In true Tour de France trend, the inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift included the entire pomp, circumstance, heroics, and controversy anticipated to encompass the world’s biggest biking race.
The eight-stage race lined greater than 600 miles and 4,300 ft of elevation acquire, essentially the most brutal of which got here on the ultimate two phases of the extremely anticipated contest.
In the long run, the Dutch swept the tour, profitable the yellow (total), inexperienced (dash factors), polka dot (climber), and white (finest younger rider) jerseys.
Annemiek van Vleuten of workforce Movistar received the coveted yellow jersey. Jumbo Visma’s Marianne Vos completed within the inexperienced jersey, and Demi Vollering of Workforce SD Worx went residence sporting the polka dot Queen of the Mountains jersey. Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo), who’s 20 years outdated, received the white jersey for the perfect younger rider.
Every marks a big accomplishment within the careers of every jersey holder, however these outcomes had been something however a certainty, even within the race’s last phases.
The place the lads’s race usually enters the ultimate days with the highest spots already largely locked up or with solely a few riders in competition, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift turned that mannequin on its head, leaving essentially the most tough mountainous stage for the ultimate two days.
Right here’s how the race performed out stage by stage.
Stage 1: Historical past Made With the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift
The boys’s Tour de France historically ends on the Champs-Élysées in Paris following 21 phases of racing throughout greater than 2,000 miles. The Tour de Femmes, nevertheless, started there.
The historic opening of Stage 1 marked a chance for sprinters to determine themselves early on as contenders and for groups to showcase their means to work collectively to jockey for place within the group.
Stage 1 included an intermediate dash and the primary alternative for Queen of the Mountains factors.
Marianne Vos made an announcement early on by profitable the primary intermediate dash of the tour however couldn’t maintain Lorena Wiebes off on the end line as she surged to victory to say the primary yellow and inexperienced jerseys of the race.
Vos completed second, adopted by Lotte Kopecky of Workforce SD Worx.
Femke Markus of Parkhotel Valkenburg crossed the road first for the Queen of the Mountains competitors, incomes two factors and the polka dot jersey for Stage 2.
Whereas the stage was flat, it was not fully easy, because the terrain included cobbles that might journey riders up.
Simply forward of the ultimate 10k, Cofidis rider Alana Castrique crashed and deserted the race as a result of her accidents. She could be the primary of many casualties of the race.
Nevertheless, one key takeaway from Stage 1 was that each Wiebes and Vos gave the impression to be on type and able to duke it out within the sprints within the coming phases.
Stage 2: Taking Management within the Wind
What was alleged to be a comparatively cut-and-dry flat stage protecting 84.7 miles from Meaux to Provins proved extra of a problem for riders as heavy winds hammered the peloton all through the day.
Along with gusting winds, a collection of crashes with about 19 miles remaining within the stage left a number of riders battered and struggling to proceed, together with a very nasty collision between Marta Cavalli of FDJ SUEZ Futuroscope and Australian nationwide champ Nicole Frain of Parkhotel Valkenburg.
As Cavalli approached a crash involving a big group of riders, Frain, who was chasing to rejoin the group, discovered herself unable to cease and clipped Cavalli on the left facet, sending her to the bottom. Frain launched over the handlebars and slammed onto the bottom in entrance of a pile of bikes and riders. She continued to slip throughout the tarmac.
Cavalli later dropped out of the race. A couple of miles later, one other crash left Trek-Segafredo rider Laura Sussemilch of Plantur-Pura harm after she went down onerous and broke two vertebrae.
Vos made it right into a breakaway group and pulled forward of the peloton by about 40 seconds inside the final mile or two. She received the stage, adopted by Silvia Persico of Valcar-Journey & Service, Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Canyon-SRAM, and Elisa Longo Borghini of Trek-Segafredo.
Wiebes, who held the inexperienced jersey, completed 29 seconds behind Vos, giving the latter the yellow and inexperienced jerseys for the stage forward, though Wiebes would nonetheless put on the inexperienced jersey in her second-pace place.
Markus held onto the polka dots.
Stage 3: Into the Hills
Stage 3 despatched riders into hilly terrain for an 83-mile jaunt that included three Class 4 climbs and one Class 3 climb. Till this level, each phases of the race had been flat, with just one rated Class 4 climb every.
Riders started the stage with a bang, setting a fast tempo early. Sadly, Stage 3 additionally included a couple of crashes within the final miles that blew the peloton aside. Vollering and Liane Lippert of Workforce DSM made contact and went down on a nook with 9 miles remaining on the stage. The pair had been within the lead.
Vollering was capable of rise up shortly to rejoin a chase group and catch again as much as the stage leaders. Lippert, nevertheless, couldn’t make it again into the pack that headed to the end collectively.
Cecilie Ludwig of FDJ Suez Furutoscope hammered out a busy end to finest Vollering, Vos, and 7 different riders in competition for the yellow jersey for the stage win.
Vos nonetheless held the yellow jersey on the finish of the stage with a 16-second lead over Persico and Niewiadoma. The highest seven leaders within the normal classification had been all inside a minute of Vos’ time, so the yellow jersey nonetheless was very a lot up for grabs.
Vos additionally continued to carry the inexperienced jersey, with 160 factors. Wiebes had 113 factors and was trying to run her down within the following phases.
Femke Gerritse picked up two QOM factors to take the polka dot jersey from her Parkhotel Valkenburg teammate.
Stage 4: Gravel, Crashes, and a Solo Win
Extra hills awaited the riders in Stage 4, together with two Class 3 climbs and three Class 4 climbs that needed to seem tantalizing the QOM hopefuls.
Sections of unpaved gravel roughed issues up and offered one other problem for riders. However with many riders with a cyclocross background, the stage appeared like a chance for these with technical expertise.
The gravel, as anticipated, resulted in punctures and mechanical points galore. Regardless of the difficult terrain, European time-trial champ Marlen Reusser of SD Worx jumped forward of the bunch with about 15 miles remaining to go solo to the tip for the stage win.
In the meantime, Mavi Garcia of UAE Workforce ADQ suffered a mechanical challenge made infinitely worse when she collided along with her workforce automotive and went down onerous whereas attempting to rejoin the race. When the day started, Garcia was solely 55 seconds behind Vos within the normal classification. She misplaced greater than 2 minutes by the day’s finish and had fallen fully out of the highest 10.
But once more, Vos placed on a commanding efficiency and held on to the yellow and inexperienced jerseys. Gerritse additionally stored the polka dots.
Stage 5: Controversy on the Longest Day of the Tour de France Femmes
Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift pitted riders in opposition to a 109-mile course filled with rolling hills. The course included two Class 4 climbs and a dash about 71 miles into the stage.
The primary little bit of controversy on the day got here when information broke that Human Powered Well being rider Barbara Malcoltti had been disqualified after receiving “irregular help” from her workforce automotive by swapping out bikes on the entrance of the peloton. Many known as the choice by race commissaries harsh and questioned whether or not a hefty effective or one other penalty would have been ample. However what was completed was completed, and she or he was out.
With about 28 miles remaining on the stage, one other colossal crash took out almost half of the peloton, leaving a pile of twisted bikes and our bodies scattered on the tarmac. Most race leaders prevented the crash by staying safely out in entrance.
Nevertheless, Emma Norsgaard of the Movistar workforce deserted the race with a potential collarbone fracture.
Maybe the stage’s most vital level of competition got here simply earlier than the shut when Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini took a unsuitable flip simply earlier than the ultimate dash erupted. She had been serving because the lead-out rider for world-champion Elisa Balsamo. She needed to head into the dash alone after Longo Borghini’s mistake and completed second behind Wiebes, adopted by Vos.
Race officers ended up permitting Longo Borghini to obtain the identical time because the race winner regardless of her mistake, retaining her in a prime place within the peloton.
Wiebes grew to become the primary rider to win two tour phases and narrowed Vos’s lead for the inexperienced jersey to only 26 factors. She appeared poised to say the inexperienced for herself.
Nevertheless, Vos nonetheless held the yellow and inexperienced jerseys and clearly wouldn’t give them up with no battle. Vos grew her normal classification lead from 16 to twenty seconds over Persico and Niewiadoma. Longo Borghini was 34 seconds behind.
Gerritse held the polka dots once more with eight factors, with the closest riders holding 5 factors. At this level, the main positions within the race for each jersey nonetheless had been up within the air. A implausible efficiency or expensive accidents on any remaining stage may simply see them change fingers.
Stage 6: Wiebes Goes Down, Vos Goes Up
Stage 6 spanned 80 miles via hilly terrain that includes one Class 3 climb and three Class 4 climbs. It marked the final of the flat or hilly phases earlier than the peloton headed into the right mountains for the ultimate two phases of the tour.
A substantial breakaway of 14 riders surged forward with about 50 miles to go within the race, pulling greater than a minute in entrance of the peloton. Regardless of seen frustration and pleas from leaders within the breakaway to work collectively, the group couldn’t cooperate to keep up the lead and fell again into the principle group for what was certain to be an thrilling dash end.
Wiebes, nevertheless, crashed on a descent with about 15 miles to go and slammed onerous into the bottom. She had been the first contender to snag the inexperienced jersey from Vos, and a stage win right here would have completed it.
With Wiebes too far again to catch the leaders, Vos hammered the pedals to her second stage win. She elevated her complete factors to 267 in comparison with Wiebes’ 191, throwing the concept of a comeback into query.
Vos prolonged her lead over Persico and Niewiadoma within the normal classification to 30 seconds. Longo Borghini completed 35 seconds again within the normal classification.
Gerritse as soon as once more stored the polka dot jersey.
Stage 7: Up and Away
Stage 7 marked the start of the right mountain terrain of the Tour de France Femmes. Riders had solely been via Class 3 and 4 climbs because the begin of the race. Now, they squared off with three Class 1 beasts in a single stage. Mountain phases are infamous for blowing the peloton aside, as sprinters are likely to endure and lose plenty of time on grueling climbs.
Loads of questions hung within the air initially of the race. May Vos maintain her lead in yellow when the street went skyward? May Wiebes pull again the factors she wanted to seize the inexperienced?
Each of these questions acquired their solutions nearly instantly. After a brief distance, Wiebes deserted the race as a result of accidents she suffered in her earlier crash. The transfer left Vos all however untouchable within the race for the inexperienced jersey. All she needed to do was end the stage.
As for the yellow, a breakaway from Movistar’s Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering left Vos (and everybody else) within the mud. Van Vleuten attacked early within the first climb and managed to shed Vollering from her wheel on the second ascent. She then soloed greater than 37 miles to the end. Her victory was astounding, leaving different riders scratching their head in confusion or sheer awe of her energy.
On the finish of the stage, van Vleuten had a 3:14 lead on Vollering within the normal classification and greater than 4:30 on Niewiadoma, who sat in third place.
Vos discovered herself fully out of competition for the yellow jersey. She nonetheless held the inexperienced jersey, nevertheless. Barring any main mishaps on the ultimate day, that jersey was hers.
For her large effort in sticking with van Vleuten as finest she may, Vollering donned the polka dot jersey for the primary time.
Stage 8: Sealing the Deal and the Tour de France Femmes
After an all-out efficiency the day gone by during which van Vleuten dropped the entire finest cyclists on the earth, it was unclear whether or not she would have the legs to seal the deal. Likewise, Vollering had suffered in her chase the day earlier than, so whether or not she would maintain on to the polka dots remained in query.
Initially of the stage, van Vleuten led the overall classification with a complete time of three:47:02.
Vollering sat in second place with a 3:26 deficit, adopted by Ludwig at 5:16 behind and Workforce DSM’s Juliette Labous and Niewiadoma at 5:18 behind. Persico and Longo Borghini rounded out the highest seven at 6:56 again.
If Vos completed the stage, she would win the inexperienced jersey. The yellow, polka dot, and white jersey for the youngest rider had been all nonetheless a tossup, although van Anrooij pulled forward within the white jersey contest by greater than 5 minutes the day earlier than.
Van Vleuten had a troublesome race. She cycled via 5 separate bike modifications all through the stage. Every time, she needed to retreat to her workforce automotive, after which hammer the pedals to regain her place on the entrance of the peloton. This wasted valuable vitality whereas carving a path via a stage that included one Class 2 climb to start out issues off. Two Class 1 climbs adopted, together with a treacherous end on La Tremendous Planche des Belles Filles.
Any doubters would finish the day with a foot of their mouth.
For a second consecutive day, van Vleuten flexed her mountain muscle groups. Regardless of bike change after bike change, she continued to stay with the lead all day. With about 4 miles remaining, she opened as much as catch the previous couple of attackers on the day and depart them within the literal mud off La Tremendous Planche des Belles Filles. She continued to her second stage win and the general ladies of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Vollering once more gave chase and completed in second to say the polka dot jersey, whereas Vos held on to the inexperienced. Van Anrooij additionally held off assaults to cement her declare to the white jersey.
