Schlagwort-Archive: Tour de France Femmes

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.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 2. Etappe:

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

Clermont-Ferrand – Mauriac – 152 Km


Plomi Foto

1 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 04:13:43
2 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 00:00
3 PERSICO Silvia ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:00
4 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 00:00
5 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT FENIX-DECEUNINCK 00:00
6 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 00:00
7 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:00
8 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:00
9 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:00
10 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 00:00
11 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:00
12 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 00:04
13 REUSSER Marlen SUI TEAM SD WORX 00:04
14 SPRATT Amanda AUS LIDL – TREK 00:04
15 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ-SUEZ 00:04

Gesamt:

1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 07:17:36
2 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:49
3 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 00:59
4 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:59
5 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 00:59
6 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 00:59
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:59
8 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:59
9 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:59
10 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ Ane ESP TEAM JAYCO ALULA 01:03

Lippert gets the best of Kopecky
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 2 | CLERMONT-FERRAND > MAURIAC

Rising through the ranks as one of the best puncheurs in the world, Liane Lippert (Movistar) showed the extent of her talent to power to the stage win on day 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. After an explosive finale, the German national champion edged Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) on the uphill sprint to Mauriac, with Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) rounding out the podium of the stage. Kopecky retains the Maillot Jaune after her dominant performance in the opening stage. More hills await the riders on day 3 but the fast women believe the road to Montignac-Lascaux gives them a proper opportunity to try and control the race.

The temperature quickly rises with an uphill start that inspires attackers as soon as they leave Clermont-Ferrand. After several attempts, Georgia Williams (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Hannah Ludwig (Uno-X) manage to get away from the bunch at km 9. Meanwhile, many riders are dropped, including the likes of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) and Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma). The pace is too much for Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa), who started despite a stomach problem and is forced to abandon. Lara Viecelli (Israel Premier Tech Roland) was a non-starter due to a similar problem according to her team.

Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) sets off in pursuit but she’s reeled in at km 20. The situation settles, allowing the attackers to build a gap of one minute while the stragglers return to the bunch. Williams goes first atop the first two climbs of the day, the cat-4 ascents of Côte du Mont-Dore (km 42.6) and Côte de la Stèle (km 51). The following downhill allows the two leaders to increase their lead up to 1’35’’.

The race explodes
The peloton accelerates on the valley leading to the main climb of the day, the cat-2 Côte des Plaines (summit at km 105.1). Williams and Ludwig shake hands as the peloton get back to them after 88km together at the front. And more attackers light fireworks on the 4.5km climb (average gradient: 5.5%), quickly followed by the cat-4 ascent of Côte des Boissières (1.2km at 7.2%, summit at km 108.4).
Julie Van de Velde leads the way to the first summit, ahead of her Fenix-Deceuninck teammate Yara Kastelijn. The bunch explodes due to the pace and to a crash involving Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek). They both quickly get back on their bike while Kastelijn goes solo on the climb up Côte des Boissières.

And in the end, a German wins
Eva van Agt (Jumbo Visma) and Anouska Koster (Uno X) join Kastelijn at the front to enter the final lap (36.7km) with a lead of 40’’ to the bunch. Kastelijn also dominates the cat-4 Côte de Merlhac (km 128.6). She leads the QOM standings with a total of 7 points.
The three attackers enter the last 20 kilometres with a gap of 45’’. Kastelijn is dropped by her two breakaway rivals as she misses a turn with 10km to go. And Van Agt crashes with 6km to go. Koster and Kastelijn are eventually reeled in with 4km to go.

The likes of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram), Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich), Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) all try to get away on the final slopes of the stage but it comes down to an uphill sprint in Mauriac. Demi Vollering (SD Worx) leads out Lotte Kopecky but Liane Lippert (Movistar) goes past the Belgian icon right before the line.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – 1. Etappe:

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

Clermont-Ferrand – Clermont-Ferrand – 124 Km

1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL TEAM SD WORX 03:04:09
2 WIEBES Lorena NED TEAM SD WORX 00:41
3 KOOL Charlotte NED TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH 00:41
4 VOS Marianne NED TEAM JUMBO-VISMA 00:41
5 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL QUICK-STEP TEAM 00:43
6 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 00:43
7 DRONOVA Tamara RUS ISRAEL PREMIER TECH ROLAND 00:43
8 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ-SUEZ 00:43
9 GARCIA Mavi ESP LIV RACING TEQFIND 00:43
10 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA LIDL – TREK 00:43
11 LIPPERT Liane GER MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:43
12 EWERS Veronica USA EF EDUCATION – TIBCO – SVB 00:43
13 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:43
14 MAGNALDI Erica ITA UAE TEAM ADQ 00:43
15 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:43

Irrepressible Kopecky, irresistible SD Worx
Tour de France Femmes 2023 | Stage 1 | CLERMONT-FERRAND > CLERMONT-FERRAND

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) wrote another beautiful chapter of her already stellar career as she powered to the Maillot Jaune on the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023. The Belgian icon, wearing her national champion jersey, dropped everyone with a strong attack on the final climb of the day, into the last 10 kilometres to go to Clermont-Ferrand. She pushed all the way to the line to take a spectacular solo victory with a gap of 41’’ to her first chasers, with her teammate Lorena Wiebes and DSM-Firmenich’s Charlotte Kool completing the stage top 3. Kopecky takes her 11th win this season. And her first on the roads of the Tour.

The 154-woman peloton sets off from Clermont-Ferrand at 12:15 to take on a 123.8km loop set to crown the first Maillot Jaune of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023. Martina Alzini (Cofidis) is the first attacker of the race, at km 11. But the peloton doesn’t let her go.

Unsuccessful attacks
Marie Morgane Le Deunff (Arkéa) is the first attacker to open a gap, at km 18, only to be caught 6 km further. It’s then time for Typhaine Laurance (Lifeplus Wahoo) to lead the way from km 26 to 45, while Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa) tries but fails to join her at the front. In the meantime, Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step) suffers a crash at km 27 and is forced to abandon.
The bunch rides together until tireless attacker Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT) sets off with 46 km to go. The former Polish national champion opens a gap of 50’’ but the bunch react and catch her ahead of the intermediate sprint in Saint-Hippolyte (26.7km to go).
Former world champion Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) goes first through the intermediate sprint. Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Decuninck) tries to keep the momentum going after the line but everyone follows her.

Kopecky’s power
The rolling terrain and the pace are too much for many riders, including Elisa Balsamo. Her Lidl-Trek teammates try to control the finale alongside SD Worx, who up the ante with Marlen Reusser on the main climb of the day, Côte de Durtol (cat. 3), to be summited with 9.3km to go.
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) accelerates inside the last 5 kilometres. And nobody can follow her strong attack. She goes first at the summit and keeps pushing all the way to the line, building a gap of 41’’ at the finish. Lorena Wiebes dominates the sprint from the bunch to complete another 1-2 for SD Worx and confirm their dominance at the highest level of cycling.

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT HOW THE TOUR CHANGED MY LIFE (IV/VI) Liane Lippert

Frauenradsport, Tour de France, Vorschau, , ,

Liane Lippert: „Everybody will be at the top of their shape“


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25-year-old Liane Lippert is the puncher on everyone’s lips right now. Her second-place finish in the Flèche Wallonne, coming a year after she took the bottom step of the podium in the Amstel Gold Race, painted a bright future for her in the Ardennes Classics. And the Tour? While the German champion describes her participation in the inaugural edition as „a great experience“, she makes no secret of the fact that she failed to achieve the hoped-for results after crashing in the stage she had marked in red. She is heading back to France and dreaming of finally raising her arms in victory, but she now races for a different squad. Last winter, she brought down the curtain on her time at DMS, the team where she had turned pro in 2017 right after her promotion from the Junior ranks. Annemiek Van Vleuten has taken her under her wing in Movistar, where the German hopes to repay the favour by propelling her team leader to the top of the podium in Pau.

Liane Lippert (Movistar Team)
Born in Friedrichshafen (Germany) on 13 January 1998
Teams
Team Sunweb (2017 to 2020), Team DSM (2021 to 2022) and Movistar Team (2023)
Major results
2016: Junior European champion
2018: German champion, stage 3 and the overall of the Lotto Belgium Tour
2020: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, second in the Brabantse Pijl and eighth in the Flèche Wallonne
2021: second in stage 3 of the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, silver medal in the European Championships
2022: German champion, second in the Tour of Scandinavia, third in the Amstel Gold Race, third in the Brabantse Pijl and fourth in the Worlds
2023: second in the Flèche Wallonne, third in the Brabantse Pijl, seventh in the Itzulia Women and eighth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège

Signature trait: Liane Lippert was raised on the shores of Lake Constance, in Germany, where she still lives: „It’s a beautiful place not far from Austria and Switzerland. It’s perfect for training. I got started when I was eight. My father used to cycle recreationally. I signed up for his club and have never stopped pedalling!“

How would you describe the impact of the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on your life?
I would say pretty much. In Germany, women’s cycling is not very big, now it’s a bit more. Since the Tour de France, for sure, more and more people know about it. If I say I’m a cyclist, they know there was a Tour de France Femmes. That’s changed a lot, especially because I have the national champion jersey. It was nice to come back home. I won’t say people recognised me on the street, but they recognised me more. It was changing a lot. I get more fans and publicity. I get more interviews, more people from my area give me feedback after races.

And what about your career?
Firstly, I didn’t have the result I wished. I wanted to go for some stages, but I had some bad luck with the crash, and I had to work for Lorena [Wiebes, the winner of stages 1 and 5] in the sprints and for Juliette [Labous] for the GC, so for my results, it has not changed so much. It was just a great experience, I would say.

„I’m working to be able to fight with the climbers“

This sense of frustration must have been strong after the stage to Épernay? You were at the front of the race after the Côte de Mutigny. Then, you crashed on the descent…
Yes, it was, for sure. I had a chance with the team, I was ready for it, it was a good finish for me, and then I crashed and the race was finished. It was disappointing at the moment. It was my goal, and then we had to take the GC and go for sprint stages, there was a lot to do, so I could forget about it because I was busy.

After six years with DSM, you are now in a new team. What motivated you to move from DSM to Movistar?
After 6 years, I wanted to see something else, to find a new team. Movistar had a good plan for me, they really see me as a leader for the future. For me, it was a super opportunity.

Can we say that your move from DSM to Movistar is the sign that you also want to become a GC rider and succeed Van Vleuten at the top of the women’s cycling?
No, we are two completely different riders. I showed this year how strong I can be in the Ardennes classics [second in the Flèche Wallonne and eighth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège]. This is something where I want to focus, and to aim one step higher on the podium. For the GC, I have to see. I’m also working to be able to survive on longer climbs and be able to fight with the climbers. For sure, I want to test my legs this year on one of the Grand Tours. But I don’t want to change the rider I am because I think it’s a bad idea.

Tell us about your relationship with Annemiek and the role she has for you.
Annemiek really likes to share her experience, her knowledge, that’s really useful for the races. She’s one of the best. It was also nice to win the Vuelta together [Van Vleuten claimed the Spanish Grand Tour for the third time in a row last June]. It was a special feeling that I’ve never had before.

„The Tour is the biggest race where you can win“

What is your ambition for the second Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?
We want to win with the team. Like last year, Annemiek wants to win the Tour. As for me, I’ll focus on stages. The fourth one, with the steep climb at one kilometre to go, suits me best. And I will support Annemiek for GC

Last year, the Tour came to the Vosges with two gruelling mountain stages. This year, it is going even higher in the Pyrenees. Would you say that the Tour brings new challenges to women’s cycling?

Yes, I would say so. But I also think the flat stages last year were hard too, which says a lot about the level of the Tour. Everybody will be at the top of their shape in the Tour. It will be very difficult to win because everyone is at such a high level.

Even if it has only had one edition so far, would you say that it is already the biggest race?
Yes, I would say so. I would love to win one of the Ardennes classics, but a stage in the Tour is the biggest race where you can win. I’ll do the nationals, the Giro and then the Tour. The races are planned to allow me to improve my shape for the Tour.

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT 2023

Frauenradsport, Tour de France, Vorschau, ,

Key points:

• The route of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, whose second edition will take place from 23 to 30 July, has been presented at the Palais des Congrès in Paris by Marion Rousse.
• „Even higher“, says the event director, who detailed the programme of the eight stages, totalling a distance of 956 kilometres, and which will pose new difficulties to the champions.
• The handover concept with the Tour will continue, but this time the riders will meet in Clermont-Ferrand to start the exploration of the Massif Central range. At the end of the week, the Pyrenees will begin the weeding out process among the most efficient climbers: the finish line of the col du Tourmalet will be the goal of all the contenders for the Yellow Jersey. They will have to defend their ambitions again the following day in the final time trial in Pau.

A giant step forward each year. After the inaugural edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which saw the peloton set off from the Champs-Élysées to complete its route over the hills of Eastern France, crossing the Ballon d’Alsace as the 1905 pioneers did. The race will now head for the Massif Central and then the Pyrenees to offer new challenges to the female riders. By gathering the peloton in Clermont-Ferrand, the link remains between the women’s race and the Tour’s history. They won’t climb the Puy de Dôme this time. But they will experience the roughness of the Auvergne geology from the very first days. Perhaps not so much on the first stage, which might not see the peloton dispersed; then in a more marked way on the road to Mauriac, where they will have to deal with a positive altitude change of 2,500 meters before fighting for the stage win.

The sprinters will most likely take centre stage in Montignac, where the Lascaux caves are situated. But they will probably be more in the wings on the longest stage of the week (177 km), where the Aveyron ascents will work in favour of the most resilient riders of a breakaway or the strongest punchers for the finish in Rodez. The thin air of the Pyrenees will begin to take its toll on the Albi and Blagnac stages, but it will be on the weekend that the Yellow Jersey candidates will battle for the first time in the high mountains. The legendary Col du Tourmalet, where the Tour riders had their first taste of altitude in 1910, at 2,115 metres, will again be the place to be. The finish line of stage seven has been set five metres lower, in a setting where only the best female climbers in the world can hope to win. Whoever manages to do so will probably be among the contenders for the final time trial, which will take place around Pau, but partly in the opposite direction, on the same course where Julian Alaphilippe defended his Yellow Jersey in 2019.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 8

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

Lure – La Super Planche des Belles Filles – 123 Km

1 [NED] van Vleuten Annemiek Movistar Team 03:37:23
2 [NED] Vollering Demi Team SD Worx + 30
3 [ITA] Persico Silvia Valcar-Travel & Service + 01:43
4 [POL] Niewiadoma Katarzyna CANYON//SRAM Racing + 01:52
5 [FRA] Labous Juliette Team DSM + 01:56
6 [ITA] Longo Borghini Elisa Trek-Segafredo + 02:01
7 [USA] Ewers Veronica EF Education-TIBCO-SVB + 02:13
8 [DEN] Ludwig Cecilie Uttrup FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope + 02:50
9 [ESP] Garcia Mavi UAE Team ADQ + 02:59
10 [GER] Lippert Liane Team DSM + 03:01

Endstand:

1 [NED] van Vleuten Annemiek Movistar Team 26:55:44
2 [NED] Vollering Demi Team SD Worx + 03:48
3 [POL] Niewiadoma Katarzyna CANYON//SRAM Racing + 06:35
4 [FRA] Labous Juliette Team DSM + 07:28
5 1 [ITA] Persico Silvia Valcar-Travel & Service + 08:00
6 1 [ITA] Longo Borghini Elisa Trek-Segafredo + 08:26
7 2 [DEN] Ludwig Cecilie Uttrup FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope + 08:59
8 [FRA] Muzic Evita FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope + 13:54
9 2 [USA] Ewers Veronica EF Education-TIBCO-SVB + 15:05
10 1 [ESP] Garcia Mavi UAE Team ADQ +

Van Vleuten flies to glory

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) is the best climber and the first winner of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Dutch star claimed her second victory in two days, on Sunday, as she tamed the gruelling ascent to La Super Planche des Belles Filles to secure the overall victory. Again, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) was runner-up at the summit to also secure the 2nd place in the overall standings and the polka-dot jersey as Queen of the Mountains. Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) rounds up the GC podium of this first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after 8 days of intense racing since the start in Paris.
The final showdown starts with fast battles as early as the 109-woman peloton (without Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Anna Henderson) start from Lure. The peloton cover almost 40km in the first hour and no break manages to get away.

Garcia and Chabbey on the move
New attacks fly on the first ascent of the day, the cat-2 Côte d’Esmoulières (summit at km 52.5) but Demi Vollering (SD Worx) brings the main GC riders back to the front as she sprints for the QOM points to strengthen her stranglehold on the polka-dot jersey.
After the summit, 10 attackers manage to open a gap, including two members of the GC top-10, Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ, 9th +12’06’’) and Elise Chabbey (Canyon//Sram Racing, 10th +12’24’’). They are joined by Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo), Paula Patiño (Movistar), Grace Brown (FDJ Suez Futuroscope), Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma), Liane Lippert (Team DSM), Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon//Sram), Yara Kastelijn (Plantur Pura) and Coralie Demay (St Michel Auber 93).

Van Vleuten’s struggle
While the break establishes itself at the front, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) sustains mechanical issues that force her to change her bike on three occasions, after she already did so in the neutral zone at the beginning of the stage.
First, she takes her teammate Arlenis Sierra’s bike and returns to the bunch at km 69. But SD Worx up the ante and create splits. Sheyla Gutierrez and Aude Biannic try to pace Van Vleuten back, until she takes matters in her own hands towards the cat-1 ascent up Ballon d’Alsace (km84.6). She bridges the gap on the first slopes… and stops two more times on the ascent to change bike.

A tight battle with the break
Demi Vollering (SD Worx), 2nd in the overall standings (+3’14’’), attacks three times on the ascent and also maintains pressure on the way down, but Van Vleuten reacts every time. Mavi Garcia is the first rider at the summit with a gap of 1’10’’ to the GC group.
On the valley towards the final ascent of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, La Super Planche des Belles Filles (7km, 8.7%), Trek-Segafredo and Canyon//Sram Racing work together to move closer to the attackers.

Van Vleuten asserts her authority
Pauliena Rooijakkers attacks at the bottom of the ascent, Mavi Garcia follows her move. But the GC contenders only trail by 20’’.
Van Vleuten attacks 6km away from the summit. She catches and drops the last attackers with 5.5km to go. Again, Vollering is the strongest rider in pursuit. But she can’t match Van Vleuten’s pace, as the Dutch climber flies to her second stage victory and the overall win in the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
A.S.O./Fabien Boukla

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 7

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

Sélestat – Le Markstein – 127 Km

1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 03:47:02
2 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 03:26
3 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 05:16
4 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 05:18
5 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 05:18
6 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 06:56
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 06:56
8 ŽIGART Urška SLO TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO 07:23
9 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 08:27
10 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED CANYON // SRAM RACING 10:10
11 EWERS Veronica USA EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB 10:39
12 MARKUS Riejanne NED TEAM JUMBO VISMA 10:39
13 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 10:41
14 KASTELIJN Yara NED PLANTUR-PURA 10:41
15 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON // SRAM RACING 11:05

Gesamt:

1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 23:18:31
2 VOLLERING Demi NED TEAM SD WORX 03:14
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON // SRAM RACING 04:33
4 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 05:22
5 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 05:59
6 PERSICO Silvia ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 06:11
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 06:15
8 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ SUEZ FUTUROSCOPE 10:13
9 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP UAE TEAM ADQ 12:06
10 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON // SRAM RACING 12:24

Van Vleuten in her own world

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) delivered a fantastic one-woman show on Saturday, as stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift took the riders into the Vosges mountains. There were three cat-1 ascents to overcome on the way to the finish at Le Markstein, and the Dutch climber went on the move as early as she hit the first slopes up Petit Ballon. She then dropped Vollering on the following climb, Col du Platzerwasel, to go solo 62km away from the finish. She capped off her dominant ride with another strong ascent, on Grand Ballon, to open major gaps and take the Maillot Jaune. She will have to defend it on the way to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, where the winner of the Tour will be crowned on Sunday.
The “queen stage” of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift brings awe and motivation in the peloton. With many attacks and counter-attacks, the peloton fly towards the first ascent of the day, the cat-1 Petit Ballon. 33 attackers, including the World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo), open a gap of 50’’ just before the ascent. But Movistar have other ideas for the day…

Movistar launch Van Vleuten
The attackers are caught as soon as they hit the first slopes up Petit Ballon (9.3km at 8.1%, summit at km 48.6). Only a dozen of riders remain at the front of the race, the yellow jersey Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) is not part of them… And Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) already attacks.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx) follows Van Vleuten while Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) sets off in pursuit. Behind them, a group of chasers emerge with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Grace Brown, Evita Muzic (FDJ Suez Futuroscope), Juliette Labous (Team DSM), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) and Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service). At the summit, Longo Borghini trails by 1’25’’, the chase group by 2’30’’ and Vos by 7’45’’.

Van Vleuten opens up impressive gaps
Van Vleuten sets a strong pace on the following ascent, the cat-1 Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km at 8.3%, km 65.8). The Dutch star drops her younger compatriot inside the last kilometre of ascent and goes solo 62km away from the finish. As she returns to the valley leading to the final climb of the day, Van Vleuten has a gap of 1’25’’ to her first chaser, 5’20’’ to Longo Borghini and 6’20’’ to the chase group.
At the bottom of the final climb, the gap to Vollering is up to 2’20’’. She keeps losing ground on the final ascent, while the battle for the third position unfolds behind her. Persico is dropped from the chase group with 15km to go, and Longo Borghini is caught just after.

Vollering holds on behind Van Vleuten
While Van Vleuten keeps pushing her lead at the front, Niewiadoma ups the pace with 12km to go. Only Labous and Ludwig can follow her; Longo Borghini and Persico (who had briefly returned to the group) are dropped with Zigart.
Van Vleuten summits the final climb with a gap of 3’30’’ to Vollering and swiftly covers the final 7.2km to take the stage win and the Maillot Jaune. With a gap of 5’16’’, Ludwig sprints to the 3rd place ahead of Labous and Niewiadoma, who takes the 3rd place overall.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Etappe 6

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

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.