Joe Tindley (Pro Noctis-200° Coffee Hargreaves) and Maddie Leach (Life Plus Wahoo) were the protagonists of Stage 3 of the Tour of British Women. Attacked just a few kilometres later, they made their way through Cheshire as a day break. Halfway through the stage, the 21-year-old Leech had to let Tindley go alone because of mechanical problems, and Tindley spent 90km ahead of the Peloton before being caught.

"We found that this may have been our last opportunity to try to get the way. I didn't expect it to be that fast, but when I saw the opportunity and went, fortunately Maddie came with me. And you just commit and see what happens. Unfortunately, Maddie had a mechanical one, but I was absolutely gutted because you relied on that rest when she came through," Tindley said in a post-stage TV interview.

All her team's race bikes had been stolen the night between Stages 1 and 2, so Leach was racing on a training bike. In the middle of the stage, the front derailleur began to rub the chain, and the leech was stuck on the big chain ring for a while. She changed into a small chain ring and was able to lead Tindley over the Shrigley Road climb, but the problem persisted and Tindley went solo.

"I heard something was wrong and she looked down, trying to find out what it was. I discovered what it was and the only option she had was to call the car forward. She managed to keep riding, but she just said to me "keep going," and when I had to commit myself, I had to pace a little better and I couldn't push a big watt, so I had to concentrate and settle down on what I was riding. "It was a great experience," Tindley explained.

The two deserters had retained a quarter advantage on their way out of Warrington, but now that they had returned to the town of Start and Finish, that gap had narrowed by half.

"I think we had two minutes or so at that point. I knew the climb was going to be slow, I knew there was a headwind on the way back, so it was you have to go, you hesitated

Nevertheless, the 37-year-old was a soldier alone, keeping a steady pace all the time while the SD Worx-Protime chased behind. It was a great experience for me. There was a gap of up to 40 seconds in Mere's intermediate sprint, which was a desperate hope, and tindley caught 12km from the finish. But she was rewarded for her efforts, won a combat award and won a trip to the podium in Warrington.

"I got information on the radio before a bunch caught me. For me, it's really emotional and I think for the team as well. It was really good and we all cheered when Lucy [Harris] won it on the first stage, so they've heard it even at the Peloton It was a really great moment," Tindley concluded.