Schlagwort-Archive: Tour de France Femmes

Tour de France Femmes – Etappe 8

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, , , , , , , , ,

8. Etappe: Le Grand-Bornand – Alpe d’Huez – 150 Km

1 Demi VOLLERING TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 04h 34′ 14“ – B : 10“
2 Pauliena ROOIJAKKERS FENIX-DECEUNINCK 04h 34′ 18“ + 00h 00′ 04“ B : 6“
3 Evita MUZIC FDJ-SUEZ 04h 35′ 15“ + 00h 01′ 01“ B : 4“ –
4 K. NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 04h 35′ 15“ + 00h 01′ 01“ – –
5 G. REALINI LIDL – TREK 04h 35′ 45“ + 00h 01′ 31“ – –
6 C. KERBAOL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 04h 37′ 29“ + 00h 03′ 15“ – –
7 V. CAVALLAR ARKEA – B&B HOTELS WOMEN 04h 37′ 48“ + 00h 03′ 34“ – –
8 S. GIGANTE AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM 04h 39′ 24“ + 00h 05′ 10“ – –
9 N. FISHER-BLACK TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 04h 39′ 28“ + 00h 05′ 14“ – –
10 L. BRAND LIDL – TREK 04h 41′ 20“ + 00h 07′ 06“ –

Endstand:

1 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 24h 36′ 07“ – B : 14“ –
2 Demi VOLLERING TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 24h 36′ 11“ + 00h 00′ 04“ B : 26“ –
3 Pauliena ROOIJAKKERS FENIX-DECEUNINCK 24h 36′ 17“ + 00h 00′ 10“ B : 6“ –
4 E. MUZIC FDJ-SUEZ 24h 37′ 28“ + 00h 01′ 21“ B : 4“ –
5 G. REALINI LIDL – TREK 24h 38′ 26“ + 00h 02′ 19“ – P : 20“
6 C. KERBAOL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 24h 38′ 58“ + 00h 02′ 51“ B : 10“ –
7 S. GIGANTE AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM 24h 43′ 16“ + 00h 07′ 09“ – –
8 L. BRAND LIDL – TREK 24h 44′ 13“ + 00h 08′ 06“ – –
9 J. LABOUS TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 24h 44′ 14“ + 00h 08′ 07“ – –
10 T. DE JONG LOTTO DSTNY LADIES 24h 44′ 19“ + 00h 08′ 12“ – –

Yellow glory for Niewiadoma

The 8th and final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift produced a thrilling finale on Alpe d’Huez with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) securing the GC win as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took the stage victory. Vollering rode incredibly to win the stage, followed across the line by Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 4”, with Evita Muzic (FDJ – SUEZ) third at 1’01” and Niewiadoma fourth, also at 1’01”, which was enough to secure the Yellow Jersey and GC glory for Niewiadoma by just 4”. Vollering therefore concluded the race in second place overall, with Rooijakkers completing the podium in third (10”) and Muzic fourth (1’21”).

A final battle commences
Shayla Gutierrez (Movistar), Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health) and Josie Talbot (Cofidis) did not start the last stage. There were therefore 116 riders on the road as the peloton rolled out of Le Grand-Bornand ready for the 149.9 km challenge on the way to Alpe d’Huez, via Col du Glandon.

A big breakaway group
Ahead of the first categorised climb of the day – Col de Tamie (km 27.2, Cat. 2, 9.5km at 4%) – a strong 22 rider breakaway formed, comprising Mischa Bredewold, Christine Majerus, Blanka Vas, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez), Riejanne Markus, Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT), Kristen Faulkner, Noemi Ruegg (EF-Oatly-Cannondale), Liane Lippert, Olivia Baril (Movistar), Silvia Persico, Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Katrine Aalerud, Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobilty), Camille Fahy and Celia Le Mouel (St-Michel-Mavic-Auber93).

Ghekiere presses on
At the top of the Tamie climb Ghekiere strengthened her position in the Mountain classification reaching the summit first, followed by Bredewold, Majerus and Adegeest. By the time the breakaway riders reached the intermediate sprint at km 53.4 at Aiguebelle (Val D’arc) they had a 2’50” gap over the bunch. Wiebes won the sprint, ahead of Majerus and Barrel. Approaching the Col du Glandon (km 98.5, HC,19.7km at 7.2%) the peloton accelerated and the gap to the break was quickly reduced to 1’30” as the climb started.

Moves on the Glandon
The likes of Faulkner, Fahy, Wiebes and Persico were dropped by the breakaway early on the Col du Glandon climb. 1’00” was the gap from the peloton to the front of the race 15.5 km from the summit of the Glandon, with Lippert, Brand, Magnaldi, Aalerud, Smulders, Arzuffi and Adegeest riding clear of the remainder of the breakaway, their former companions in the lead group dropping back into the bunch on the climb. Ghekiere was one of those who fell backwards on the ascent, then also dropping behind the peloton having expended so much energy in her epic win yesterday.

Vollering sets the race alight
Valentina Cavallar (Arkea – B&B Hotels Women) attacked from the main group and went solo at the front, overtaking what remained of the breakaway 5km from the summit of the Glandon. The race then exploded as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) distanced the wearer of the Yellow Jersey Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) with her first attack, 2.5 kilometers from the top of the Col du Glandon, with only Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) managing to follow the 2023 Tour winner, as they joined Cavallar at the front. Those three went over the summit 57” ahead of Niewiadoma, who was in a group with Gigante, Realini, Muzic, Brand and Kerbaol. As Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was not one of the point-scoring first 8 riders over Glandon summit it confirmed the polka dot jersey for Ghekiere.

Tour de France Femmes – Etappe 7

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1 Justine GHEKIERE AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM 04h 26′ 58“ – B : 10“
2 Maeva SQUIBAN ARKEA – B&B HOTELS WOMEN 04h 28′ 13“ + 00h 01′ 15“ B : 6“ –
3 Demi VOLLERING TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 04h 28′ 21“ + 00h 01′ 23“ B : 4“
4 K. NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 04h 28′ 21“ + 00h 01′ 23“ – –
5 E. MUZIC FDJ-SUEZ 04h 28′ 25“ + 00h 01′ 27“ – –
6 T. DE JONG LOTTO DSTNY LADIES 04h 28′ 26“ + 00h 01′ 28“ – –
7 P. PIETERSE FENIX-DECEUNINCK 04h 28′ 26“ + 00h 01′ 28“ – –
8 J. LABOUS TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 04h 28′ 26“ + 00h 01′ 28“ – –
9 P. ROOIJAKKERS FENIX-DECEUNINCK 04h 28′ 26“ + 00h 01′ 28“ – –
10 G. REALINI LIDL – TREK 04h 28′ 26“ + 00h 01′ 28“ – –

Gesamt:

1 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 20h 00′ 52“ – B : 14“ –
2 Puck PIETERSE FENIX-DECEUNINCK 20h 01′ 19“ + 00h 00′ 27“ B : 12“ –
3 Cedrine KERBAOL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 20h 01′ 29“ + 00h 00′ 37“ B : 10“
4 J. LABOUS TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 20h 01′ 53“ + 00h 01′ 01“
5 T. DE JONG LOTTO DSTNY LADIES 20h 02′ 01“ + 00h 01′ 09“
6 S. VAN ANROOIJ LIDL – TREK 20h 02′ 04“ + 00h 01′ 12“ –
7 P. ROOIJAKKERS FENIX-DECEUNINCK 20h 02′ 05“ + 00h 01′ 13“
8 D. VOLLERING TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 20h 02′ 07“ + 00h 01′ 15“ B : 16“
9 E. MUZIC FDJ-SUEZ 20h 02′ 17“ + 00h 01′ 25“
10 J. GHEKIERE AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM 20h 02′ 19“ + 00h 01′ 27“ B : 14“

Glorious Ghekiere conquers Grand-Bornand

Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Team) triumphed on Stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, riding strongly to the finish at Le Grand-Bornand to cross the line 1’15” ahead of second-placed Maeva Squiban (Arkea – B&B Hotels Women). Ghekiere performed brilliantly in the polka dot jersey in the breakaway to strengthen her position in the Mountain classification and win the stage, with Squiban attacking from the main GC group behind her on the final climb but ultimately unable to reach her. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) concluded the stage third, though she was closely followed over the line by Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) in the Yellow Jersey, both riders finishing 1’23” behind the stage winner. Ahead of Sunday’s final stage from Le Grand-Bornand to Alpe d’Huez, via Col du Glandon, Niewiadoma still controls the Yellow Jersey, with a 27” advantage over Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) at the head of the GC, whilst Cedrine Kerbaol (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling) sits in third place at 37”. 2023 Tour winner Vollering goes into the last stage in 8th position overall, 1’15” behind the GC leader Niewiadoma.

Starting in Champagnole
There were 128 riders at the start of the stage, with Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Fauve Bastiaenssen (Lotto Dstny Ladies) withdrawn beforehand. This was the longest stage of the race and proved to be a fearsome test for the riders over the mountainous 166.4 km route from Champagnole to the spectacular finish at Le Grand-Bornand. Before the race reached Col de la Croix de la Serra (Km 57.8, Cat. 1, 12km at 5.1%) there were several unsuccessful attacks and the bunch stayed together. Then came the news that Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) – who had worn the Yellow and green jerseys earlier in the Tour – had abandoned the race. At the top of the Croix de la Serra climb Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) led the way, ahead of Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Team), but Pieterse did not join her polka dot rival Ghekiere in the breakaway which would soon form.

The breakaway goes
After the Croix de la Serra descent Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Ghekiere pulled away with four other riders: Ghekiere’s teammate Julie Van de Velde, as well as Sara Martin (Movistar Team), Sarah Roy (Cofidis Women Team) and Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health). Having taken the lead at the top of the second climb of the day – the Côte de Bois d’Arlod (Km 88, Cat. 4, 2.4km at 4.6%) – Ghekiere gained a 3-point provisional lead in the mountain classification over Pieterse. Descending after that climb, the breakaway pulled 2’15” clear of the peloton as the race headed to the intermediate sprint at Frangy (km 100.6).

Vos and Ghekiere power on
Vos was first at the intermediate sprint ahead of Van de Velde and Ghekiere, to provisionally secure the green jersey at this year’s Tour, repeating her success in the competition in 2022. Shortly after the sprint, on the Côte de Cercier climb (Km 111, Cat. 3, 4km at 4.9%) Ghekiere led the way again, in front of Van de Velde and Edwards, with the peloton reaching the summit 5’22” adrift. On the way to the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt (Km 156, Cat. 2, 5.4km at 5.1%) time trial world champion Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) reduced the gap to the race leaders at the head of the peloton, with the breakaway’s lead coming down to 4’25“ at 25 km from the finish.

Final two climbs
Early on the penultimate climb of the stage – Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt – the bunch had closed to within 3’00” of the escapees, as the GC favourites and their teams chased Vos and her companions down. The breakaway group fell apart on that climb with Ghekiere pulling away to secure five more QOM points, whilst Vos and Martin would reach the top just over a minute later and the bunch arrived at 2’22”. Meanwhile Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) was distanced from the peloton on the same climb. So it was on towards the Montée du Chinaillon (Km 166.4, Cat. 2, 7km at 5.1%) for an exciting finale as the fans awaited at the finish at Le Grand-Bornand. Ghekiere pressed on alone on the final climb with several attacks and attempted attacks from the GC group behind her, though ultimately no-one could stop the flying 28 year-old Belgian from taking a well deserved victory.

Tour de France Femmes – Etappe 6

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6. Etappe: Remiremont – Morteau – 159 Km

1 Cedrine KERBAOL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 04h 04′ 41“ – B : 10“ –
2 Marianne VOS TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ B : 6“ –
3 Liane LIPPERT MOVISTAR TEAM 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ B : 4“ –
4 K. SWINKELS UAE TEAM ADQ 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
5 L. BRAND LIDL – TREK 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
6 K. NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
7 P. PIETERSE FENIX-DECEUNINCK 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
8 T. DE JONG LOTTO DSTNY LADIES 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
9 E. MUZIC FDJ-SUEZ 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“ – –
10 J. LABOUS TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 04h 05′ 02“ + 00h 00′ 21“

Gesamt:

1 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA CANYON//SRAM RACING 15h 32′ 31“ – B : 14“ –
2 Cedrine KERBAOL CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 15h 32′ 47“ + 00h 00′ 16“ B : 10“ –
3 Kristen FAULKNER EF – OATLY – CANNONDALE 15h 32′ 50“ + 00h 00′ 19“ – –
4 P. PIETERSE FENIX-DECEUNINCK 15h 32′ 53“ + 00h 00′ 22“ B : 12“ –
5 J. LABOUS TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 15h 33′ 27“ + 00h 00′ 56“ – –
6 T. DE JONG LOTTO DSTNY LADIES 15h 33′ 35“ + 00h 01′ 04“ – –
7 S. VAN ANROOIJ LIDL – TREK 15h 33′ 38“ + 00h 01′ 07“ – –
8 P. ROOIJAKKERS FENIX-DECEUNINCK 15h 33′ 39“ + 00h 01′ 08“ – –
9 L. LIPPERT MOVISTAR TEAM 15h 33′ 47“ + 00h 01′ 16“ B : 8“ –
10 D. VOLLERING TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 15h 33′ 50“ + 00h 01′ 19“ B : 12“

Stunning finish gives Kerbaol Morteau win

It was an astonishing performance from 23 year-old French rider Cedrine Kerbaol of the CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team to win Stage 6 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Morteau. Kerbaol attacked from the bunch at the top of Côte des Fins with 14.5km to go, descending brilliantly from there to finally make it to the finish line 21” ahead of her closest challenger Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who concludes the day in the green jersey, with Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) just behind Vos in third. The results of the stage mean that Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) remains in yellow, 16” ahead of Kerbaol and 19” in front of Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale).

Early movers
133 riders started in Remiremont with Marta Lach (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team) unable to commence the stage due to illness. The day started well for Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Team) as the Belgian led the bunch at the top of the first climb of the day on Col du Mont de Fourche (Km 11.7, Cat. 3, 3.2km at 5.9%). Shortly after that, by km 38, French time trial champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) had established a 20″ lead alongside Iurani Blanco (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi), the pair riding clear at the front.

A big breakaway group
The breakaway first increased to 14 riders with the likes of Ghekiere, Fem van Empel (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Franziska Koch (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Christine Majerus (Team SD Worx – Protime) making it into the lead group. Then Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Niam Fisher-Black (SD Worx-Protime), Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) all boosted the ranks of the breakaway. The escapees had a lead of 2’35“ at km 79, meaning that Ghekiere, the best placed rider overall among the 18 leading women (15th at 1’56”), ‘virtually’ led the GC over Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing). Though of course there was plenty of racing on the stage still to come…

Col de Ferriere climb
At Km 90 the Col de Ferriere (Cat. 4, 2.6km at 4.7%) climb began with the breakaway 2’10“ in front of the bunch. Ghekiere took the lead on the Ferriere summit to score two more points in the mountain classification ahead of Vos (1 pt), though soon after reaching the top those two sat up and let the rest of the break catch them again. Vos was then first over the intermediate sprint line located in Sancey, scoring 25 points in the sprinters‘ competition and provisionally going joint top of the ranking with the wearer of the green jersey Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL). Ghekiere was relentless and also took the maximum 3 points on the Côte de Laviron climb (Km 106, Cat. 3, 5.7km at 4.1%) virtually moving to the top of the climbers’ classification at that point.

Onto La Roche du Prêtre
Fisher-Black upped the pace on the penultimate climb of the day, La Roche-du-Prêtre (Km 133.1, Cat. 2, 5.5km at 5.6%), with Brown, Ghekiere, Paladin and Gutierrez the only riders initially able to hang on as the breakaway fell apart. Fisher-Black led at summit, ahead of Ghekiere and Brown, with the peloton by this stage trailing by 1’10” and with Ghekiere assured of wearing the polka dot jersey at the stage finale. On the final climb of the day – the Côte des Fins (Km 144.3, Cat. 3, 1.8km at 6.9%) – the last survivors in the breakaway were caught 16km from the finish.

Kerbaol goes clear
The wearer of the polka dot jersey Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) scored three points at the Côte des Fins summit, with Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) following her in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. Just after that, 14.5km from the finish Kerbaol attacked from the top of the Côte des Fins, distancing the only rider to stick her with initially Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) on the descent – going solo for the win. Kerbaol would not look back from there, flying over the final kilometres to the finish line, delighting the fans in Morteau to notch a first French win at the Tour since Jeannie Longo, who took her 24th and final stage success in Aix-les-Bains in 1989.

Tour de France Femmes – Etappe 5

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1 VAS Blanka HUN Team SD Worx – Protime 03:46:51
2 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL Canyon//SRAM Racing 00:00
3 LIPPERT Liane GER Movistar Team 00:00
4 FAULKNER Kristen USA EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:00
5 NORSGAARD Emma DEN Movistar Team 00:08
6 BRAND Lucinda NED Lidl – Trek 00:11
7 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:11
8 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:28
9 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:28
10 MUZIC Évita FRA FDJ – SUEZ 00:28

Gesamt:

1 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL Canyon//SRAM Racing 11:27:29
2 FAULKNER Kristen USA EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:19
3 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:22
4 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:47
5 LABOUS Juliette FRA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:56
6 DE JONG Thalita BEL Lotto Dstny Ladies 01:04
7 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl – Trek 01:07
8 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED Fenix-Deceuninck 01:08
9 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx – Protime 01:19

It’s Vas in Amneville

It was a bittersweet victory for Blanka Vas (Team SD Worx – Protime) on Stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Amneville, as the Hungarian outsprinted Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) to the line, with Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) close by in fourth. A crash involving Vas’ teammate Demi Vollering and several other riders decimated the peloton with 6 km to go, with Vollering remounting but losing crucial time and control of the Yellow Jersey. Niewiadoma now leads the GC by 19” from Faulkner, with QOM leader Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) third at 22”. Vollering is now 9th overall, 1’19” off Niewiadoma, having lost 1’47″ after her crash.

Starting from Bastogne
The cycling hotspot of Bastogne was the setting for the start of Stage 5 as 137 riders commenced the day’s action, which would see the peloton cover 152.5km, taking on five categorised climbs on the route to Amneville. Elena Pirrone (Roland) first and then counter-attacker Michaela Drummond (Arkea-B&B Hotels) were the early movers, arriving together at the summit of the first categorised climb of the day (Côte de Hotte – Km 14.1, Cat. 3, 1.2km at 7.9%) approximately 20” ahead of the bunch, which was led over the top by Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ). Pirrone and Drummond were caught by the peloton shortly after they descended the Côte de Hotte.

Attacks before the Côte de Saint-Pancré
There were several short-lived breakaway attempts as the riders made their way to the second categorised climb of the day, but the peloton tightly controlled the potential escapees. That was the case until the Finn Wilma Aintila (Lotto Dstny Ladies) attacked after an hour of racing and she was soon joined by Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) at the front. After her earlier assault Pirrone went on the move again and joined Aintila and Fouquenet to form an attacking trio in the breakaway, creating a 35″ gap by km 65. Just after the race entered France (km 64.5) a group of 15 counter attackers tried to reach the front three, with the peloton responding. As the riders got to the start of the Côte de Saint-Pancré climb (Km 69.6, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 3.9%) the three breakaway riders were caught.

Pieterse shines
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) reinforced her position in the QOM ranking in her polka dot jersey by taking the lead at the top of the Côte de Saint-Pancré climb (Km 69.6, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 3.9%) for two more points, just ahead of Justine Ghekiere (1 point). FDJ-Suez then stepped up the attacks and ended up finding an opening with Loes Adegeest, 3rd in the Rotterdam time trial. She was 15″ ahead of the bunch at the top of the Côte de Fermont (Km 79, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 4.6%), with the main group led by Persico at the summit. A second group in which Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) was riding reached the Fermont summit just over a minute behind the GC leaders. Julie Van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) and double cyclo-cross World Champion Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) joined forces with Adegeest 67.5 km from the finish and soon built up a lead of over a minute, whilst Kool and her group re-joined the peloton.

Intermediate sprint
Before the intermediate sprint at Mercy-Le-Haut (km 105.8), though, Kool was in trouble again, dropping to more than two minutes behind the bunch. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won the bunch sprint for 13 important points, crossing the intermediate line in fifth place, behind the breakaway three and counter-attacker Maëva Squiban (Arkea – B&B Hotels Women), with Squiban soon caught again by the GC group. It had been Van de Velde who won the intermediate sprint, ahead of Adegeest and Van Empel and with 30km to go a 2’17” advantage gave the three riders at the front the hope that they could make it to the finish to contest the victory between them.

Montois-la-Montagne climb
However, by the time Van de Velde, Van Empel and Adegeest approached the Montois-la-Montagne climb (Cat. 4, 1.7km at 6%) their lead over the peloton was down to just 48″, with Movistar Team increasing the pace of the peloton. That gap was just 24” at the summit, which Van Empel reached first. The big accident involving Vollering with 6 km to go shook up the GC, whilst Adegeest was the last of the breakaway riders to be caught – as 9 riders who had moved ahead of the split peloton after the crash reached her with 2.3km to go. On the final straight Vas was too strong for Niewiadoma, Lippert and Faulkner to take the win on a difficult day for her team.

Tour de France Femmes – Etappe 4

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, , , , , , ,

4. Etappe: Valkenburg – Liège – 123 Km

1 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 03:12:28
2 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:00
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL Canyon//SRAM Racing 00:00
4 PIENAAR Kimberley MRI AG Insurance – Soudal Team 00:29
5 RÜEGG Noemi SUI EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:29
6 DE JONG Thalita BEL Lotto Dstny Ladies 00:29
7 MUZIC Évita FRA FDJ – SUEZ 00:29
8 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl – Trek 00:29
9 FISHER-BLACK Niamh NZL Team SD Worx – Protime 00:29
10 MEIJERING Mareille NED Movistar Team 00:29

Gesamt:

1 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx – Protime 07:40:10
2 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:22
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL Canyon//SRAM Racing 00:34
4 FAULKNER Kristen USA EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:47
5 LABOUS Juliette FRA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:56
6 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED Fenix-Deceuninck 01:03
7 PIENAAR Kimberley MRI AG Insurance – Soudal Team 01:03
8 DE JONG Thalita BEL Lotto Dstny Ladies 01:04
9 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 01:04
10 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl – Trek 01:07

Liege glory for Pieterse

Stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was won by Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) who produced a powerful performance over the hilly 122.7 km route from Valkenberg to the Quai des Ardennes in Liege. In an exciting finale Pieterse took a brilliant first win, just beating Yellow Jersey Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) to the line in a photo finish, with Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram Racing) crossing the line in third place. In wet conditions in Belgium it was the final Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons climb which proved decisive and the result leaves Vollering top of the GC by 22” from Pieterse, with Niewiadoma third overall at 34”.

Amstel Gold Race climbs
There were 144 starters for Stage 4, with Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing), Clara Emond (EF-Oatly-Cannondale), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) not taking the start. Over the first four categorised climbs of the day which are firm fixtures in the Amstel Gold Race route – Bemelerberg (km 6.6, Cat. 4, 1.3km at 4.9%), Cauberg (km 12.8, Cat. 3, 0.7km at 8%), Geulhemmerberg (km 17.8, Cat. 4, 1.1km at 5.1%) & Bemelerberg (km 23.4, Cat. 4, 1.3km at 4.9%) – it was Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) who dominated the proceedings, topping each summit in first place, to move into the virtual lead of the Mountain classification.

Martin goes solo
After that hilly start Sara Martin (Movistar) went solo at the front and soon built up a 1’15“ lead over the peloton at km 41. Upon reaching Aubel, at km 43.3, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift left the Netherlands to enter Belgium and the climbs so familiar from Liege-Bastogne-Liege awaited. Laura Tomasi (Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi) briefly went on the counter-attack, chasing Martin, but she was soon reeled back in. After solo attacker Martin was first through the intermediate sprint at Pepinster (km 67.5), Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) was the first of the bunch in the sprint in her green jersey, ahead of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime).

Martin caught on Mont-Theux
The race was briefly stopped at a level crossing before the Mont-Theux climb (Km 74.8, Cat. 3, 2.8km at 5.6%) with the commissaires neutralising the bunch to fairly maintain Martin’s lead. But once onto that climb Martin would not last much longer in the lead and she was caught by the main group 500m from the top. Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) went over the top of the Mont-Theux climb first, followed by Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Team) and Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance – Soudal Team). Behind the climbers and GC favourites the peloton was split into several groups with Wiebes in one group, polka dot jersey wearer Cristina Tonetti (Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi) in a third group and Kool in a fourth.

Onto ‘la Redoute’
At the top of the Côte de la Redoute (km 88.8, Cat. 2, 1.6km at 9.4%) Pieterse from the Fenix-Deceuninck team led a peloton reduced to around 15 riders, with Niewiadoma, Vollering and Kimberley Le Court (AG Insurance – Soudal Team), 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively on that climb. Belgian rider Ghekiere from AG Insurance-Soudal took the lead ahead of Kastelijn and Gigante at the top of the Côte des Forges (Km 99.6, Cat. 3, 1.3km at 7.8%) pressing on hard on the descent and soon moving 20” ahead of the bunch.

Final Roche-aux-Faucons climb
Indeed 20” was Ghekiere’s lead starting the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons climb (km 109.4, Cat. 2, 1.3km at 11%) but she was caught by a severely reduced main group 330m from the summit, with Vollering herself setting a fearsome pace in yellow on the ascent. Pieterse took the lead at the summit of Roche-aux-Faucons ahead of Niewiadoma, Vollering and Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) and they soon forced a 10″ gap over the rest of the diminished main group. With less than 10km to go it was just Pieterse, Niewiadoma and Vollering at the front, 30″ ahead. In the end it was Pieterse who had the power to get to the finish line first and she also ended the day top of the mountain classification.

Tour de France Femmes – Etappen 1 bis 3

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, , , , , , ,

1. Etappe: Rotterdam – The Hague – 123 Km

1 KOOL Charlotte NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 02:47:40
2 AHTOSALO Anniina FIN Uno-X Mobility 00:00
3 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl – Trek 00:00 3
4 HENTTALA Lotta FIN EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:00
5 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:00
6 PIKULIK Daria POL Human Powered Health 00:00
7 DE ZOETE Mylène GBR CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:00
8 PIENAAR Kimberley MRI AG Insurance – Soudal Team 00:00
9 FAHLIN Emilia SWE Arkéa – B&B Hotels Women 00:00
10 VAS Blanka HUN Team SD Worx – Protime 00:00
11 SCHWEINBERGER Kathrin AUT CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:00
12 NORSGAARD Emma DEN Movistar Team 00:00
13 TON Quinty NED Liv AlUla Jayco 00:00
14 SWINKELS Karlijn NED UAE Team ADQ 00:00
15 BARIL Olivia CAN Movistar Team 00:00

2. Etappe: Dordrecht – Rotterdam – 68 Km

1 KOOL Charlotte NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 01:32:49 43,89
2 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:00
3 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:00
4 HENTTALA Lotta FIN EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:00
5 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl – Trek 00:00
6 BARBIERI Rachele ITA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:00

3. Etappe: Rotterdam – Rotterdam – ITT – 6,3 Km

1 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:07:25
2 DYGERT Chloe NOR Canyon//SRAM Racing 00:05
3 ADEGEEST Loes NED FDJ – SUEZ 00:05
4 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:05
5 FAULKNER Kristen USA EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:06
6 VAN DIJK Ellen NED Lidl – Trek 00:07
7 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:09
8 BREDEWOLD Mischa AUS Team SD Worx – Protime 00:10
9 NORSGAARD Emma DEN Movistar Team 00:10
10 HENDERSON Anna GBR Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:12

Gesamt:
1 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx – Protime 04:27:54
2 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx – Protime 00:03
3 DYGERT Chloe NOR Canyon//SRAM Racing 00:05
4 ADEGEEST Loes NED FDJ – SUEZ 00:05
5 KOOL Charlotte NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:05
6 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 00:05
7 FAULKNER Kristen USA EF-Oatly-Cannondale 00:06
8 VAN DIJK Ellen NED Lidl – Trek 00:06
9 BREDEWOLD Mischa AUS Team SD Worx – Protime 00:09

Victory and yellow for Vollering
Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx – Protime) took the victory on the third stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with a sublime ITT performance in Rotterdam, to seize control of the Yellow Jersey. Vollering’s best time of 7’25”14 gave her the win by 5”21 from World time trial champion Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing), whilst Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez) was third by 5”38 from her compatriot Vollering. The superb time trial exhibition by Vollering around Rotterdam’s city streets puts her back in the Yellow Jersey again as she now leads by 3” from her colleague Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx – Protime) with Dygert third overall, trailing Vollering by 5”.
Extended Highlights – Stage 3 – Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2024

Adegeest sets down a marker
147 riders took part in the ITT, after a crash this morning during the 2nd stage meant the Frenchwoman Dilyxine Miermont (St-Michel-Mavic-Auber93) could not take part. That was the 6th abandon since the start of the Tour. Just under an hour into the time trial Dutchwoman Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez) became the first rider to complete the course at an average speed of over 50 km /h, going provisionally top with a time of 7’30”, which put her 14” ahead of previous leader Elena Pirrone (Roland).

World time trial champion
As the 101st rider to start, World time trial champion Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) moved into the provisional lead by just 0.17s, taking over from Adegeest in the lead. The winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx – Protime) then took over at the top as she completed the course 5″ faster than Dygert, with the ‘Oranje’ fans cheering her on.

The big stars do battle
The final riders to start were of course those who had performed best in the opening two stages, with the excited Dutch crowds eager to see who could potentially outpace Vollering. In the Yellow Jersey in front of the vociferous spectators who lined the course in Rotterdam, Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL) was the last rider to start. However, Kool would ultimately finish 25” down on Vollering in 33rd place, ceding the Yellow Jersey to her fellow Dutchwoman.

Marianne Vos: “It feels like a privilege”

Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, Vorschau, , , , ,

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.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 8. Etappe Pau – Pau – ITT – 22,6 Km

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Tour de France, , , , , ,

1 REUSSER Marlen SUI TEAM SD WORX 00:29:15
2 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:10
3 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:38
4 BROWN Grace AUS FDJ-SUEZ 00:40
5 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:50
6 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 01:17
7 BARIL Olivia CAN UAE TEAM ADQ 01:18
8 GUAZZINI Vittoria ITA FDJ-SUEZ 01:21
9 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:23
10 BRAND Lucinda NED LIDL – TREK 01:30
11 CORDON RAGOT Audrey FRA HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 01:33
12 KRAAK Amber NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 01:34
13 HENDERSON Anna GBR TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 01:36
14 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:41
15 HOWE Georgina AUS TEAM JAYCO ALULA 01:41
16 DEMAY Coralie FRA ST MICHEL – MAVIC – AUBER93 01:50
17 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT FENIX-DECEUNINCK 01:51
18 PEPERKAMP Esmée NED TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 01:53
19 DE JONG Thalita NED LIV RACING TEQFIND 01:56
20 BREDEWOLD Mischa NED TEAM SD WORX 02:03

Endstand:


Foto HERBERT MOOS

1 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 25:17:35
2 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 03:03
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 03:03
4 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 03:59
5 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 04:48
6 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 05:21
7 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 09:09
8 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 09:36
9 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM RACING 09:56
10 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 10:14
11 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 10:32
12 KERBAOL Cedrine FRA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 12:27
13 MAGNALDI Erica ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 13:51
14 PERSICO Silvia ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 14:00
15 KOPPENBURG Clara GER COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM 14:38
16 WYLLIE Ella NZL LIFEPLUS WAHOO 15:35
17 KRAAK Amber NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 17:11
18 STEELS Claire GBR ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 17:21
19 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ-SUEZ 17:49
20 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 18:02

Vollering, Reusser and Kopecky – SD Worx take it all
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 8 | PAU > PAU

Team SD Worx completed their dominant Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023 with an absolute triumph. Marlen Reusser powered to the stage win in the closing ITT of Pau, ahead of Demi Vollering, 2nd on the day but the winner of the Maillot Jaune after she conquered the Tourmalet on Saturday, and Lotte Kopecky, whose performances also bring her the second place in the overall standings! Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) delivered a strong performance but she finishes 3rd due to the split seconds recorded in the ITT. The Polish climber conquers the polka-dot jersey, while Kopecky wins the green jersey on top of her GC achievement. Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) is the best young rider and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) was named the Super Combative of the race.

Among the very first starters, the U23 ITT world champion Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez) immediately sets a strong reference: 30’36’’ to cover the 22.6km at an average speed of 44.3km/h. Anna Henderson (Jumbo Visma) is 3’’ faster at the intermediate point (km 12.1) but she can’t keep up with Guazzini’s pace all the way to the finish and eventually drops 15’’ on the line.

Brown and Reusser up the ante

The intensity rises with the starts of the Australian ITT champion Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez), a silver medallist in last year’s Worlds, and the European ITT champion Marlen Reusser (SD Worx), a bronze medallist in the Worlds. Brown is 35’’ faster than her teammate Guazzini after 12.1km… But Reusser starts even stronger, already putting 27’’ between herself and the Australian champ!

Brown eventually betters Guazzini’s reference by 40’’… But Reusser powers to the finish with an average of 51.8km/h in the last 10.5km to build the same gap to Brown and clock a time of 29’15’’ (46.3km/h).

Kopecky edges Niewiadoma by the smallest margin

The top-10 riders on GC begin their effort as Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) sets off at 16:43. Demi Vollering (SD Worx) is the last rider off the ramp, at 17:01. But she’s the best of the GC contenders at the first intermediate point, only 12’’ behind Reusser, while Kopecky (+30’’) threatens Van Vleuten (+1’01’’). Niewiadoma is off to a strong start (+31’’).

In the end, Vollering seals the overall victory with a 2nd place in the ITT (+10’’). Kopecky (+37’’) makes it a 1-2-3 for SD Worx… And Niewiadoma eventually drops 1’22’’. Kopecky moves past her in the overall standings due to the split seconds recorded in the ITT (27 hundredths of a second for Kopecky vs 48 for Niewiadoma).

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 6. und 7. Etappe:

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, , , , , ,

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.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 4. und 5. Etappe:

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, , , , , ,

4. Etappe: Cahors – Rodez – 177Km

1 KASTELIJN Yara NED FENIX-DECEUNINCK 04:38:39
2 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:11
3 KOSTER Anouska NED UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 01:12
4 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:13
5 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 01:13
6 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:13
7 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 01:13
8 LE MOUEL Celia FRA ST MICHEL – MAVIC – AUBER93 01:13
9 HAMMES Kathrin GER EF EDUCATION – TIBCO – SVB 01:23
10 ARZUFFI Alice ITA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 01:23
11 DE JONG Thalita NED LIV RACING TEQFIND 01:23
12 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 01:23
13 MAJERUS Christine LUX TEAM SD WORX 01:23
14 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 01:27
15 BRAND Lucinda NED LIDL – TREK 01:31

Kastelijn takes glory for the attackers
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 4 | CAHORS > RODEZ

On the day after Julie Van de Velde’s heartbreak in Montignac-Lascaux, attackers ruled the longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023. An impressive breakaway surged at the front early in the day, built a gap of more than 10 minutes and eventually battled not only for the stage win but also the Maillot Jaune. Yara Kastelijn, a teammate of Van de Velde in the ranks of Fenix-Deceuninck, tamed the final ascents of the day to power her first professional victory on the road (she’s also a cyclo-cross European champion). After an explosive finale, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) surged to the 2nd position, ahead of another early attacker, Anouska Koster (Uno X). It took an impressive effort from Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) to retain the overall lead, 43’’ ahead of Vollering, while Kastelijn moves up the rankings (7th, +1’).

5. Etappe: Onet-le-Château – Albi – 136Km

1 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM RACING 03:07:20
2 REUSSER Marlen SUI TEAM SD WORX 00:22
3 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:22
4 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:32
5 PALADIN Soraya ITA CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:32
6 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:32
7 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 00:32
8 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 00:32
9 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:32
10 DEMAY Coralie FRA ST MICHEL – MAVIC – AUBER93 00:32
11 KOPPENBURG Clara GER COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM 00:32
12 DE WILDE Julie BEL FENIX-DECEUNINCK 00:32
13 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 00:32
14 PERSICO Silvia ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:32
15 ADEGEEST Loes NED FDJ-SUEZ 00:32

Gesamt:

1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 18:55:17
2 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 00:49
3 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:51
4 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:51
5 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:51
6 KASTELIJN Yara NED FENIX-DECEUNINCK 01:00
7 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:03
8 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:25
9 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:38
10 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 01:48
11 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 01:49
12 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 01:52
13 GARCIA Mavi ESP LIV RACING TEQFIND 01:57
14 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 01:59
15 EWERS Veronica USA EF EDUCATION – TIBCO – SVB 02:17

Bauernfeind, the rise of a star
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 5 | ONET-LE-CHÂTEAU > ALBI

At 23 years old, Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//Sram) delivered a stunning performance to take the solo victory in Albi on day 5 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. After a furious battle over the first climbs of the day, the young German champ attacked with 36 kilometres to go. And nobody was able to come back to her as she soloed her way to the greatest victory of her young career. Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) and Liane Lippert (Movistar) round out the stage top 3 after they escaped the peloton in the final kilometres. And Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) was the fastest from the bunch as she retained the Maillot Jaune on a day also marked by the withdrawal of her teammate Lorena Wiebes. Stage 6 will offer a new battle between sprinters and attackers ahead of the final fireworks for the overall standings this week-end.

A 140-woman peloton sets off from Onet-le-Château without Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), winner of three stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, whose team reports she suffers stomach issues. Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno X) and Jenny Rissveds (Coop-Hitec Products) are non-starters as well. And the relentless pace from the start quickly leads to three abandons of riders weakened by several physical issues: Kaja Rysz (Lifeplus Wahoo), Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (Cofidis) and Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez), who finished 8th in last year’s edition.

An all out battle all day long
Eleven riders try to get away: Paula Patiño (Movistar), Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx), Amber Kraak (Jumbo-Visma), Olivia Baril (UAE Team ADQ), Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech Roland), Hannah Ludwig (Uno X), Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis), Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo) and Clara Emond (Arkea).
But the peloton is not willing to let them go and a huge battle ensues over a rolling terrain, much more demanding than the speeds suggest. The attackers cover 42.4 kilometres in the first hour but their lead never gets higher than 50’’. They’re eventually caught on the slopes up the first categorised climb, the cat-3 Côte de Najac (summit at km 74.9). Some 40 riders remain at the front due to the relentless pace.

Baunerfeind’s solo
Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) chases the QOM points in Najac and on the next climb as well, the cat-3 Côte de Laguépie (km 85.2). Then Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//Sram) attacks at km 90. Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech Roland) tries to follow and comes 2nd at the Bonus point, with Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step) sprinting to the 3rd position.
Bauernfeind pushes her advantage, up to 1’30’’ as she summits the cat-4 Côte de Monestiés just inside the last 25km. She then tries to resist the bunch. Her lead is down to 38’’ with 10 km to go… But she maintains a gap of 37’’ with 5km to go.
Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) and Liane Lippert (Movistar) get away from the bunch in the finale but it’s too late to get back to Bauernfeind, who maintains a gap of 22’’ on the line. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) dominates the sprint in the bunch and retains the Maillot Jaune.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 3. Etappe:

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, , , , ,

Collonges-la-Rouge – Montignac-Lascaux – 147 Km

1 WIEBES Lorena NED TEAM SD WORX 03:49:47
2 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:00
3 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:00
4 CONSONNI Chiara ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:00
5 BALSAMO Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:00
6 MANLY Alexandra AUS TEAM JAYCO ALULA 00:00
7 KOOL Charlotte NED TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 00:00
8 ANDERSEN Susanne NOR UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
9 PALADIN Soraya ITA CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:02
10 DE WILDE Julie BEL FENIX-DECEUNINCK 00:02

Gesamt:

1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 11:07:19
2 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:55
3 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 01:05
4 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:05
5 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 01:05
6 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:05
7 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 01:05
8 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 01:05
9 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 01:05
10 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 01:09
11 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:09
12 REUSSER Marlen SUI TEAM SD WORX 01:09
13 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 01:09
14 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ-SUEZ 01:09
15 GARCIA Mavi ESP LIV RACING TEQFIND 01:13

Wiebes wins a thriller

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) showed her speed to dominate the sprint at the end of stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift… But victory almost escaped the Dutch sprinter in the streets of Montignac-Lascaux as Julie Van de Velde (Fenix-Deceuninck) was caught with only 200 metres to go. On the line, Wiebes got the best of Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma), with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) rounding out the stage podium. Wiebes is the first rider to make it three stage wins in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (Vos and Van Vleuten have 2), and the first to win both in 2022 and in 2023. Most combative rider of the day, Van de Velde will wear the polka-dot jersey as the new Queen of the mountains on stage 4, the longest of this edition with 177.1 km to go from Cahors to Rodez.

The uphill start inspires early attackers but Kathrin Hammes (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) is the only one who manages to get away, after 4 kilometres of battles. The German rider opens a gap of up to 2’10’’. Meanwhile, the different attempts to counter-attack are neutralised by the bunch. And two riders, weakened by physical issues, are forced to abandon: Marte Berg Edseth (Uno-X) and Lucie Jounier (Coop-Hitec Products).
Hammes takes the most QOM points atop the ascents of Côte du Peyroux (cat. 3), Côte de Pératel (cat. 4) and Côte de l’Escurotte (cat. 4). She racks up 7 points, but Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) also takes one point to defend her polka-dot jersey, with a tally up to 8 points.

Van de Velde is the new queen of the mountains

The peloton accelerates and Hammes is caught with 83km to go. A flurry of attacks ensue, with Jumbo Visma’s Anna Henderson and Amber Kraak, Lidl Trek’s Lizzie Deignan and Lauretta Hanson, Canyon//Sram’s Agnieszka Skalniak Sojka and Fenix-Deceuninck’s Julie Van de Velde among the most active riders. But Lotte Kopecky reacts in person to control the moves and SD Worx eventually restore order.
Onto the penultimate ascent of the day, Van de Velde attacks again. This time, she opens a gap of 45’’ atop the cat-4 Côte des Andrieux (km 89.4), and still leads by 25’’ atop the cat-4 Côte de Saint-Robert (km 92.2). With a total of 9 QOM points, she all but secures the polka-dot jersey at the end of the stage.

Van de Velde almost resists Wiebes

Counter-attacks fail while Van de Velde keeps pushing – her gap is up to 2’30’’ into the last 30km of the stage. But Canyon//Sram try to spilt the bunch through the wind, and DSM-Firmenich up the ante as well with Lidl-Trek. The attacker’s lead is down to 1’05’’ with 20km to go. And 25’’ as the riders enter the last 10km… But Van de Velde pushes her lead back up to 35’’ under the 5km-to-go arch.
The Belgian attacker was only caught with 200 metres to go. Sprinters flew past her, with Lotte Kopecky launching Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) to victory, ahead of Marianne Vos. Kopecky rounded out the podium herself, cementing her status as the leader of the race.