Report – Vos wins in Paris at Tour

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Favourite Marianne Vos wins the first ever ‘La Course’ women’s race at the Tour de France whilst Lizzie Armitstead crashes

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Report – Vos wins in Paris at Tour

NOTE: Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Marianne Vos’s victory over the fastest female sprinters in the world in the final dash for the line heralded a new era.

In what was a nervous race with the odds stacked heavily against potential breakaways, any rider who strayed too far from the front had no chance of vying for the win against the grandiose backdrop of the Champs-Élysées.

The world champion sprinted to the line first ahead of Kirsten Wild (Giant-Shimano) and Leah Kirchmann (Optum Pro Cycling) at the end of a thrilling final sprint.

VosWinsinParis

Photo: ASO/X.Bourgois

The race didn’t go so well for Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead who said later on twitter, “Well two bike changes and a crash, Paris you didn’t deliver my romantic dreams! Going home with stitches but I’ll be fine :)”
No escape
The riders were well aware of the magnitude of ‘La Course’ when they gathered on the Champs-Élysées circuit for the first time at 1 pm.

All the riders had hatched their own plans of escaping the clutches of the likes of Vos, Wild et all but the peloton was having none of that. Worrack (Specialized), who attacked twice, and Van Vleuten tried to slip away during the first hour of racing, ridden at an average speed of 44 km/h, but were unable to push their gap beyond 20 seconds.

With 36 kilometres to go, it was time for one of the big names to light the fireworks, as Ellen van Dijk went into time trialling mode in a solo bid for glory. Once again, the Dutch rider’s adventure was cut short by the bunch, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot taking the reins of the race for Rabo Liv.

With 24 riders withdrawing from the race, what was already proving to be a selective race got even more hectic in the final three kilometres. Having suffered a flat earlier on, Kirsten Wild was quickly shepherded back to the peloton by her teammates and was ideally positioned on Marianne Vos’s wheel as the bunch rolled under the 2 km banner.

Following Ferrand-Prévot’s spectacular fall with 900 metres to go, it was Lisa Brennauer’s turn to go off the front inside the final kilometre. Alas, the German champion took off too early and was overtaken with 100 metres to go by Wild and Vos, all guns blazing in their promised duel on the most magnificent avenue in the world.

It was Marianne Vos who claimed this sprint royal and showed just why the most beautiful races have her name written all over them.

“La Course’s really something awesome for women’s cycling” said Vos, but it’s just one step towards the recognition we deserve. I’d like to thank the organisers again. I hope everyone who saw us today realised the peloton’s getting stronger and stronger. I’ve already won most major races, and La Course is one I just had to add to my palmarès. It’s also thanks to my team that I won today. Yet the more you win, the more you want to win.”

1 VOS Marianne RABO LIV WOMEN CYCLING TEAM 02h 00′ 41”
2 WILD Kirsten TEAM GIANT – SHIMANO + 00′ 00”
3 KIRCHMANN Leah OPTUM P/B KELLY BENEFIT + 00′ 00”
4 BRENNAUER Lisa SPECIALIZED – LULULEMON + 00′ 00”
5 OLDS Shelley ALE CIPOLLINI + 00′ 00”
6 RIVERA Coryn UNITEDHEALTHCARE + 00′ 00”
7 D’HOORE Jolien LOTTO BELISOL LADIES + 00′ 00”
8 JOHANSSON Emma ORICA – AIS + 00′ 00”
9 FRAPPORTI Simona ASTANA BEPINK WOMENS TEAM + 00′ 00”
10 FOURNIER Roxane POITOU-CHARENTES FUTUROSCOPE + 00′ 00”

Brits
21 BARNES Hannah UNITEDHEALTHCARE + 00′ 00”
24 LAWS Sharon UNITEDHEALTHCARE + 00′ 10”
84 POOLEY Emma LOTTO BELISOL LADIES + 01′ 16”
94 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth BOELS DOLMANS CYCLING TEAM + 03′ 11”

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