A mechanical for Lorena Wiebes in the final kilometre yesterday thwarted a desired Dutch sprint showdown on home roads in the opening bout, but round two on stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift saw Charlotte Kool (DSM Firmenich-PostNL) patiently thread the needle before delivering a knockout blow to overhaul Wiebes at the last, arriving back in the Dutch city the Tour set out from yesterday but now with two Tour stage wins to her name.
After a strong lead-out from SD Worx-Protime, Wiebes was dropped off maybe slightly early into a headwind, left desperate for the finish line to come sooner rather than later, as Kool in the yellow jersey scooted up the inside past Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) before ducking through a gap that had opened up, then edging just ahead across the line. Vos finished third with EF-Oatly-Cannondale’s Lotta Henttala fourth once again and Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo rounding out the top 5.
As well as doubling up on stage wins, Kool extends her advantage in the yellow jersey to 14 seconds over Uno-X Mobility’s Anniina Ahtosalo and Wiebes ahead of this afternoon’s time trial around Rotterdam, which at only 6.3 km gives Kool a chance of retaining the race lead as the Tour heads out of her home country tomorrow to Liège in Belgium.
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How it happened
- A crash within the first couple of the 67.9 kilometres of stage 2 spewed groups all over the road, with riders left chasing to catch back on. Movistar found themselves almost entirely in this second group alongside Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) and Fenix-Deceuninck’s Puck Pieterse. With mercifully little wind blowing across the flatlands of the Netherlands, however, all were back together with around 55 km to go.
- Lotto-Dstny’s Audrey De Keersmaeker put in the decisive attack to get some alone time up the road during the short stage’s lone true breakaway move, earning her the morning’s combativity award, and likely the whole day’s unless someone rides such an aggressive time trial they force ASO into another awarding of the prize this Tuesday.
- Australian fans best look away now as Grace Brown crashed and needed a bike change, while in the closing kilometres over a Rotterdam Bridge Amber Pate and Aussie national champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon both hit the deck. That Liv AlUla Jayco pair were the last two across the line, six minutes adrift, and now sit at the bottom of the GC ahead of Roland’s Canadian Maggie Coles-Lyster, who while eighth in today’s sprint arrived in the Netherlands straight from the Olympic Omnium competition in Paris on Sunday and lost a lot of time on the opening day.
- Back to the pointy end of stage 2 and SD Worx-Protime were in charge as the finish line approached. Mischa Bredewold led under the flamme rouge before handing over to Blanka Vas. Maria Giulia Confalonieri then pulled the Uno-X Mobility train up alongside, looking to set up Ahtosalo.
- But SD Worx-Protime had strength in numbers, as Barbara Guarischi took the final turn in the finishing straight, looking behind for Wiebes and shouting encouragement as her teammate whooshed past. Vos in green followed as the yellow jersey of Kool emerged as well. Kool benefitted from Wiebes looking like she had been dropped off a bit too early into a headwind as the yellow jersey squeezed past Vos and across the gap into Wiebes’ slipstream before darting out for a victory that added panache and cunning to the Dutchwoman’s show of pure strength and speed on stage 1.
It’s f***ing amazing, like a dream coming true, the first dream was getting yellow the second was getting a second stage. showing we have the best lead-out and the best sprinter.
DSM Firmenich-PostNL’s Franziska Koch with some great live television swearing to display her delight at a second stage win for her team.
Brief analysis that will age like milk with another stage mere hours away 🥛
This afternoon’s second course of a 6.3 km time trial in Rotterdam is also a second pan-flat offering that also looks less technical than the road stage.
Will Kool be able to hang on to yellow? We’ll find out soon enough, and in the intervening time can look to July’s ITT at the Baloise Ladies Tour, 11 km and won by Wiebes, with Kool 51 seconds behind. Even halving that advantage gives Wiebes yellow if results run out similarly today, but expect Kool to put much more effort in and the yellow jersey is known to give its wearer a huge boost in Tour de France races against the clock.
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