Wiebes beats Vos to claim stage 1 win and yellow jersey at Tour de France Femmes

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) out-sprinted Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) to win Sunday's opening stage of the Tour de Frances Femmes avec Zwift, which took riders 82km on a Parisian circuit from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées.

A strong solo move by Gladys Verhulst (Le Col-Wahoo) was caught inside the final kilometers to set up a high-speed bunch kick. Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) led the peloton into the last 300 metres before her teammate Vos launched on the right side of the road, with Wiebes going on the left.

The riders seemed evenly matched for the first few moments, but Wiebes began to pull away as the line approached. By the time the 23-year-old Dutchwoman arrived at the finish, she had a full bike length over her compatriot. Behind, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) topped Rachele Barbieri (Liv Racing Xstra) to take third on the day.

"The team did an amazing job. As a whole team we worked for this moment, also all the people at the headquarters, I'm really happy with this win," Wiebes said after her victory. "It was a chaotic sprint and a long sprint, but I expected that. I expected that Marianne would do a long sprint, but it's nice to win."

With her stage 1 triumph, Wiebes becomes the first overall leader of the race.

"It's amazing to have the yellow jersey," Wiebes said. "I'm really, really happy. The whole team deserves this after the amazing season we have had, and we are ready for the next ones."

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Dane has been a sports writer and editor for many years, and makes a return to Cyclingnews as a contributor in 2022. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.

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