Stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes (Vannes – Plumelec, 78.8km) immediately put the entire peloton to the test, with a full-gas effort from start to finish.
Karlijn Swinkels finished inside the top 30, after being in the group of favourites until just a few kilometres from the finish.
The Dutch rider had managed to stay with some of the strongest riders on the day, including Elisa Longo Borghini, Brodie Chapman and Dominika Wlodarczyk. However, in the final part of the race, they lost contact with the front group and eventually conceded a gap.
Victory went to Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who outsprinted Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar and her teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Now it’s time to focus on Stage 2: Brest – Quimper (110.4 km).
(ph. Getty Sport)
