Sigrid Haugset had never won a major race in her professional cycling career. Before last week, her biggest victory was the Norwegian national championships in June. But on stage three of the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, the 27-year-old Norwegian did something extraordinary: she rode away from the world's best cyclists and never looked back.
Haugset, racing for Uno X Mobility, launched a solo attack with 113 kilometres still to go and held off every challenge to win by one minute and 24 seconds in Poligny, France. The breakaway stretched an astonishing 68 kilometres as she rode alone through the hot Jura mountains while her pursuers chased in vain.
"I never thought it was possible," Haugset said after crossing the line. "It's unreal. When I went I thought: 'Yeah she will catch me - shall I drop down to her? Second is good.' But I kept on going and the team car was amazing, pushing me on. I was thinking about all my team-mates and everyone cheering from home, and thought I had to give it all. I can hardly believe she didn't catch me. I was so dizzy at the end - I couldn't lift my arms off the bike."
Belgium's Lotte Kopecky, a two-time world champion and three-time Tour of Flanders winner, gave everything to catch Haugset. She came within about 15 seconds of the Norwegian as the race neared the town of Arbois, but when crosswinds picked up across the harvested fields, Kopecky lost 30 precious seconds and had to settle for second place.
The stage began with a gruelling climb up the Col de la Faucille, a category one ascent that immediately dropped many riders including the Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes, who had worn the yellow jersey. It was expected - Wiebes is the world's best sprinter, not a climber.
Now Haugset leads the overall race by two minutes and two seconds over Kim le Court of Mauritius, with former race leader Wiebes well behind. It's a remarkable turn of events for a rider few expected to challenge for the win. While Haugset is expected to struggle once the race hits the biggest mountains in the coming days, she has already secured her place in cycling history with a performance no one saw coming.
The win adds to a memorable summer for Norwegian sport. Just weeks earlier, the men's football team reached the World Cup quarter-finals and Torstein Traeen wore the yellow jersey for two stages at the men's Tour de France. Norway is having quite a year.