6. Etappe: Albi – Blagnac – 122 Km
1 NORSGAARD Emma DEN MOVISTAR TEAM 02:59:16
2 KOOL Charlotte NED TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 00:01
3 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:01
4 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:01
5 PALADIN Soraya ITA CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:01
6 CONSONNI Chiara ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:01
7 DE WILDE Julie BEL FENIX-DECEUNINCK 00:01
8 LACH Marta POL CERATIZIT-WNT PRO CYCLING 00:01
9 GUAZZINI Vittoria ITA FDJ-SUEZ 00:01
10 SKALNIAK-SÓJKA Agnieszka POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:01
11 ANDERSEN Susanne NOR UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:01
12 BRAND Lucinda NED LIDL-TREK 00:01
13 JACKSON Alison CAN EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB 00:01
14 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:01
15 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:01
16 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:01
17 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:01
Norsgaard Bjerg takes off to victory in Blagnac
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 6 | ALBI > BLAGNAC
Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Movistar) was beautifully inspired by the previous attackers’ successes in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023 as she powered to a thrilling success in Blagnac, at the end of a fast stage 6. The Dane is among the fastest riders in the bunch… And she decided to make the most of her raw power in the breakaway, joining Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Canyon//Sram) and Sandra Alonso (Ceratizit-WNT) at the front of the race. The peloton almost came back… But for the third day in a row, an attacker claimed glory, as Charlotte Kool (DSM-Firmenich) dominated the sprint from the bunch and finished 2nd, 1’’ behind the 24 year-old day, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday. After a fast and furious six days of racing, the riders head into the decisive final week-end of the race, with a summit finish at Col du Tourmalet on Saturday and the Pau ITT on Sunday.
7. Etappe: Lannemezan – Col du Tourmalet – 90 Km
1 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 02:52:43
2 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:58
3 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 02:34
4 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 02:43
5 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 02:46
6 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 03:32
7 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 05:24
8 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ-SUEZ 05:43
9 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 05:46
10 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM RACING 06:57
11 WYLLIE Ella NZL LIFEPLUS WAHOO 07:08
12 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 07:12
13 LUDWIG Hannah GER UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 07:52
14 KERBAOL Cedrine FRA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 07:52
15 MAGNALDI Erica ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 07:58
16 KOPPENBURG Clara GER COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM 07:58
17 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 08:19
18 PERSICO Silvia ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 09:54
19 PEPERKAMP Esmée NED TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 10:01
20 GARCIA Mavi ESP LIV RACING TEQFIND 10:55
Gesamt:
1 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 24:48:10
2 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:50
3 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 02:28
4 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 02:35
5 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 02:39
6 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 03:41
7 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 06:23
8 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 06:42
9 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM RACING 07:42
10 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 08:18
11 MAGNALDI Erica ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 09:22
12 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 09:52
13 KERBAOL Cedrine FRA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 10:06
14 PERSICO Silvia ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 11:24
15 GARCIA Mavi ESP LIV RACING TEQFIND 11:59
16 WYLLIE Ella NZL LIFEPLUS WAHOO 12:07
17 KOPPENBURG Clara GER COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM 12:34
18 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ-SUEZ 13:48
19 STEELS Claire GBR ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 14:04
20 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 15:20
Vollering takes her climbing crown on Tourmalet
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 7 | LANNEMEZAN > TOURMALET BAGNÈRES-DE-BIGORRE
The queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023 saw an all out battle over the Pyrenean summits. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) already put the hammer down up Col d’Aspin, to try and wear down her rivals, but she couldn’t repeat her one-woman-show from last year, with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) throwing everything she had in this fight, before Demi Vollering (SD Worx) surged on the iconic ascent of the Tourmalet. Through the mist, the Dutch star covered the last 5 kilometres on her own to open significant gaps on the line: 1’58’’ to Niewiadoma and 2’34’’ to Van Vleuten. Vollering also takes the Maillot Jaune on the eve of the closing ITT in Pau.
The higher summits of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023 lie ahead of the 130 riders starting from Lannemezan (after they finished inside the GC top-10 last year, Elisa Longo Borghini and Veronica Ewers don’t start due to physical issues). And many riders are inspired according to the flurry of attacks on the way to the first ascent of the day, up to Col d’Aspin.
With an average of 41.6km/h all the way to km 48, Margot Pompanon (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) and Susanne Andersen (Uno X) are the last attackers to be reeled right at the bottom of the climb.
Van Vleuten opens up the battle
Annemiek van Vleuten’s Movistar immediately set a strong pace that wears down the peloton. And the winner of the Tour 2022 puts the hammer down with 5km to go to the summit of the cat-1 ascent up Col d’Aspin (12km at 6.5%). Only Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) can accompany her. At the summit, Lotte Kopecky, Marlen Reusser (SD Worx), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez), Ane Santesteban (Jayco-AlUla), Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) trail by 45’’.
Niewiadoma accelerates on the downhill towards the final ascent of the day. Vollering and Van Vleuten look at each other. They’re eventually caught by the chasers, while Niewiadoma keeps pushing. She faces the HC ascent to Col du Tourmalet with a lead of 45’’.
Vollering flies through the mist
With Reusser setting the pace, the gap drops down to 5’’ with 12km to go. But the Swiss powerhouse is done with her work, and the gap increases again, up to 35’’ for the last 10km. Labous tries to attack several times. Vollering, Van Vleuten, Moolman Pasio and Kopecky match her moves.
Vollering eventually attacks with 5.5km to go. And nobody can react. Niewiadoma is caught 500 metres later and the Polich attacker can’t keep up with the pace set but the Dutch climber.
Through the mist, Vollering never looks back. And she celebrates an iconic success with significant gaps: 1’58’’ to Niewiadoma, 2’34’’ to Van Vleuten, 2’43’’ to Moolman Pasio, 2’46’’ to Labous and 3’32’’ to Kopecky, who gives her Maillot Jaune to Vollering on the eve of the final ITT, in Pau.