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Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift:. This is without a doubt the race the women’s peloton has been most looking forward to. Eight days of spectacle: From Paris there are a thousand very different kilometres east to the two tough final days in the Vosges. There are also sprints, hard hills and a mini-Strade Bianche. Here is the full race round up.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022 route:
Lorena Wiebes won the first yellow jersey on Stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes 2022. After around 82 kilometres, the top favourite of the DSM team was the fastest in the bunch sprint on the opening stage over the cobbles of Champs-Élysées in Paris. She finished ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in a long sprint.
Race director Marion Rousse officially flagged the first stage off on the Champs-Élysées for twelve laps of the Paris circuit. Krista Doebel-Hickok made the first attack, but her attempt failed. Her EF Education-TIBCO-SVB was very active in the opening phase, but it was the Dutch Nina Buysman of Human Powered Health who managed to get away.
She had seven riders with her, but the co-operation was not good and so they were quickly caught. The next attack came from Mischa Bredewold (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Emily Newsom (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB). They took a lead of 40 seconds and did not let the French rider Morgane Coston (Arkéa) join them, but 49 kilometres from the finish the peloton came back to them for the first intermediate sprint of the day, where Marianne Vos crossed the line first, ahead of Lorena Wiebes and Alexandra Manly. Another attack by Pauline Allin (Arkéa) and Henrietta Christie (Human Powered Health) was also defused for the second intermediate sprint, where Lotte Kopecky was just a bit faster than Manly. Immediately after it was Femke Markus (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Anne Dorthe Ysland (Uno-X) and Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT) who rode away. They just stayed away from the peloton at the first mountain sprint, which was at the ‘top’ of the Champs-Élysées at the Arc de Triomphe. Markus was first and the first polka dot jersey of this Tour Femmes.
Gladys Verhulst (Le Col-Wahoo) then made a frantic attempt to avoid a bunch sprint. She took a maximum lead of 45 seconds. In the peloton it was a bit nervous behind her, which caused a crash for SD Worx rider Christine Majerus. Alana Castrique of Cofidis was also involved and she had to abandon. On the final lap over the Champs-Élysées, Amanda Spratt and Laura Süßemilch also crashed, but they were able to continue. The peloton had some trouble getting back to Verhulst in the last 10 kilometres, but they managed to catch the Frenchwoman after more than 2 kilometres. Various sprinter’s teams came to the front for the final, including the Jumbo-Visma train. Ellen van Dijk led the way into the last kilometre, but her teammate Elisa Balsamo was not involved. Marianne Vos had an excellent lead-out and was the first to start the sprint, but was beaten in the last hundred metres by a lightning fast Lorena Wiebes, who was the pre-race favourite. Wiebes received the first yellow jersey of this Tour Femmes. Lotte Kopecky was third.
Stage winner and overall leader, Lorena Wiebes (DSM): “It’s amazing, the team did an amazing job,” smiled Wiebes after the finish. “As a whole team we worked towards this moment, also all of the people working hard at headquarters, so I’m really happy with the win. It was a really chaotic and long sprint. We expected Marianne would do a long sprint but I was able to kick once more, so it’s nice to win. I was quite relaxed before the start, we did everything as normal, we saw it as a normal race. Of course I was a bit nervous towards the final but I’m really happy to finish it off. It’s special to wear the yellow jersey. I think the whole team deserved this after the amazing season we have already had. We’re ready for the next days now.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “I was in the right place and came into the last corner next to Wiebes. Then you know it’s going to be a great match. The team did a fantastic job keeping me up front and out of trouble, then you’re happy to be in that position. I tried, out of Lorena’s wake, to punch a gap on the other side of the road, but couldn’t catch her. It’s the whole race. It’s about your position, because everyone wants to be at the front. It’s much more about the fight for it. There was some nervousness. It’s not an easy circuit either, you have to be careful with the cobbles. With all the fans here, that’s wonderful. It is a very beautiful day.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx): “I didn’t win, but I’m pretty happy with it. I thought I couldn’t make it through. This gives me confidence for what’s to come. In the final I was alone, because I didn’t see anyone from the team. That’s why I had to focus on a wheel and find my way, which I managed to do well. It was nervous, but in itself it wasn’t too bad. It’s not that there were a lot of corners, that makes it a little easier. And it was a lot of fun with all those people on the side of the road.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 1 Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM in 1:54:00
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
5. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
6. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo
7. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
8. Simone Boilard (Can) St Michel-Auber93 WE
9. Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (-) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss
10. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 1.
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM in 1:53:50
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:04
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx at 0:06
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra at 0:10
5. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
6. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo
7. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
8. Simone Boilard (Can) St Michel-Auber93 WE
9. Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (-) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss
10. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 1:
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) now has 13 rainbow jerseys and a Maillot Jaune to bring more colour to her stellar palmarès as one of the greatest champions in the history of cycling. The Dutch icon made the most of her experience and speed to win Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after a very animated finalè around Provins. On the uphill finish, she was the fastest from the group of six attackers, out-sprinting Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service), 2nd on her 25th birthday, and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram). Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) finished 4th and gained time on her GC rivals.
The 142 finishers in Paris started from Meaux for 136.4km of racing. The wind, steadily blowing at more than 20kph and hitting 50kph, and the rolling terrain lead to early attacks. Four riders manage to escape after 3 kilometres: Sabrina Stultiens (Liv Racing Xstra), Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Rotem Gafinovitz (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss) and Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health). They had a 2 minutes lead en route to the categorised climb of the day, Côte de Tigeaux (16.9km).
At the summit, Femke Gerritse took the 2 KOM points. She is on the same points as her teammate, Femke Markus, their position on GC at the end of the stage will decide who wears the polka-dots on Tuesday. The gap reached a maximum of 3 minutes after 27 kilometres and the situation settled for some 20km. Then, the tension seriously increases in the bunch, with teams such as Trek-Segafredo, FDJ Suez Futuroscope and Jumbo-Visma trying to split the peloton in the wind. A dozen riders are dropped, including the 3-time cyclo-cross World champion Sanne Cant (Plantur-Pura), but most of the bunch stay together. The main consequence of the acceleration is that the early attackers are caught with 78km to go. As the route turned eastwards, the crosswind become a tailwind and the race situation settled ahead of the final battles with a 19.7km loop around Provins. There were a series of crashes around 30km from the finish. Among the main riders involved, Marta Cavalli (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) and Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange-Jayco) struggle to get back on their bikes.
At the same time, Maike van der Duin (Le Col-Wahoo) attacked. She had a lead of 15 seconds as she crossed the line for the first time. Wiebes dominates the intermediate sprint in the bunch but she couldn’t follow the move initiated by Elisa Balsamo and her Trek-Segafredo teammate Elisa Longo Borghini. Six riders were at the front on the final lap: Balsamo, Longo Borghini and Van der Duin, joined by Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram Racing) and Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service), celebrating her 25th birthday with an attack. They entered the last 10km with a lead of 30 seconds and increased the gap to 40 seconds for the last 5km. Their move allowed them to battle for the stage win and the Maillot Jaune. Longo Borghini was the first to make a move inside the last kilometre, as Balsamo sat up. Vos was in perfect control. Her final kick brought her the stage win, the Maillot Jaune and also the green jersey.
Stage winner and overall leader, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “It’s not a revenge on yesterday, it’s just a beautiful day! We knew we had to be focused, to be alert on the final lap and before because it was narrow and the wind was a factor but I didn’t expect that we would break away and stay away. Yesterday, the team did a perfect lead-out on the Champs-Élysées and today they led me perfectly. And then Elisa Balsamo decided to attack, so it was the moment to go. You try to stay focus, but taking this victory is a beautiful moment. I want to thank my team. I knew there were fast girls and everybody had sore legs in the finale, so I just had to go and see if it was enough.”
5th on the stage and overall, Maike van der Duin (Le Col-Wahoo): “The bunch was nervous and at a moment it was a little bit more relaxed, I talked with my teammates and I said: “Can I go ?”. And they said: “Yeah, why not ?”. And I went, I felt very good, it was amazing to ride in the front in the Tour de France. It was really nice to get over the climb and over the finish. I looked behind and there were only big names. We had a gap, and then it was like surviving until the finish. I have a good sprint but I’m not a real sprinter. I really like when it’s a harder course, not climbs like the last two stages of this week but courses like today and tomorrow I really enjoy it. And then, if there is a sprint, I can also compete. After the finish, they told me I also won the combative award and I thought: ‘This is one of the most beautiful days on the bike’.”
QOM, Femke Markus (Parkhotel Valkenburg): “The plan was to have one my teammates follow the attacks for her to take the 2 KOM points and level things with me. So the jersey stays in the team and that’s the most important thing today! I was really nervous, I was like: “I want to go to the front, I want to attack too!” And my other teammates told me: ‘No Fem, you stay here, you stay quiet!’ And I was like: ‘No!’ And then: ‘Ok, I trust you.’ I trusted Femke [Gerritse] with the uphill sprint. I hope I can be on the attack in the next days!”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 2 Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 3:14:02
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:02
5. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo at 0:12
6. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM at 0:29
7. Julie de Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
8. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
9. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
10. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 2:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 5:07:46
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 0:10
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM at 0:12
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:18
5. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo at 0:28
6. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM at 0:35
7. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx at 0:41
8. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra at 0:45
9. Julie de Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
10. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 2:
On the day after a terrible stage 2 for FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig claimed a spectacular victory in Épernay on Stage 3. The Danish National champion was the fastest on the final uphill of the day to take victory in front of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) after an eventful finalé. Vos retained the Maillot Jaune while the gaps open on the overall standings, with only seven riders within a minute of the GC leader.
On the day after an explosive finish around Provins and with many hills on the way to Épernay, baroudeurs were inspired from the start. Attacks were flying non-stop at the front, which prevented any group from opening significant gaps in the early part of the stage.
The peloton flew towards the first categorised climb of the day, the Cat.4 Côte de Trépail (21.6km). At the summit, Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) added 2 QOM points to her total, she was already a joint-leader with her teammate Femke Markus, who was wearing the polka-dot jersey due to a better position on the overall standings. Elise Chabbey (Canyon//Sram) was 2nd over the top. After the summit, Pauline Allin (Arkéa) went for her second breakaway of the Tour, after a previous attempt on the Champs-Élysées. Femke Markus joined her at 40 kilometres. More riders try to bridge the gap but the peloton, wary of the wind, chase every move. Unable to open a significant gap, the attacking duo were caught with 74km to go. The situation then settled towards the final climbs of the day.
Gerritse was first over the Cat.4 climbs of Vertus (78.9km) and Mesnil-sur-Oger (88.1km), each time ahead of Chabbey. She all but secures the polka-dot jersey at the end of the day. Amialiusik accelerated after the climb and set off alone at the front. Many riders try to counter-attack, but none succeeds. She has a lead of 1 minute on the bunch as she entered the last 30km. The peloton accelerated and the gap was down to 30 seconds as they cross the finish line for the first time, with 24km to go. They face an explosive final lap, with the Côte de Mutigny, where Julian Alaphilippe powered to the stage win and the Maillot Jaune on the same roads in 2019. Amialiusik was caught at the bottom of the climb. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) set the early pace, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) accelerated and then her teammate Demi Vollering powered to the summit.
Only seven riders remained at the front: Van Vleuten, Moolman-Pasio, Vollering, Lippert, Persico, Garcia, Longo Borghini. The Maillot Jaune Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) was chasing 15 seconds behind them, with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope) and Juliette Labous (DSM). The situation was turned upside down again when Vollering missed a turn and Lippert went down with her. Eventually, 11 riders were together ahead of the final climb of the day: Vollering, Faulkner, Ludwig, Niewiadoma, Labous, Persico, Moolman-Pasio, Van Vleuten, Longo Borghini and Garcia. Van Vleuten couldn’t keep up when Longo Borghini accelerates on the slopes of Mont Bernon to take 3 bonus seconds over the top. Van Vleuten eventually gets back for the last kilometre, with the final uphill sections to battle it out. Niewiadoma, Moolman-Pasio and Vos anticipate and Ludwig flies past them right at the end to take revenge after a crash-marred stage 2 for her team on Monday.
Stage winner, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope): “I felt I was in a good spot following Marianne [Vos]’s wheel under flamme rouge, but then I lost position a bit and I was: ‘sh…’ And Kasia [Niewiadoma] was already attacking. I just kept on fighting, thinking ‘I can come back, at least the podium!’ And then: ‘it’s looking pretty good…’ It’s amazing. Yesterday was such a gloomy, sad, sh… day. To keep fighting with the team like this is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life I think. We’re not quitters! During the race, the girls came to me to tell me: ‘We believe in you! We’re here for you!’ And then they were standing in front of me when I was on the podium. I was just crying, crying, crying. And them too. It was so special. I’m a stage winner of the Tour de France! That’s a good line on my resume. And we’re gonna celebrate tonight, I promise you. Marta [Cavalli] will be with us in the hotel and we’ll be able to have a glass of champagne and also tell her: ‘We did it for you’.”
Overall leader, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “We knew it was going to be tough, we knew it would be a fight to stay in contention and to try to go for the stage and also to keep the yellow jersey. Of course, I’m happy to keep the yellow and I think Cecilie [Uttrup Ludwig] was definitely the strongest there on the final climb. Was I close to another victory? Not really. I gave it all and in the end I didn’t have the legs to accelerate once again and Cecilie did. 2nd it was. After such a hard race, I’m happy to stay in yellow another day. It was really special in the bunch, with the people along the route spotting this iconic jersey. Tomorrow is another hard stage with the ‘chemins blancs’ [white roads] but also the climbs before. There are no easy days in the Tour de France!”
QOM, Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg): “I stole the jersey from my teammate, and we have also the same name! She didn’t have a good day, and I had a good day, so I went for the sprints. For sure, we wanted to keep the jersey in the team because yesterday we had the same total of points and we hoped that one of us could go in the break. But that was not possible. Fortunately, I had good legs for the sprints on the mountains against Elise Chabbey. It was really cool. Two or three times, we had a gap and we tried to go. We were just saying to each other ‘hey, here we go!’ I was really happy after the first three sprints. So I went really slow on the côte de Mutigny because I knew I had enough points. We will defend the jersey tomorrow.”
Alena Amialiusik (Canyon//SRAM): “I tried to go away and I hoped that I would have some company to join me but unfortunately I was alone and I tried to give my best. It was a good move for myself and the team because at that moment the team could relax a bit and use the situation, so it was perfect. It’s amazing to be on the podium of the Tour de France with this combative award. It’s really nice. I think it’s important to believe in yourself. Miracles happen. Maybe one day it would work. Why not I really enjoy the Strade Bianche races and spring classics. We will try tomorrow. I feel comfortable on these roads. And we will use our numbers.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 3 Result:
1. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope in 3:22:54
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:02
3. Ashleigh Moolman (SA) SD Worx
4. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
6. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
7. Mavi García (Spa) UAE Team ADQ at 0:06
8. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 0:08
9. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 0:11
10. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 0:20.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 3:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 8:30:36
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 0:16
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo ay 0:21
5. Ashleigh Moolman (SA) SD Worx at 0:51
6. Mavi García (Spa) UAE Team ADQ at 0:55
7. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 0:57
8. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 1:05
9. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 1:14
10. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 1:48.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 3:
The European time-trial champion Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) made the most of her skills to take a spectacular solo victory in Bar-sur-Aube, at the end of Stage 4. The Swiss rider attacked with 23km to go, ahead of the final gravel section of the day, and eventually triumphed in Bar-sur-Aube with a gap of 1:24 on Evita Muzic. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) fought the many attacks launched by her rivals and eventually beat them in the final sprint while Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) lost almost 2 minutes as she suffered mechanicals and a crash. Vos will wear the Maillot Jaune for a third day on stage 5, as the peloton take on the longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, 175.6km to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.
As always, the battle for the breakaway was intense one from the start. It took many attacks, counter-attacks and follow up moves for a breakaway to be established on the road to Bar-sur-Aube after 126.8km. The World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) tried to get away in a 23-rider group, but Movistar controlled that move. 42.5km were covered in the first hour before a group of three riders manage to make the break: Laura Asencio (Ceratizit-WNT), Valérie Demey (Liv Racing Xstra) and Coralie Demay (St-Michel Auber 93). They opened a gap of 2:40 en route to the first categorised climb of the day, the Cat.3 Côte de Celles-sur-Ource (summit at68.1km), to be immediately followed by the first ‘white road’, the Chemin blanc de Celles (2,300m). The intensity increased in the bunch with many teams battling for the front positions and the gap quickly dropped. A race of attrition began in the bunch. Canyon//Sram, SD Worx, Trek-Segafredo and Jumbo-Visma chase the break. Demay went solo at the front on the 2nd climb of the day, the Cat.3 Côte du Val des Clos (77.3km).
There was still round 50 riders in the front bunch when they eventually catch Demay at km 90, on the penultimate and longest white road of the day, Chemin blanc du plateau de Blu (4,400m). On the gravel, Kasia Niewiadoma (3rd on GC), Mavi Garcia (6th) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (10th) all suffer mechanicals. They manage to get back to the front bunch on the Cat.4 Côte de Maître Jean (98.6km). Marlen Reusser attacked with 23 kilometres to go and quickly opened a gap. She has a lead of 25 seconds as she entered the final 20 kilometres and the last gravel section of the day. Niewiadoma tried to attack several times as Vos also made a move, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) had a late puncture, but the GC contenders stay together. Garcia sustained another mechanical and eventually crashed inside the last 15km. Alena Amialiusik (Canyon//Sram), Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope) and Veronica Ewers (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) set off in pursuit and get together on the Côte des Bergères, the penultimate ascent of the day. But Reusser is too far away and she forges on, on the last climb of the day, Côte du Val Perdu, to power to victory.
Stage winner, Marlen Reusser (SD Worx): “We did it! The team had a plan to make it a hard race and to not let it come down to an easy finale. We said we would attack and one would go. Then I was lucky it was me. We have our GC leaders, we always keep them in front, but this team always has an open and aggressive strategy, so everybody is allowed to go for the win. We all work together, we help each other and we attack. I was the lucky one. I’m really grateful for my team and my teammates. In this Tour, every day is hard, at least for me every day was hard. This stage suits the kind of rider I am with these gravel sections. It was hard but it was not as hard as other stages for me.”
Overall leader and 5th on the stage, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “Looking back at today, we’ve been quite safe with the team, we tried to stay in the right position, to stay in contention for the win as well but when Reusser attacked it was a very strong moment and then we also knew that it’s difficult to cover everything. And to keep the yellow jersey is a very nice thing. It’s a good day. Gravel is great when you’re at the front, and much less enjoyable when you’re further back. I really enjoyed today also with the spectators along the course again. The team kept me out of trouble the whole day. And I think it was the most important thing. I’m very happy. It’s also nice to have good points for the green jersey but until now it hasn’t been the main focus.”
Julie de Wilde (Plantur-Pura): “It was very hard today especially in the last few kilometres, I had a flat tyre and I had to come back. I struggled but in the end it worked out. It was good to have teammates who are experts in cyclo-cross, they know how to do it so they taught me some things, it’s nice. I hope to keep my white jersey tomorrow. But I will see day by day.”
QOM, Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg): “I’m lucky now ! I have to thank my teammate Mischa [Bredewold] because she took points in the first group so I have to give her a kiss tonight I think! She beat Elise Chabbey, really? Oh, that’s really nice, I didn’t know! Tomorrow, it should be easier to keep the jersey, there is only two sprints and they are less steep than today. So we’ll try again to gain some points. I did enjoy today. When I was dropped I was like: ‘Oh, sh… !’ But yes it was a nice parcours, and I enjoyed it in this jersey. On every mountain there was a lot of people, also in the same jersey as me and they were screaming! So that was very nice.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 4 Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) SD Worx in 3:16:30
2. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 1:24
3. Alena Amialiusik (-) Canyon//SRAM
4. Veronica Ewers (SA) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB
5. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 1:40
6. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
7. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
8. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
9. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
10. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 4:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 11:48:46
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 0:16
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:21
5. Ashleigh Moolman (SA) SD Worx at 0:51
6. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 0:57
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 1:05
8. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 1:14
9. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 1:48
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 2:20.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 4:
Lorena Wiebes (DSM) displayed her pure speed again as she sprinted to a second stage win in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges on Stage 5, four days after she took the first Maillot Jaune in Paris. The Dutch sprinter put a significant distance between her and the World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), who increased her GC lead with the time bonuses. On the longest stage of the race, the early attackers survived until they were caught inside the last 3km.
The longest stage of the week didn’t deter early attackers. The battle was on from the start in Bar-le-Duc and it took almost 30km for the situation to settle with a 4 woman breakaway. Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) launch the key move after 13.5 kilometres. With other teams wanting to be part of the break, they struggled to open up a significant gap. Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) joined them at the front and the gap increased to 1 minute, 27 kilometres from the star. It reached a maximum of 3:45 at the top the first climb of the day, the Cat.4 Côte de Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte (61.4km), where Berteau took the first QOM points of the day. DSM are the first team to control the gap, with Franziska Koch. Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) also moved to the front of the bunch as the race entered the last 50km with a gap of 2 minutes from the early attackers to the peloton.
A big crash involves quite a few riders with 46km to go. Among them, Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Movistar) is forced to abandon. Lotte Kopecky and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx) are also involved, with the latter suffering an injury to the right arm. The situation returns to normal and the gap dropped to under 1 minute inside the last 25km. Berteau attacked with 21.5km to go, towards the bonus point of the day. Only Christoforou can follow her, while Louw and Newsom are reeled in by the peloton. Berteau and Christoforou hold on to a gap of 40 seconds with 10km to go, and 20 seconds under the 5km to go banner. They were eventually caught inside the last 3km. Trek-Segafredo try to set Elisa Balsamo up for the win but Elisa Longo Borghini takes a wrong turn inside the last kilometre. It doesn’t unsettle Wiebes, who takes off to victory with two bike lengths between her and Balsamo. Vos rounds out the podium.
Stage winner, Lorena Wiebes (DSM): “It was a pretty chaotic finale. We aimed for the u-turn with 1.7km to go and Pfeiffer [Georgi] brought me safe to the good wheels. We had a lot of speed into that corner and I lost my back wheel a bit but I could hold my bike, I was still in a good position out of the corner and then I was able to react to the girls coming from behind and to ride the sprint as I wanted to. I think it was the longest race I ever did. If you add up the neutral, it’s almost 180km, I didn’t even do that in training. The team took great control and Franziska Koch did a great job. I felt a bit of pressure when I saw it and it was maybe the last opportunity for me. I’m very happy I took it, it was a real team effort.”
Overall leader and 3rd on the stage, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “The sprint went pretty well. We wanted to be in the front in the final u-turn with 1.7km to go. We knew that was going to be very important and we wanted to stay out of trouble. There was a bit of confusion when Elisa Longo Borghini went left but luckily things went well and when Lorena Wiebes opened up her sprint, she was just the fastest. We did what we could, getting 3rd and keeping yellow, it’s a good day. I expect some fireworks tomorrow, but we’ve seen that every day. We’ll try do our best again and of course with the yellow jersey you want to give it all you have.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 5 Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM in 4:32:16
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
3. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
5. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT
7. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
8. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope
9. Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (-) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss
10. Alexandra Manly (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 5:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 16:20:58
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 0:20
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:34
5. Ashleigh Moolman (SA) SD Worx at 0:55
6. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 1:01
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 1:09
8. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 1:18
9. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 1:52
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 2:24.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 5:
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 on Stage 6 after the rolling course of the day and many attacks had reduced the bunch to around 50 riders. She out-sprinted Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), who was able to make it to the podium despite being involved in the crash that took Lorena Wiebes (DSM) out of the battle for the stage win. Vos’ results since the start of the Tour are: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 5th, 3rd and 1st.
Many riders had identified stage 6 as the last opportunity for long range attacks ahead of the final week-end over the Vosges summits. This naturally led to an intense battle from the start in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, with 129.2km to cover on a rolling course towards Rosheim.
Maaike Boogaard (UAE Team ADQ) opened a small gap on the first ascent of the day, the Cat.4 Col d’Urbeis (summit at 19.2km) but she was reeled in at the summit, where Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) took 1 QOM point to defend her polka-dot jersey. At the back of the peloton, Elisa Longo Borghini suffered a mechanical on the next descent. Trek-Segafredo call three teammates back to help her return to the bunch at 37 kilometres. Attacks kept coming and a strong break of 14 riders eventually got away after 47 kilometres: Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), Sheyla Gutierrez (Movistar), Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Marie Le Net (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope), Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), Franziska Koch (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 (59.7km) and the Cat.3 Côte de Grendelbruch (67.7km) to claim 5 QOM points. In the bunch, UAE Team ADQ and Valcar-Travel & Service control the gap to around 2 minutes.
The gap was down to 1 minute when Cordon-Ragot attacked inside the last 30km. Vandenbulcke also has a go and Hammes powers to the line of the bonus sprint (101.5km). Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope) set a strong pace in the bunch and they only trail by 30 seconds into the last 25km. Henderson attacked on the descent and the breakaway explodes. Meanwhile, Lorena Wiebes (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. The attackers get back together for the last 20km, except for Koch. DSM set a strong pace in the bunch, despite Wiebes’ crash. Henderson attacked again and a leading trio emerged 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 seconds. Le Net goes solo on the final ascent of the day, with 10km to go. Over the top, she had a lead of 24 seconds to the bunch, led by Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) after an unsuccessful attack by Liane Lippert (DSM). Le Net is eventually caught with 5km to go. Jumbo-Visma and Trek-Segafredo set up the sprint in the fast run-in to Rosheim. And Vos powers to victory, again.
Overall leader and stage winner, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “This is fantastic. I think I don’t quite realise it yet”, Vos said. “We wanted to go for the stage win today and with Anna in the breakaway, the situation was in our favour. The peloton rode hard to close the gap and on the Cote de Boetsch, there were several attacks. But the team kept me in the front and ensured I stayed out of the wind. I didn’t feel any wind until the last two hundred metres. I saw from the corner of my eye that Elisa Balsamo accelerated simultaneously, but I felt I had more speed. Although I had no acceleration left in my legs, I hoped my punch would be enough. Luckily I was able to finish off the team’s work.”
QOM, Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg): “I hoped to wear it on the queen stage… But it was a really hard day. I took one point on the first climb and that saved me. They went so fast on the next climb! And between the two climbs, the break went and there was nobody that really had points and that was a good thing because my legs are getting tired. I’ve never done climbs so long [as those of stage 7] in races so I really have no idea what to expect. But I will enjoy tomorrow, I’m riding the queen stage with the polka-dot jersey! I don’t know if they’ll let me go in the break tomorrow but for sure I will try.”
Marie Le Net (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope): “There are many emotions running through my head. I’m super happy with what I’ve done, I think I seized my opportunity. At the beginning, on the radio, they told me not to pull because big teams were chasing. They told me the break wouldn’t go far, that I should save energy to help my leaders in the finale. And then, it stuck. At some point, I heard: ‘Marie, you have carte blanche.’ And I thought: ‘phew, you have to take your chance, this is your day, don’t mess it up!’ I felt good and I tried what I could. I’m very happy I went for my chance but I also feel I came close to something very big. But it was pure bliss, the crowds pushing me, you only see this here! To be on the podium of the Tour de France is something, it warms my heart. I would have preferred it to be for the stage win. But it’s a nice consolation prize!”
White jersey, Julia Borgström (AG Insurance-NXTG): “For us, a young team, taking the white jersey was a major goal, and personally it was a dream. So it’s a dream come true. We fought with the team to keep me in front and to keep me calm and relax so that I can be able to push my limits on the climbs, and that’s what we did. It gives me a little bit more motivation for the big mountains ! I don’t know if I’m a climber, I think I’m more an allrounder but I’ve never done this mountains in a race, so we’ll see!”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 6 Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 3:09:26
2. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
4. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
5. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT
7. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope
8. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
9. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
10. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 6:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 19:30:14
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 0:30
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:35
5. Ashleigh Moolman (SA) SD Worx at 1:05
6. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 1:11
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 1:19
8. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 1:28
9. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 2:02
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 2:34.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 6:
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 climbs on the way to the finish at Le Markstein. The Dutch climber went on the move as early on the first slopes up Petit Ballon. She then dropped Vollering on the following climb, Col du Platzerwasel, to go solo 62km from the finish. She capped off her dominant ride with another strong climb, on Grand Ballon, to open major gaps and take the Maillot Jaune.
The ‘Queen Stage’ of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift started with many attacks and counter-attacks, the peloton flew 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 seconds just before the climb, but Movistar had other ideas for the day…
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 (DSM), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) and Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service). At the summit, Longo Borghini trailed by 1:25, the chase group by 2:30 and Vos by 7:45. Van Vleuten set a strong pace on the following ascent, the Cat.1 Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km at 8.3%), at 65.8 kilometres. The Dutch star droped her younger compatriot inside the last kilometre of the climb and goes solo 62 kilometres 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 was up to 2:20. She keeps losing ground on the final ascent, while the battle for third position unfolds behind her. Persico was dropped from the chase group with 15km to go, and Longo Borghini was caught just after. While Van Vleuten kept 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) were dropped with Zigart. Van Vleuten summits the final climb with a gap of 3:30 to Vollering and 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.
Stage winner and overall leader, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar): “It’s one of the biggest wins of my career, especially because I know where I come from. I was super close to abandoning when I was sick at the beginning of the Tour. On day 2, I couldn’t pack my suitcase myself. I didn’t think it was still possible to wear the Yellow Jersey. It’s a little bit of a miracle. At 39 years old, I’ve improved my fitness level every year and I know I can go from the first climb. When I attacked, it was a tactical move, because Demi [Vollering] wasn’t taking turns and there was a 25km valley before the final climb, so I wanted to drop her there. But for sure, to win solo is nicer than a sprint. I was able to enjoy the crowds. The Tour is exceeding my expectations. In every village, you can feel that the Tour comes to life.”
Green jersey, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “I didn’t see it coming. From the bottom of the climb it was full gas. The pace was already so hard that riders were dropped and I didn’t feel that good. I saw at the front that they were attacking already, I was just trying to find the pace. And quite early we’re already out of reach. I’m very happy with the week, being able to take stage victories and also to ride with the Yellow Jersey until today has been really special, but I’m very happy to swap to the green jersey for the last day tomorrow. This whole week has been incredible and probably after tomorrow, when we go home and have little rest, all the emotions and everything sinks in. Again we will try to recover from today a little bit and go for the next one.”
QOM, Demi Vollering (SD Worx): “There was a big group up front with around 30 girls. We had Chantal [Van den Broek-Blaak] and Christine [Majerus] there and we hoped that the group could survive the first two climbs but they didn’t get much time. The speed coming into the first climb was pretty high already, and then I was in front with Ashleigh [Mooman-Pasio] and I wanted to stay up there to avoid trouble. I saw Annemiek [Van Vleuten] and I let her do the pace. She had a teammate with her and they moved to the front. And I was like: ‘Ok, I need to stay focused because they’re trying something already.’ Her teammate was a bit empty so she went already. I was immediately in the wheel but I was alone with her. It was a pity to not have but I was happy I could hang on. I felt really good on the first climb. I was really confident I could do it today. But the second climb, the last kilometre, I just couldn’t go with that speed. It was too much for me. I fought with everything I had today and I know I’m in a really good shape so I think I cannot be unhappy. It’s a pretty special race and looking at the gaps to the other girls, it’s also pretty big. That’s something really nice for the future as well. I’m still young.”
White jersey, Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo): “I felt pretty good but it was a really hard stage with a lot of climbing. I tried to find my own pace but I had no idea where I was in the race, I didn’t know if I was 20th, 50th, or something else, so I just tried to keep pushing until the finish line. I tried to be up front ahead of Petit Ballon but for the first time in my life, I had cramps, at the beginning of the climb. Then I found a group which was really nice to go over the Platzerwasel and to ride on the valley, and then I found my pace again for the final climb. It means a lot to wear this jersey. I tried to work as much as possible for the team in the first six days and today I had the chance to go for the white jersey. Tomorrow will be another day of suffering! But I’m looking forward to it. La Super Planche des Belles Filles is a very hard climb but there will be so many people I think we will be over the mountains before we know.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 7 Result:
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar in 3:47:02
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 3:26
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 5:16
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 5:18
5. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM
6. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 6:56
7. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
8. Urška Žigart (Slo) BikeExchange-Jayco at 7:23
9. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 8:27
10. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Canyon//SRAM at 10:10.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Overall after Stage 7:
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar in 23:18:31
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 3:14
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM at 4:33
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 5:22
5. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 5:59
6. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 6:11
7. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 6:15
8. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 10:13
9. Mavi García (Spa) UAE Team ADQ at 12:06
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 12:24
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 7:
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’s Stage 8, 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 started with fast battles as early as the 109-woman peloton (without Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Anna Henderson) started from Lure. The peloton covered almost 40km in the first hour and no break managed to get away. New attacks fly on the first ascent of the day, the Cat.2 Côte d’Esmoulières (summit at 52.5km), 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 managed to open a gap, including two members of the GC top-10, Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ, 9th at 12:06) and Elise Chabbey (Canyon//Sram Racing, 10th at 12:24). They are joined by Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo), Paula Patiño (Movistar), Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope), Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma), Liane Lippert (DSM), Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon//Sram), Yara Kastelijn (Plantur Pura) and Coralie Demay (St Michel Auber 93). While the break established itself at the front, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) had mechanical issues that forced her to change her bike on three occasions, after she already changed in the neutral zone at the beginning of the stage.
First, she took her teammate Arlenis Sierra’s bike and returned to the bunch after 69 kilometres. But SD Worx up the speed 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 (84.6km). She bridges the gap on the first slopes, but has to stop two more times on the ascent to change bike. Demi Vollering (SD Worx), 2nd in the overall standings (at 3:14), attacked three times on the climb and also maintained 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 at 8.7%), Trek-Segafredo and Canyon//Sram Racing work together to move closer to the attackers. Pauliena Rooijakkers attacked at the bottom of the ascent, Mavi Garcia follows her move. But the GC contenders only trail by 20 seconds. 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.
Final stage and overall winner, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar): “This is really a dream come true, that I can win here, in yellow, on the summit. Today was not the easiest day, nor was it an easy week. This week has been a big roller coaster, even today. And then I finish here in yellow, solo. That’s the best way. I’m very proud to be the first winner of the Women’s Tour de France, which is back on the calendar. I hope this is the start of something bigger. I hope this can continue to grow. It is really a milestone to win this first edition. Hopefully there will be many more to come. Yesterday was incredible, but I wanted to keep the focus and not celebrate too early. Now I can finally cheer. Tonight I’m going to eat ice cream and pizza and celebrate without thinking about tomorrow”
2nd on the stage, QOM and final overall, Demi Vollering (SD Worx): “I tried really hard. At the beginning of the final climb, [Annemiek van Vleuten] went too fast and I needed to go at my own speed otherwise I would blow up. Then I could not make it so I thought : ‘I go my own speed, and maybe in the gravel part, that could suit me, maybe I can come back with her.’ But, yeah, I didn’t make it, but I was fighting really hard today. [When Van Vleuten got a puncture] We went straight to the front and started riding, also Trek tried but, yeah, I think she was pretty fast back with a teammate’s bike. I tried something myself and I tried to say to the girls in our group that we needed to go and needed to ride but they didn’t really want to go. So yeah it was a bit sad, I think. But still I tried to put her under pressure so that she would have a hard time, and maybe we could handle her here. I tried everything today to beat her. I’m really happy that I could keep the polka-dot jersey. I knew that if I had the first sprint, then, I would just need to be 2nd here, at least, to keep it. That was also à motivation of course.”
Final points competition winner, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “This means a lot. I don’t think we realise that yet, but what we have experienced is incredibly beautiful. It seemed as if it got more every day. This was a wonderful experience. I think it will have a very nice sequel. I get a lot of nice, good, positive reactions. I can’t say anything else. It is only eight days from the first moment in Paris, but it is quite spicy and intense. As a team we wanted to go for a stage win. That worked twice. With the bonus of wearing the yellow jersey, and now I’m standing here in green. I am very grateful that they have helped me so much every day.” And Annemiek van Vleuten? “Yeah, phew… Outstanding. It is unbelievable what she showed again, yesterday and today. I was in the area for a while after she had a mechanical breakdown. I saw that happen. But what she does next is super strong.”
4th on the stage and 3rd overall, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM): “I haven’t had enough time to let it sink in but a top 3 in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is something I’ve been dreaming of ever since I found out we were gonna have this race. This and the victory in the team standings, it makes me extremely happy and proud of my teammates. I’ve been enjoying the first days with explosive climbs. That’s what I’ve been focusing on for most of my career, for the classics. And the last stages were about surviving and pushing ourselves to the limit. It definitely was one of the hardest races we’ve ever done. And it was amazing to see all the fans on the side of the road. We received a lot of energy, it motivated us to go harder. The attention from social media and TV was also special. It was really nice to be in this position to give something to the public and that the public gives back to us.”
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 8 Result:
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar in 3:37:23
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 0:30
3. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 1:43
4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM at 1:52
5. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 1:56
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 2:01
7. Veronica Ewers (USA) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB at 2:13
8. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 2:50
9. Mavi García (Spa) UAE Team ADQ at 2:59
10. Liane Lippert (Ger) DSM at 3:01.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Final Overall Result:
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar in 26:55:44
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx at 3:48
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM at 6:35
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 7:28
5. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service at 8:00
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 8:26
7. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 8:59
8. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope at 13:54
9. Veronica Ewers (USA) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB at 15:05
10. Mavi García (Spa) UAE Team ADQ at 15:15.
Tour de France Femmes’22 stage 8:
All happy at Movistar
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