Lauren Dickson claimed the Queen of the Mountains jersey on stage three of the Lloyds Tour of Britain, continuing a breakthrough year on her return from injury. The 26-year-old from Edinburgh won the first two QoM sprints to secure the blue jersey after the incumbent rider, Steffi Häberlin, had withdrawn during the stage.
Rapid rise at FDJ United-Suez
Having only signed for FDJ United-Suez this year, Dickson has risen rapidly to become one of Tour de France winner Demi Vollering’s primary domestiques, but she will now enjoy the plaudits herself. The team also counts defending champion Ally Wollaston and US national champion Kate Courtney among its ranks, yet it is Dickson who has shone so far.
“It’s a home race and it’s special to take Queen of the Mountains. I consider myself a climber, so to have the category is something I really like to fight for,” said Dickson. “It’s always been a goal. The stage win was also a goal but Kim [Le Court-Pienaar] was also super strong and we came away with one of the two so it’s been a good day.”
GC ambitions and recovery
As well as leading the mountains classification, Dickson sits ninth in the general classification, just 45 seconds behind new leader Kim Le Court, who won stage three in Llandudno. “We have the blue jersey now and we don’t want to let it go,” she said. “I would also like to improve on the GC and if it comes down to bunch sprints, we have Ally our sprinter with us and that’s also a key goal, but definitely keeping hold of the jersey is also an aim.”
Dickson won the mountains classification at the Vuelta a Extremadura in Spain in March, before finishing sixth in the category at the Giro d’Italia in May. A collarbone fracture in the Tour de Suisse has ruled her out since June, but her climbing legs have only improved in a year that has seen her burst onto the scene in one of the best jerseys on the tour.
“This year has definitely been a breakthrough,” said Dickson. “I feel really good. It’s strange, sometimes with a collarbone injury, you can do so much training on the home trainer that you come back almost stronger. We were doing some of the best sessions I’ve done so I’m in good shape.”
Stage three result
On the final climb to the finish, it was Mauritian national champion Le Court whose solo assault saw her cross the line first, taking a 26-second advantage in the general classification.
