In Marianne Vos‘s phrases, the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes was one thing she and her group “could not actually assume or dream about” as she shot to victory and the yellow jersey on the Côte de Cadoudal in Plumelec.
Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had regarded on the highway to a well-known win herself, going clear with 700 metres to go on the climb to the road earlier than a Kim Le Courtroom (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal) assault from behind introduced a gaggle of favourites shut, and with them, Vos.
The Dutchwoman crossed the road for her 258th profession victory, with Ferrand-Prévot, having began a possible GC problem higher than the opposite yellow jersey hopefuls with third place, additionally saluting as she completed.
Vos’s win was the primary for each her and Visma because the inaugural Tour de France Femmes again in 2022, a race that noticed her take dwelling two phases and with it the inexperienced jersey. One other bid at inexperienced will likely be on her thoughts this week, however in Brittany, it was all concerning the maillot jaune.
“After all, carrying the yellow jersey is one thing actually particular. It was one thing I did not actually take into consideration going into the stage,” Vos admitted within the post-race press convention. “You simply need to do nearly as good as potential and be there within the closing and see how far you may get.
“Each me and Pauline wished to do very well. When Pauline went, that was a extremely good transfer, and she or he practically made it, however I adopted Kim Le Courtroom and taking the win is a unbelievable feeling. And as a bonus, taking yellow – I could not actually assume or dream about this.”
The win is quantity three of the season for Vos, including to 2 triumphs on the Vuelta España Femenina. She’ll have excessive hopes of including to that tally within the coming days, with stage 2 providing an analogous puncheur-friendly journey west via Brittany to Quimper.
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, opinions and professional shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
Stages 3 and 4 in Angers and Poitiers must also show a contented searching floor for her and her dash rivals.
Whereas different groups, together with an SD Worx-Protime in seeming disarray, fell by the wayside, Visma-Lease a Bike got here to the ultimate totally organised and with the energy to again it up. Inside the ultimate 5km, they had been massed on the entrance alongside UAE Workforce ADQ, earlier than Ferrand-Prévot started the ultimate lead-out simply exterior the flamme rouge.
With a faltering Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) on her wheel, that lead-out changed into a solo bid for glory midway up the hill. It wasn’t to be for the house favorite, however a one-three end, and time gained on riders together with fourth-placed Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-Sram ondacrypto), fifth-placed Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), and seventh-placed Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) can be very a lot welcome.
“I did not actually assume [about winning],” Ferrand-Prévot admitted after the stage. “I assumed, ‘Make it to the tip, after which we’ll see.’ I did not flip round as a result of that is no use. Once I noticed Marianne come previous me, I assumed, ‘Uff, it is Marianne, not another person.’
“I smiled once I noticed her as a result of I used to be relieved it was her. I do not bear in mind [if I said something to her], I used to be going so deep. I used to be actually going onerous; I wasn’t pretending. The plan performed out like a dream, so it is actually, actually good.”
Vos acknowledged that her teammate’s transfer was “a part of the tactic” however stated that the consequence on the end was one “we couldn’t have anticipated.”
Since her final victory on the Tour, beating Marta Bastianelli in Roheim three days in need of three years in the past, Vos has racked up a collection of near-misses, together with two second locations, a 3rd place, and three different placings within the prime 5. After breaking that ‘duck’, she stated that each she and Visma had religion that she would do it once more, even in 12 months 20 of a glittering profession.
“It is biking. Typically you are shut, generally it does not work out,” she stated. “All of us work for it, and it is conserving the religion, nevertheless it’s additionally the religion that is put in from the group.
“In the event that they imagine, you then additionally really feel a little bit of stress, however you need to end it off. With what occurred right this moment, every thing got here collectively.”
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for limitless entry to our Tour de France Femmes protection. Do not miss any of the breaking information, experiences, and evaluation from one of many greatest girls’s stage races of the season. Find our more
