Stage three raced from Elk Grove to Sacramento and provided some sunny relief after a frigid day in the mountains. It was the first flat course of the race – really flat, only about 40 total feet of vertical gain – which meant a change of strategy for the Rally Cycling women.
The team's roster was geared for the flat stages, partially due to some bad luck – broken bones suffered in the months before the race by the team's pure climber, Sara Poidevin, and streaking all-arounder Sara Bergen. That meant the team would be all-in for a forceful leadout over the races closing kilometers, an L-shaped circuit around the capitol that has been a part of every Sacramento finish in the history of the race. The circuit looks simple, but isn't, mostly due to wide roads with uneven crowning that makes properly judging speed for the sharp corners difficult. The Rally leadout assembled well, and dodged the inevitable crash on the Sacramento "L", which downed the world-class Dutch sprinter Kirsten Wild. The team placed well in the surge to the line, with Erica Allar setting up Emma White and Kirsti Lay for a double top-ten finish.
