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Tour de France Femmes stage 2 report: Lippert outkicks Kopecky

The German national champion's fast finish prevailed on a wet, hard day at the race.

Liane Lippert outsprints Lotte Kopecky and Silvia Persico for victory on stage 2. Photo © Rafa Gomez/Cor Vos

Joe Lindsey
by Joe Lindsey 24.07.2023 Photography by
Cor Vos
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Liane Lippert (Movistar) uncorked a ferocious turn of speed to win a sprint out of a heavily reduced bunch on stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes, surprising stage 1 winner and yellow jersey Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime). The pair were part of a group of less than 25 that came to the line together after a relentless, up-and-down day of nervous racing and more than a few crashes. Kopecky kept the yellow jersey.

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Crashes started early, including this one in the neutral zone with Ana Santesteban (Jayco-AlUla) and eventual stage winner Liane Lippert (Movistar). Photo © Rafa Gomez/Cor Vos

Brief analysis

Quote of the day

I crashed twice, in the neutral and then on the climb, and there was a bit of stress but the team did so well. The whole team, we came back after the crash and stayed calm in this race. I always race well in rain so I was actually happy when it started.

-Lippert

Stage 3 preview

After Kopecky’s attack snatched the stage 1 victory and the punchers and GC riders came to the fore on stage 2, stage 3 may finally offer a sprinters showdown. The 147.2 km route from Collonges-la-Rouge to Montignac-Lascaux features four climbs, but three are relatively small Category 4 ascents and the last one, the Côte de Saint Robert, is just 1.1 km long and comes more than 50 km from the finish. There’s always a chance for a breakaway, but so far the TdFF is following the pattern from the Giro Donne where attackers never got much of a lead, so a bunch sprint is the likeliest outcome. Look for SD Worx’s Lorena Wiebes against DSM-Firmenich’s Charlotte Kool and of course Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).

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