Dutch rider Marianne Vos claimed a jaw-dropping 258th career victory when she prevailed in the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes, a 78.8-km hilly ride from Vannes to Plumelec on Saturday.
The three-time road world champion prevailed at the top of the Cote de Cadoudal (1.7km at 6.2%) after her Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot cracked in the final metres to finish third behind Kim Le Court of Mauritius.
While Ferrand-Prevot could not convert, she showed impressive strength when she attacked 700 metres from the line, a move that underlined the mountain biking Olympic champion’s title credentials.
Vos, who will wear the yellow jersey in Sunday’s second stage, surged past in the final 50 metres and raised her arm in celebration.
After a dozen riders were involved in a crash as the peloton rolled towards the start of the stage, Maud Rijnbeek and Laura Tomasi formed the day’s breakaway. Rijnbeek went solo after 23km before Tomasi was swallowed by the peloton.
Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, a major contender for the title after recently winning the Tour de Suisse, was involved in another crash at the foot of the Cote de Cadoudal, a 1.7-km ascent at 6.2%.
Reusser, who finished second in the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta, later abandoned with stomach problems, her Movistar team said.
Defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who beat Demi Vollering by just four seconds last year, finished fourth in the same time as the winner.
Vollering was fifth, three seconds behind.
