“The climb was super fast and at a hard pace, but I was feeling good. I had a lot of support from the car, and my teammates and I could stay in the main group. Coming into the final, Kasia and Cecilie brought me into a perfect position for the sprint. I’m happy to get third place today. Being in the top three gives me a lot of confidence for the next opportunity to contest a sprint finish.”

Agnieszka collected one bonus second in an intermediate sprint on the stage, and four bonus seconds  at the finish line behind stage winner Elisa Balsamo (LTK). That moves her into sixth place on the general classification with one stage remaining.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Tomorrow’s final day of Setmana Ciclista Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana will be broadcast on Sport Public TV’s YouTube channel at 12:50 CET. You can also follow the race on X using #SetmanaCiclista and through the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels.

Stage 4 | 132.5km| 2200m | Sunday February 16 | Elche – Alicante | Start 11:00 CET – fastest finish 14:34.

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