Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) added another victory to her palmarès by winning the one-day race La Course by Le Tour de France. She passed Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans) with less than 50 metres to go after a high-speed chase on the descent from the Col de la Colombière.
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Cervélo-Bigla) finished in third place 1:22 minutes behind the winner, and 22-year-old Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (also Cervélo-Bigla) held on for fourth place 1:58 minutes back after making the race with a solo attack on the Col de Romme and staying in front until 16 km to go.
2018 La Course by Le Tour de France - Brief Results
Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
0:00:01
3
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
0:01:22
4
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
0:01:58
5
Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
0:02:19
6
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing
Row 5 - Cell 2
7
Katharine Hall (USA) Unitedhealthcare Women
0:02:22
8
Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton Scott Women
Row 7 - Cell 2
9
Ane Santesteban (Spa) Ale Cipollini
0:02:24
10
Erica Magnaldi (Ita) BePink
Row 9 - Cell 2
Overview
The 2018 La Course by Le Tour de France will take place on July 17 in the Alps, on a 118km route linking Annecy and Le Grand Bornand.
The race, established by ASO in 2014 as a circuit race on the Champs Elysées on the final day of the Tour de France, returns to a one-day format after the two-day experiment in 2017, which saw a summit finish on the Col d'Izoard followed by a handicapped time trial in Marseille.
The 2018 edition is based on stage 10 of the men's Tour de France, starting by Lake Annecy and finishing in Le Grand Bornand. While the men will cover 159km and four major climbs, the women will cover 118km and the last two of those climbs – the Col de Romme and Col de la Colombière – before the run into Le Grand Bornand.
The route will eschew the Croix Fry and the much-anticipated Glières – an 11 per cent climb followed by 2km of gravel roads – that are found in the first half of the men’s parcours. It will join the men’s route at Bonneville before taking on the Romme (8.8km at 8.9 per cent) and Colombière (7.5km at 8.5 per cent) combination – separated by a short descent – before the 15km downhill run into Le Grand Bornand.
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The 2017 La Course was won by Orica-Scott's Annemiek van Vleuten, who triumphed atop Izoard before holding off the chasers in the Marseille time trial.
