Schlagwort-Archive: Marianne Vos

Marianne Vos: “It feels like a privilege”

The female peloton joined the big family of the Tour 40 years ago, in June 1984. Six Dutch riders clad in „Oranje“ flexed their muscles and claimed six of the top eight spots in the opening stage, with Mieke Havik leading the charge. The insatiable „Oranje“ pioneers would go on to take fifteen stage wins in that historic edition. Several generations have since had their day in the sun, but Dutch talent has always remained a sight to behold. Looking back on this epic saga in the run-up to the Grand Départ of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Rotterdam, the official website letourfemmes.fr has sat down to talk with some of the stars —past, present and future— of this tale.

For two decades, Marianne Vos has been a unique icon, embodying Oranje excellence and globally shining with all colours. On the road, in velodromes and thanks to her cyclo-cross skills, the Dutch star has claimed 12 Elite rainbow jerseys and countless accolades. Recent weeks have seen her excel in red, white and green in La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es and the Volta a Catalunya Femenina, in line with a strong Classics campaign. Vos is a Queen, on and off the bike. So it only felt natural for the world of cycling to celebrate her with the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022. After illness hindered her ambitions last year, she returns for more conquests with a home start in the Netherlands.

Marianne Vos (Netherlands)

Plomi Foto

Born in ’s-Hertogenbosch on 13 May 1987
Road Race Olympic Champion (2012)
Track Olympic Champion (2008)
Road World Champion (2006, 2012, 2013)
Cyclo-cross World Champion (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2022)
Track World Champion (2011)
Winner of 2 stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (2022)
Winner of La Course by Le Tour de France (2014, 2019)
Winner of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013)

You’ve had a very strong first part of the season. How good do you feel so far in 2024?
The first part of the season, with the Spring classics and the Vuelta, gave me some good sensations, good feelings, and we had some really nice results with the team. Obviously, that makes me very happy and of course that’s something I would like to continue in the second part of the season… And a big part of the second part of the year is the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift!

How do you approach your goals in this busy Summer?
I’ve just been selected for the Olympics. The combination with the Olympics and the Tour de France avec Zwift one week later makes a block of racing that I target and I will try to be at my very best. I have to say the Tour, wherever and whenever it starts, is always a big goal for any rider at the start. But as a Dutch rider in a Dutch team, we feel some extra motivation to do well with the start in the Netherlands.

You’ve known the Olympics for your whole career and the Tour in recent years. How big an impact did it have since 2022?
Whoa! Since the moment we started with La Course, in 2014, we’ve seen a big rise in women cycling and being part of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has been very important in this development. Now, the growth of women cycling continues. Two years ago, we saw a worldwide interest for women cycling and the activations from teams and sponsors have been huge. Of course, it’s difficult to say what comes first. Are people interested because of the media coverage and the broadcast? Is it the racing that attracted attention and led to this growth? Anyway, it has been incredible over the last years and it’s obvious the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has made a big impact there. I’m pretty curious what this year will bring. It’s always difficult to compare races but it’s really interesting to have the Olympics and the Tour in a very short time this year.

And on a personal level, how do you look back at the first two editions and especially 2022?
Everybody was really looking forward to racing this first Tour, the excitement was high and it made for intense and exciting racing. With the team, we wanted to go for a stage win. We were really happy when we did it and then the satisfaction was even bigger with a second stage win, wearing the yellow jersey and taking home the green jersey. For us, as a team, it was really a fantastic Tour de France. And last year… Of course, in sports, sometimes things work out the way you want it and sometimes it’s not meant to be but it’s still a beautiful race and the Tour will always be a goal to go for.
You’re a Dutch leader with a Dutch team and we’ve seen lots of success from your country in the Tour de France Femmes. How advanced are the Netherlands when it comes to women’s cycling?
Looking at international races, it’s fantastic to see different Dutch riders and teams do well and perform on the highest level. Of course, it helps grow the sport, because little boys and girls see the riders do really well and the riders stimulate each other to be at their really best. So it’s really cool to see this in different cycling disciplines. But it doesn’t mean that it will always stay like this, you have to keep on pushing and trying to stay at this level.

Annemiek van Vleuten says she was inspired when she saw you wear the Maillot Jaune… What did it represent for you that she won the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?
This edition will forever be something to remember, for me personally, but also as a first in the history books. Annemiek was outstanding for the whole season and I think it’s really cool to have her in this list of winners. She didn’t have the easiest week but she brought it home with panache and with her strength that we all know.
Are you ready to welcome the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in the Netherlands?
I’m really excited! Of course, it’s gonna be exciting, but also a bit weird, to have the Tour de France at home… So I’m very curious as to what we’re gonna see in August. But I’m hoping to have a lot of Dutch fans along the course and let’s hope it’s gonna be a big festivity and a big celebration of cycling in the Netherlands.

How well do you know the area of the first few stages?
I have done a recon with friends so we’ve seen the course but it’s not a region that I know very well. It’s not my training area or whatever. The world of cycling is more familiar with Limburg, where we also go with the Valkenburg – Liège stage. These are roads we all know with the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The first three stages will be more a showcase of the Dutch river landscape, with the windmills and all of that. It should also bring action and I hope for good racing.

You’ve attended the Tour de France as a spectator on the Alpe d’Huez. What does it mean to go there to race the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?
Alpe d’Huez is one of the most famous climbs of the Tour de France and we used to go watch the men’s race every year with my family, to cheer on the riders. To race the Tour de France was not a dream at the time, it was not a possibility. It’s really special and it feels like a privilege to race the Tour de France. I don’t know how I’ll feel about riding the Alpe d’Huez on the last stage [she laughs] but it’s definitely a fantastic finale and I also hope to see many spectators riding up the Alpe d’Huez.

Amstel Gold Race Ladies 101km


Plomi Fotos

1 Vos Marianne Team Visma | Lease a Bike 400 02:35:02
2 Wiebes Lorena Team SD Worx-Protime 320 + 00
3 Gåskjenn Ingvild Liv AlUla Jayco 260 + 00
4 Georgi Pfeiffer Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 220 + 00
5 Longo Borghini Elisa Lidl-Trek 180 + 00
6 Gasparrini Eleonora UAE Team ADQ 140 + 00
7 Moolman-Pasio Ashleigh AG Insurance-Soudal Team 120 + 00
8 Kraak Amber FDJ-SUEZ 100 + 00
9 Kastelijn Yara Fenix-Deceuninck 80 + 00
10 Paladin Soraya CANYON//SRAM Racing 68 + 00
11 Henderson Anna Team Visma | Lease a Bike 56 + 00
12 van Anrooij Shirin Lidl-Trek 48 + 00
13 Curinier Léa FDJ-SUEZ 40 + 00
14 Boilard Simone Uno-X Mobility 32 + 00
15 Garcia Mavi Liv AlUla Jayco 28 + 00
16 Chabbey Elise CANYON//SRAM Racing 24 + 00
17 Rooijakkers Pauliena Fenix-Deceuninck 24 + 00
18 Bauernfeind Ricarda CANYON//SRAM Racing 24 + 00
19 Labous Juliette Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 24 + 00
20 Niewiadoma Katarzyna CANYON//SRAM Racing 24

Dwars door Vlaanderen 2024

Elite Männer 189km:

1 JORGENSON Matteo USA TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 04:07:44
2 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas NOR UNO-X MOBILITY 00:29
3 KÜNG Stefan SUI GROUPAMA-FDJ 00:29
4 BENOOT Tiesj BEL TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 00:29
5 DE BONDT Dries BEL DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 00:29
6 TARLING Michael Joshua GBR INEOS GRENADIERS 00:44
7 MILAN Jonathan ITA LIDL-TREK 01:47
8 VALGREN Michael DEN EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST 01:47
9 JØRGENSEN Norsgaard Mathias DEN MOVISTAR TEAM 01:47
10 GACHIGNARD Thomas FRA TOTALENERGIES 01:47
11 GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 02:07
12 POLITT Nils GER UAE TEAM EMIRATES 02:07
13 MADOUAS Valentin FRA GROUPAMA-FDJ 02:07
14 VAN POPPEL Danny NED BORA – HANSGROHE 02:07
15 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK 02:07
16 TURNER Ben GBR INEOS GRENADIERS 02:07
17 MATTHEWS Michael AUS TEAM JAYCO ALULA 02:07
18 MOZZATO Luca ITA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 02:07
19 TEUNISSEN Mike NED INTERMARCHE – WANTY 02:07
20 DEGENKOLB John GER TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 02:07

Frauen 130km:

1 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 02:52:08
2 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl-Trek 00:00
3 PATERNOSTER Letizia ITA Liv AlUla Jayco 00:19
4 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 00:19
5 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:19
6 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:19
7 CONSONNI Chiara ITA UAE Team ADQ 00:51
8 SIERRA Arlenis CUB Movistar Team 00:51
9 BRAND Lucinda NED Lidl-Trek 00:51
10 DE WILDE Julie BEL Fenix-Deceuninck 00:51
11 BERTEAU Victoire FRA Cofidis Women Team 00:51
12 DE JONG Thalita NED Lotto Dstny Ladies 00:51
13 SWINKELS Karlijn NED UAE Team ADQ 00:51
14 BARALE Francesca ITA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:51
15 JASKULSKA Marta POL Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling 00:51

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Frauen 127 Km:

1 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 03:27:15
2 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 00:00
3 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:00
4 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl-Trek 00:00
5 DE JONG Thalita NED Lotto Dstny Ladies 01:08
6 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx-Protime 01:08
7 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM Racing 01:08
8 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 01:08
9 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx-Protime 01:53
10 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 02:08
11 NORSGAARD Emma DEN Movistar Team 02:08
12 ROY Sarah AUS Cofidis Women Team 02:08
13 GEORGI Pfeiffer GBR Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 02:08
14 SWINKELS Karlijn NED UAE Team ADQ 02:08
15 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT Fenix-Deceuninck 02:08

Männer ELITE 202Km:

1 TRATNIK Jan SLO Team Visma | Lease a Bike 04:31:27
2 POLITT Nils GER UAE Team Emirates 00:03
3 VAN AERT Wout BEL Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:08
4 NAESEN Oliver BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08
5 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:08
6 REX Laurenz BEL Intermarché-Wanty 00:08
7 STUYVEN Jasper BEL Lidl-Trek 00:08
8 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 00:08
9 TRENTIN Matteo ITA Tudor Pro Cycling Team 00:08
10 DE LIE Arnaud BEL Lotto Dstny 00:08
11 GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08
12 WELLENS Tim BEL UAE Team Emirates 00:08
13 TEUNISSEN Mike NED Intermarché-Wanty 00:08
14 KRISTOFF Alexander NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:08
15 GARCÍA CORTINA Iván ESP Movistar Team 00:08
16 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 00:08
17 BIERMANS Jenthe BEL ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:08
18 VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:08
19 DE BONDT Dries BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 6

Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges – Rosheim – 128 Km

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 03:09:26
2 BASTIANELLI Marta ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:00
3 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:00
4 BALSAMO Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00
5 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:00
6 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
7 GUAZZINI Vittoria ITA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 00:00
8 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:00
9 BARBIERI Rachele ITA LIV RACING XSTRA 00:00
10 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00

Gesamt:

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 19:30:14
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:30
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:30
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:35
5 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 01:05
6 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:11
7 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:19
8 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:28
9 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 02:02
10 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON // SRAM RACING 02:34

Vos asserts her authority

Another intense day of racing, and another victory for Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) on the roads of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift! The Dutch icon dominated the sprint in Rosheim after the rolling course of the day and many attacks had reduced the bunch to some 50 riders. This time, she outsprinted Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), able to make it to the stage podium despite being involved in the crash that took Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) out of the battle for the stage win. Vos’ results since the start of the Tour are impressive: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 5th, 3rd and 1st again.
Many riders have identified stage 6 as the last opportunity for long range attacks ahead of the final week-end over the Vosges summits… And it naturally leads to an intense battle from the start of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, with 129.2km to cover on a rolling course towards Rosheim.

Longo Borghini’s early chase
Maaike Boogaard (UAE Team ADQ) opens a small gap on the first ascent of the day, the cat-4 Col d’Urbeis (summit at km 19.2) but she’s reeled in at the summit, where Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) takes 1 QOM point to defend her polka-dot jersey.
Action also unfolds at the back, with Elisa Longo Borghini suffering a mechanical on the following downhill. Trek-Segafredo call three teammates back to help her return to the bunch at km 37.

An impressive breakaway
Attacks keep flying and a strong break eventually gets away at km 47 with 14 riders: Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), Sheyla Gutierrez (Movistar), Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Marie Le Net (FDJ Suez Futuroscope), Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), Franziska Koch (Team DSM), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon//Sram), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (BikeExchange-Jayco), Sandra Alonso (Ceratizit-WNT), Laura Smulders (Liv Racing Xstra), Katrin Hammes (EF Education-Tibco-SVB), Jesse Vandenbulcke (Le Col-Wahoo), Joscelin Lowden (Uno-X) and Tamara Dronova (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad).
Lowden is the strongest on the cat-4 Côte de Klingenthal (km 59.7) and the cat-3 Côte de Grendelbruch (km 67.7) to claim 5 QOM points. In the bunch, UAE Team ADQ and Valcar-Travel & Service control the gap around 2 minutes.

Wiebes and Kopecky go down
The gap is down to 1 minute when Cordon-Ragot attacks inside the last 30km. Vandenbulcke also has a go and Hammes powers to the line of the bonus point (km 101.5). Grace Brown (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) sets a strong pace in the bunch and they only trail by 30’’ into the last 25km.
Henderson attacks on the way down and the breakaway explodes. Meanwhile, Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), two of the stage favourites, suffer a crash. They get back up but lose time and the pace in the bunch drops down.

Vos is unstoppable
The attackers get back together for the last 20km, except for Koch. Team DSM set a strong pace in the bunch, despite Wiebes’ crash. Henderson attacks again and a leading trio emerges for the last 15km with Le Net and Lowden. Kopecky returns to the bunch and Audrey Cordon Ragot drops back to help the chase in the peloton, trailing by 45’’.
Le Net goes solo on the final ascent of the day, with 10km to go. Over the top, she has a lead of 24’’ to the bunch, led by Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) after an unsuccessful attack by Liane Lippert (Team DSM).
Le Net is eventually caught with 5km to go. Jumbo-Visma and Trek-Segafredo set the sprint in the fast run-in to Rosheim. And Vos powers to victory, again.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 5

Bar-Le-Duc – Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges – 175 Km

1 WIEBES Lorena NED TEAM DSM 04:32:16
2 BALSAMO Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00
3 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 00:00
4 BARBIERI Rachele ITA LIV RACING XSTRA 00:00
5 VAN DER DUIN Maike NED LE COL-WAHOO 00:00
6 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
7 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:00
8 GUAZZINI Vittoria ITA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 00:00
9 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ROLAND COGEAS EDELWEISS SQUAD 00:00
10 MANLY Alexandra AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO 00:00

Gesamt:

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 16:20:58
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:20
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:20
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:34
5 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 00:55
6 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:01
7 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:09
8 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:18
9 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 01:52
10 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 02:30

Wiebes is the absolute queen of sprints

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) displayed again her pure speed as she sprinted to a second stage win in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, four days after she took the first Maillot Jaune in Paris. The Dutch sprinter put a significant distance between her and the World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo), 2nd ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), who slightly increased her GC lead with the time bonuses. On the longest stage of the race, the early attackers survived until they were caught inside the last 3km. They will try again to upset the peloton on Friday with a rolling course towards Rosheim.
The longest route of the week doesn’t deter early attackers. The battle is on from the start in Bar-le-Duc and it takes almost 30km for the situation to settle with a 4-woman breakaway at the front.

A big battle and a significant gap
Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) launch the key move at km 13.5. With other teams, and most notably Human Powered Health, willing to make the break, they struggle to open up a significant gap.
Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) join them at the front and the gap increases to a minute at km 27. It reaches a maximum of 3’45’’ atop the first climb of the day, the cat-4 Côte de Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte (km 61.4), where Berteau takes the first QOM points of the day.

Norsgaard Bjerg abandons after a crash
Team DSM are the first team involved in controlling the gap, with Franziska Koch. Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) also moves to the front of the bunch as the race enters the last 50km with a gap of 2’ from the early attackers to the peloton.
A mass crash involves a few dozens of riders with 46km to go. Among them, Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Movistar) is forced to abandon. Lotte Kopecky and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx) are also involved, with the latter suffering an injury to the right arm.

Wiebes doubles up
The situation returns to normal and the gap drops down to under 1 minute inside the last 25km. Berteau attacks with 21.5km to go, towards the Bonus point of the day. Only Christoforou can follow her, while Louw and Newsom are reeled in by the pack.
Berteau and Christoforou hold on to a gap of 40’’ with 10km to go, and 20’’ under the 5km to go banner. They are eventually caught inside the last 3km. Trek-Segafredo try to set Elisa Balsamo for the win but Elisa Longo Borghini takes a wrong turn inside the last kilometre. It doesn’t unsettle Wiebes, who takes off to victory with two bike lengths between her and Balsamo. Vos rounds out the podium.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 4

Troyes – Bar-Sur-Aube – 127 Km

1 REUSSER Marlen SUI TEAM SD WORX 03:16:30
2 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 01:24
3 AMIALIUSIK Alena BLR CANYON // SRAM RACING 01:24
4 EWERS Veronica USA EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB 01:24
5 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 01:40
6 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 01:40
7 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 01:40
8 ROSEMAN-GANNON Ruby AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO 01:40
9 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 01:40
10 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:40
11 LACH Marta POL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 01:40
12 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 01:40
13 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:40
14 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:40

Gesamt:

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 11:48:46
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:16
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:16
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:21
5 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 00:51
6 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:57
7 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:05
8 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:14
9 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 01:48
10 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON // SRAM RACING 02:20
11 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 02:26
12 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 02:47
13 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 02:55
14 EWERS Veronica USA EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB 02:55
15 ROSEMAN-GANNON Ruby AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO 03:11

Reusser means power
The European time-trial champion Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) made the most of her skills to take a spectacular solo victory in Bar-sur-Aube, at the end of stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Swiss powerhouse attacked with 23km to go, ahead of the final gravel section of the day, and eventually triumphed in Bar-sur-Aube with a gap of 1’24’’ on Evita Muzic. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) resisted the many attacks launched by her rivals and eventually dominated them in the final sprint while Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) lost almost 2 minutes as she suffered mechanical incidents and a crash. Vos will wear the Maillot Jaune for a third day on stage 5, as the peloton take on the longest stage of the Tour (175.6km towards Saint-Dié-des-Vosges).

As always since the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the battle for the breakaway is an intense one from the start. It takes many attacks, counter-attacks and follow up moves for a breakaway to establish on the way to Bar-sur-Aube, to be reached after 126.8km.

First attacks
The World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) tries to get away with a 23-rider group but Movistar control that move. 42.5km are covered in the first hour before a group of three riders manage to make the break: Laura Asencio (Ceratizit-WNT), Valérie Demey (Liv Racing Xstra) and Coralie Demay (St-Michel Auber 93).
They open a gap of up to 2’40’’ en route to the first categorised ascent of the day, the cat-3 Côte de Celles-sur-Ource (summit at km 68.1), to be immediately followed by the first “white road”, the Chemin blanc de Celles (2,300m). The intensity increases in the bunch with many teams battling for the front positions and the gap quickly drops down.

First white roads
Demey can’t keep up with the pace set by Asencio and Demay while a race of attrition begins in the bunch. Canyon//Sram, SD Worx, Trek-Segafredo and Jumbo-Visma are the most involved teams to set the pace behind the attackers.
Demay goes solo at the front on the 2nd ascent of the day, the cat-3 Côte du Val des Clos (km 77.3). Around 50 riders remain in the front bunch when they eventually catch Demay at km 90, on the penultimate and longest white road of the day, Chemin blanc du plateau de Blu (4,400m).
On the gravel, Kasia Niewiadoma (3rd on GC, Canyon//Sram), Mavi Garcia (6th, UAE Team ADQ) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (10th, FDJ Suez Futuroscope) all suffer mechanicals. They manage to get back to the front bunch on the cat-4 Côte de Maître Jean (km 98.6).

The key attack
Marlen Reusser attacks with 23km to go and quickly opens a gap. She has a lead of 25’’ as she enters the final 20km and faces the last gravel section of the day. Niewiadoma tries to attack several times, Vos also moves, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) has a late puncture, but the GC contenders stay together except for Garcia, who sustains another mechanical and eventually crashes inside the last 15km.
Alena Amialiusik (Canyon//Sram), Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope) and Veronica Ewers (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) successively set off in pursuit and get together on the Côte des Bergères, the penultimate ascent of the day. But Reusser is too far away and she forges on on the last climb of the day, Côte du Val Perdu, to power to victory.
@ASO

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 3

Reims – Épernay – 133 Km

1 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 03:22:54
2 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 00:02
3 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 00:02
4 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:02
5 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:02
6 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:02
7 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 00:06
8 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:08
9 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 00:11
10 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:20
11 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO 01:03
12 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON // SRAM RACING 01:31
13 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 02:01

Gesamt:

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 08:30:36
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:16
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:16
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:21
5 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 00:51
6 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 00:55
7 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:57
8 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:05
9 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:14
10 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 01:48

Ludwig recovers her smile

On the day after a terrible stage 2 for FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig claimed a spectacular victory in Épernay. The Danish National champion was the fastest on the final uphill of the day to take victory in front of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) after an eventful finale. Vos retains the Maillot Jaune while the gaps open on the overall standings, with only seven riders within a minute of the GC leader.
On the day after an explosive finale around Provins and with many hills on the way to Épernay, baroudeurs are inspired from the start. Attacks are flying non-stop at the front, which prevents any group from opening significant gaps in the early parts of the stage.

First skirmishes
The peloton fly towards the first categorised ascent of the day, the cat-4 Côte de Trépail (km 21.6). At the summit, Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) adds 2 QOM points to her tally (she was already a joint-leader with her teammate Femke Markus, wearing the polka-dot jersey due to a better position on the overall standings). Elise Chabbey (Canyon//Sram) is 2nd over the top.
After the summit, Pauline Allin (Arkéa) goes for her second breakaway of the Tour, after a previous attempt on the Champs-Élysées. Femke Markus joins her at km 40. More riders try to bridge the gap but the peloton, wary of the wind, cover every move.
Unable to open a significant gap, the attacking duo are caught with 74km to go. The situation then settles towards the final ascents of the day.

More attacks
Gerritse dominates again the cat-4 climbs of Vertus (km 78.9) and Mesnil-sur-Oger (km 88.1), each time ahead of Chabbey. She all but secures the polka-dot jersey at the end of the day.
Amialiusik accelerates after the climb and sets off alone at the front. Many riders try to counter-attack, but none succeeds to join her. She has a lead of 1’ against the bunch as she enters the last 30km.

Unbridled action
The peloton accelerate and the gap is down to 30’’ as they cross the finish line for the first time, with 24km to go. They face an explosive final lap, with the Côte de Mutigny, where Julian Alaphilippe powered to the stage win and the Maillot Jaune on the same roads in 2019.
Amialiusik is caught at the bottom of the climb. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) sets the early pace, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) accelerates and then her teammate Demi Vollering powers to the summit. Only seven riders remain at the front: Van Vleuten, Moolman Pasio, Vollering, Lippert, Persico, Garcia, Longo Borghini.
The Maillot Jaune Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) is chasing 15’’ behind them, with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope) and Juliette Labous (Team DSM).

Crazy finale
The situation is turned upside down again when Vollering misses a turn and Lippert goes down with her. Eventually, 11 riders get back together ahead of the final ascent of the day: Vollering, Faulkner, Ludwig, Niewiadoma, Labous, Persico, Moolman-Pasio, Van Vleuten, Longo Borghini and Garcia.
Van Vleuten can’t keep up when Longo Borghini accelerates on the slopes of Mont Bernon to take 3 bonus seconds over the top. She eventually gets back for the last kilometre, with the final uphill sections to battle it out.
Niewiadoma, Moolman-Pasio and Vos anticipate… And Ludwig flies past them right at the end to take revenge after a crash-marred stage 2 for her team on Monday.
@ASO

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 2

Meaux – Provins – 135 Km

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 03:14:02
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:00
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:00
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:02
5 VAN DER DUIN Maike NED LE COL-WAHOO 00:12
6 WIEBES Lorena NED TEAM DSM 00:29
7 DE WILDE Julie BEL PLANTUR-PURA 00:29
8 BARBIERI Rachele ITA LIV RACING XSTRA 00:29
9 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:29
10 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:29

Gesamt:

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 05:07:46
2 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:10
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 00:12
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:18
5 VAN DER DUIN Maike NED LE COL-WAHOO 00:28
6 WIEBES Lorena NED TEAM DSM 00:35
7 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:41
8 BARBIERI Rachele ITA LIV RACING XSTRA 00:45
9 DE WILDE Julie BEL PLANTUR-PURA 00:45
10 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:45

Vos adds yellow to her iconic record

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) now has 13 rainbow jerseys and a Maillot Jaune to bring more colour to her stellar record as one of the greatest champions in the history of cycling. The Dutch icon made the most of her experience and speed to win stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after a very animated finale around Provins. On the uphill finish, she was the fastest from the group of six attackers that had emerged at the front, outsprinting Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service), 2nd on her 25th birthday, and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram Racing). Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) finished 4th and gained time on her GC rivals.
The 142 finishers in Paris set off from Meaux with 136.4km of racing ahead of them. The wind, steadily blowing at more than 20km/h and hitting 50km/h, and the rolling terrain lead to early battles.

The early KOM battle
Four riders manage to make the break at km 3: Sabrina Stultiens (Liv Racing Xstra), Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Rotem Gafinovitz (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad) and Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health). They open a lead of 2 minutes en route to the categorised climb of the day, Côte de Tigeaux (km 16.9).
At the summit, Femke Gerritse takes the 2 KOM points. She matches her teammate Femke Markus’ tally – their position on GC at the end of the stage will decide who wears the polka-dot on Tuesday.

More battles through the wind
The gap reaches a maximum of 3 minutes at km 27 and the situation settles for some 20km. Then, the tension seriously increases in the bunch, with teams such as Trek-Segafredo, FDJ Suez Futuroscope and Jumbo-Visma trying to split the bunch through the wind.
A dozen of riders are dropped, including the 3-time cyclo-cross World champion Sanne Cant (Plantur-Pura) but most of the bunch stay together. The main consequence of the acceleration is that the early attackers are caught with 78km to go.

The tension rises
As the route turns eastwards, the crosswinds become tailwinds and the race situation settles ahead of the final battles with a 19.7km loop around Provins. The tension eventually increases with a series of crashes around 30km away from the finish. Among the main riders involved, Marta Cavalli (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) and Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange-Jayco) struggle to get back on her bike.
At the same time, Maike van der Duin (Le Col-Wahoo) goes on the move. She has a lead of 15’’ as she crosses the line for the first time. Wiebes dominates the intermediate sprint in the bunch but she can’t follow the move initiated by Elisa Balsamo with her Trek-Segafredo teammate Elisa Longo Borghini.

The Goat takes it all
Six riders are at the front on the final lap: Balsamo, Longo Borghini and Van der Duin, joined by Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram Racing) and Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service), celebrating her 25th birthday with an attack on the roads of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
They enter the last 10km with a lead of 30’’ and increase the gap to 40’’ for the last 5km. Their move is about to allow them to battle for the stage win but also the Maillot Jaune.
Longo Borghini is the first to move inside the last kilometre, while Balsamo sits up. But Vos is in perfect control. Her final kick brings her the stage win, the Maillot Jaune and also the green jersey. The Goat has left her mark!
A.S.O.

Giro d’Italie Donne – 6. Etappe

Sarnico – Bergamo – 115 Km

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 02:58:30
2 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:00
3 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:00
4 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 00:00
5 SPRATT Amanda AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 00:00
6 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
7 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:00
8 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victoria ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 00:00
9 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00
10 LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup DEN FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:00

Gesamt:

1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM 14:50:05
2 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victoria ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 00:25
3 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:54
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 05:00
5 LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup DEN FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 05:13
6 SPRATT Amanda AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 05:14
7 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 05:25
8 FISHER-BLACK Niamh NZL TEAM SD WORX 05:28
9 CHABBEY Elise AUS CANYON//SRAM RACING 05:45
10 MUZIC Évita FRA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 05:55

Giro d’Italie Donne – 3. Etappe

Cala Gonone – Olbia – 113 Km

1 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 02:48:22
2 KOOL Charlotte NED TEAM DSM 00:00
3 BALSAMO Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00
4 BARBIERI Rachele ITA LIV RACING XSTRA 00:00
5 BERTIZZOLO Sofia FRA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:00
6 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:00
7 NORSGAARD Emma DEN MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
8 ZANARDI Silvia ITA BEPINK 00:00
9 BAKER Georgia AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 00:00
10 CONSONNI Chiara FRA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:00

Gesamt:

1 BALSAMO Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 05:33:12
2 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:06
3 BAKER Georgia AUS TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 00:12
4 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE – JAYCO 00:14
5 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:14
6 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:17
7 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM 00:18
8 KOOL Charlotte NED TEAM DSM 00:19
9 NORSGAARD Emma DEN MOVISTAR TEAM 00:20
10 BRAND Lucinda GER TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:24
11 THOMAS Leah USA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:26
12 KOSTER Anouska NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:26
13 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:27
14 ROY Sarah AUS CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:27
15 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 00:30