The opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes was won by Marianne Vos. On a punchy finish, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot seemed on course for victory, but Vos edged past her teammate at the last moment. She couldn’t let the Frenchwoman get ahead, because Kimberley Le Court was close behind and took second place.
The Tour de France Femmes started with a very short but hilly stage in the Breton hinterland. During the 78.8-kilometer route, there were as many as four climbs, including three ascents of the Côte de Cadoudal (1.7 km at 6.2%, max 9%). This hill was part of the circuit tackled in the finale, with the finish line set atop this climb. It was expected that a puncheur would claim the first yellow jersey.
Vannes) Plumelec)During the neutral zone, even before the race had properly started, a fairly large crash was reported in the middle of the road where several riders fell hard against roadside fixtures. Fortunately, everyone was able to continue, and the race officially got underway with some delay. The first attack was then launched by Laura Tomasi.
Rijnbeek goes solo, Reusser in trouble
The Italian from Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi was soon joined by a Dutch rider, Maud Rijnbeek of VolkerWessels. The two built a gap of just over half a minute, but Rijnbeek quickly felt the pace wasn’t high enough. She dropped Tomasi and went solo. She came over the top of the Côte de Botségalo (0.8 km at 5.6%) first, earning two points for the mountains classification.
For illustration - photo: Cor Vos
Riding alone, however, proved tough against the big teams, who were already positioned at the front of the peloton and increased the tempo. With 45 kilometers to go, Rijnbeek’s adventure was over. The race continued with a compact peloton heading towards the first Côte de Cadoudal. Before the peloton reached that climb, Marlen Reusser ran into trouble. The Swiss rider, considered one of the overall favourites, had been ill in the days leading up to the race. She would not finish the stage.
Things got worse for Movistar as well, when Liane Lippert crashed before the foot of the Cadoudal alongside Mavi García and others. It was then Reusser—while still in the race—who helped get her back on the way. Up front the pace remained high, but no attacks came on the climbs yet. Lorena Wiebes did put in a small sprint to win the intermediate sprint at the summit and also secure some points for the points classification.
Heading to the final ascent of Cadoudal
On the approach to the second ascent of Cadoudal, Francesca Barale made an attempt to break away. The Italian from Picnic PostNL got no company and was left to go it alone. She gained no more than twenty seconds because teams like Visma | Lease a Bike, SD Worx-Protime, and FDJ-SUEZ kept a tight rein in the peloton. Before the road rose again, Barale’s attempt had already ended.
Once on the climb, probes came from Eline Jansen, Franziska Koch, and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig in succession. After that, things quieted down until the last hundred meters, when a sprint ensued between Eline Jansen and Elise Chabbey for the mountain points. The Swiss rider prevailed, securing the first polka dot jersey. In the subsequent phase, attempts were made by Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) and again Franziska Koch.
Vos passes Ferrand-Prévot and takes the win
Koch later caught Lieke Nooijen, but a regrouping happened before the final ascent of Cadoudal. Visma | Lease a Bike took control on behalf of team leader Marianne Vos. Entering the final kilometer, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot led the race. The Frenchwoman suddenly found a gap and decided to push on. Anna van der Breggen tried to close the gap, but it only grew larger.
Ferrand-Prévot seemed headed for victory, but in the final straight, the Frenchwoman faded somewhat. From behind, her teammate Marianne Vos and Kimberley Le Court rapidly closed in. Vos appeared to hesitate, perhaps to let Ferrand-Prévot cross first, but then chose to go full gas since Le Court was still on her wheel. Thus, the Dutch rider crossed the line first, ahead of Le Court. The fading Ferrand-Prévot finished third.
Tour de France Femmes| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:53:03 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | " | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | + 03 | |
| 6 | + 05 | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | + 09 | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
