Tour de France Femmes stage 1: Lorena Wiebes wins the first yellow jersey in uphill sprint
It was Lorena Wiebes once again.
The Dutchwoman has won the first yellow jersey of the Tour de France Femmes with a dominant sprint on an uphill finish in Lausanne.
On her return to grand tour racing, having been disqualified from the Giro d’Italia on the first stage, the Team SD Worx-Protime rider completed one of her most impressive wins, on a route that beckoned her competitors to beat her.
With daylight left to the next finisher, Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) came in second, and FDJ United-Suez’s Demi Vollering rounded out the day’s podium.
There was plenty of action on Swiss National Day in Lausanne, with unfortunate crashes and a daring breakaway, but the top teams’ desire for that first leader’s jersey was always going to win out.
The Athletic breaks down the day’s events.
Wiebes’ statement of intent
It is not often that you will see two general classification favourites put in such strong efforts in the final kilometres of a stage won by an out-and-out sprinter.
But that was the opening day of the Tour de France Femmes.
With the stage ending in a 2.5km climb of a 4.6 per cent average gradient, it opened the door for a punchier rider to beat Wiebes — the favourite in any flat sprint.
Vollering’s attack in the final kilometre once again showed a burning desire to wear the leader’s yellow jersey. Meanwhile, last year’s winner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot also unexpectedly put an effort in as the group ratcheted up the acceleration to the line, reminding viewers early on of the battle to come.
For Wiebes, it was a redemption, having been disqualified at the Giro after her bike was found to be too light. More than making up for lost wins, however, she once again showed her tenacity by making the uphill finish look flat and winning by a margin.
With Sunday’s flat sprint stage to come, the green jersey already looks wrapped up.
Wiebes celebrating as she crosses the finish line (Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images)
A fierce breakaway
Not many expected a breakaway to have the impact it did on Saturday.
The group of four riders — Nikola Noskova (Cofidis), Idoia Eraso (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi), Maud Rijnbeek (Volkerwessels) and Oceane Mahe (Ma Petite Enterprise) — reached more than a four-minute gap early in the day and were only caught in the final six kilometres.
With the peloton seemingly unsure of whether they wanted to reel them in or not, the group was blown apart by Noskova’s attack to seize all three Cote de Vulliens QOM points and go clear of her competitors with 40km left in the stage.
She was eventually caught by the chasers — with Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) replacing Mahe, who had rejoined the peloton — but won the combativity prize of the day, which was richly deserved for a strong effort.
The re-formed break was finally caught with 5.9 kilometres to go but with two minutes on the peloton at 25km from the line, for a moment they could dream.
Red Bull make their women’s cycling team debut
FDJ United-Suez announced a new partnership with Red Bull before the start of Saturday’s stage, making the conglomerate a “major partner” and official energy drink partner.
Funnily enough, the riders had announced it themselves. They appeared in the team presentation and spoke to the media in their new Red Bull helmets before the official release — the cat was out of the bag.
For Red Bull, it is a mere tightening of the company’s claws into the sport. It has the majority stake in Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe and sponsors Tom Pidcock — but this is its first venture into the women’s side of professional road cycling.
Questions had been asked repeatedly why the team didn’t have a women’s arm, and those will likely linger. Nevertheless, a partnership with the team of the most in-form rider (Vollering) in the women’s peloton is a savvy investment.
The Red Bull helmets were debuted in the team presentation before the start of Stage 1 (Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
For the French team, it is a very welcome support for their long-term ambitions.
Vollering has recently signed a new contract, which puts her among the highest-paid riders, but it is no secret that the money on the women’s side is much less than that of the men’s. Beyond money, they will be able to access the breadth of the conglomerate’s facilities — with Red Bull spanning multiple sports and what the announcement called an “ecosystem” of performance infrastructure.
Here’s hoping this is a sign of future greater investment in the peloton as a whole.
What’s coming up tomorrow?
Saturday’s first stage left the door open to puncheurs, but the route tomorrow is set up for a first bunch sprint. The peloton will travel from Aigle to Geneva, heading over a couple of short climbs before a largely flat second half.
It finishes in Geneva, greeting the Swiss city for the first time in either Tours de France since 1990, when Massimo Ghirotto won a hilly stage nine.
For the general classification riders, it will mark the calm before an incessant storm in which the highly anticipated ascent of Mont Ventoux is flanked by deceptively tough hilly stages and the individual time-trial.