Marianne Vos took the yellow jersey in the Tour de France Femmes on Monday by winning the second stage. After a flat ride of 135 kilometers, which was marred by a series of falls, the Brabant was in a class of its own in the sprint in a thinned out group.
Vos managed to escape the attention of the peloton in the final phase, together with compatriot Maike van der Duin, Elisa Balsamo, Elisa Longo Borghini and Katarzyna Niewiadoma. The Jumbo-Visma rider was the big favorite to win the sprint and more than lived up to expectations in finish place Provins.
Italy’s Silvia Persico crossed the finish line in second, ahead of Polish Niewiadoma. Longo Borghini finished fourth two seconds behind Vos and white jersey wearer Van der Duin had to give in to her winning compatriot as number five.
The 35-year-old Vos recorded her third victory of the year. Earlier this month, she also won two stages in the Giro Donne.
Lorena Wiebes started the second stage in yellow with her victory on Sunday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The Team DSM rider was unable to provide another bunch sprint with her team in the windy stage and lost the lead in the general classification. She finished sixth, 29 seconds behind Vos.
The Tour de France Femmes lasts until Sunday and continues on Tuesday with a hill stage. The peloton departs Reims for a ride of 133 kilometers to Épernay. Along the way, the riders will have to deal with five climbs.