On the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes, Marianne Vos was the measure of all things. She prevailed in the final sprint in Provins and is also ahead in the overall standings.
On a stage marked by falls and strong crosswinds, especially in the final phase, Vos was part of a group of six and broke away from her competitors in the last 150 meters. World champion Elisa Balsamo, who also belonged to the top, had to give up 500 meters before the finish.
Vos not only managed to win the day, but also took over the yellow jersey of the overall leaders from the previous day’s winner Lorena Wiebes. She was part of the peloton, but didn’t try to maintain her lead at any price because her teammates had the best chances of winning with Vos – and she used them. Wiebes prevailed in the sprint of the peloton and finished sixth, 29 seconds back.
Brennauer fights in vain, worried about sweet milk
Lisa Brennauer also finished in the peloton, trying in vain to get ahead due to the strong winds and to sprint for victory. One of the victims of the falls was the German track world champion Laura üßmilch, who fell a good 22 kilometers from the finish in Provins.
The 25-year-old from the Belgian team Plantur-Pura had already fallen in the final lap at the start on Sunday in Paris. Sweet milk (Weingarten) lay motionless on the side of the road, it was initially unclear how badly the 25-year-old had it. Marta Cavalli from Italy and Nicole Frain from Australia had both fallen to the ground shortly before.
Vos overwhelmed by success
Instead, two-time Olympic champion and 13-time world champion Vos cheered at the end. “This is a great day for me. We knew we had to be very focused on this stage with these winds. We didn’t expect the attack to be enough, but we had the right timing. This is one of the greatest moments for me“, she said.
On Tuesday it will be more profiled, especially in the final. After starting in the champagne city of Reims, the route initially heads south on a level course. After a 180-degree loop, it goes over three mountain classifications to Épernay. After 133.6 kilometers, a smaller group is likely to sprint.