France, Aug. 4 -- The 27-year-old Norwegian rider made her break for glory with 85km remaining of the 156.5km course between Geneva and Poligny in south-eastern France.

She opened up a gap during the four main mountain climbs of the day.

As the final 10km approached, the Team SD Worx-Protime rider Lotte Kopecky managed to cut Haugset's lead to 15 seconds.

But Haugset surged again to finish the stage 84 seconds ahead of the Belgian.

"I never thought winning was possible," said Haugset, who is competing in her first Tour de France. 'I had to give it everything'

"Being in this position as the winner of a stage is unreal," added the Uno-X Mobility rider.

"I thought Lotte would catch me and I was thinking that second is good but I kept o...