2023-07-23 16:23:00
The Belgian rider from the SD Worx team finished alone in the lead, 41 seconds ahead of her teammate Lorena Wiebes, in a cautious first race.
By MP with AFP Victorious in the last Tour of Flanders, Kopecky quickly created a sufficient gap to put on the yellow jersey as well as the green (points classification) and the polka dot (mountain), signing his tenth success this season. © JEFF PACHOUD / AFP Published on 07/23/2023 at 4:23 p.m.
Belgian Lotte Kopecky won the first stage of the Tour de France Women and donned the first yellow jersey of the event on Sunday in Clermont-Ferrand. The rider from the SD Worx team attacked shortly before the summit of the only difficulty of the day, the Durtol coast nine kilometers from the line, and won 41 seconds ahead of her Dutch teammate Lorena Wiebes who settled the sprint of the pursuers.
The favorites of this women’s Grande Boucle, the Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering, were among this group, unlike the Frenchwoman Juliette Labous who lost around forty seconds on the contenders for the final podium.
The excitement of the start, given in front of a dense crowd on the Place de Jaude in Clermont-Ferrand, quickly gave way to caution. The rare attempts to attack at the start of the race (in particular by the French Marie-Morgane Le Deunff and Typhaine Laurance) did not disturb the peloton which did not let anyone take too much of a lead.
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A breakaway 10 kilometers from the end
In the last hour of the race, the Polish Marta Lach never managed to take a lead of more than 45 seconds, joined 35 km from the goal. It was not until the Durtol coast (3rd category, 1.7 km at 7.2%) ten kilometers from the line to see the best emerge, Kopecky placing his decisive acceleration in the second part of the climb.
Victorious in the last Tour of Flanders, Kopecky quickly created a sufficient gap to put on the yellow jersey as well as the green (points classification) and the polka dot (mountain), signing her tenth success this season.
Labou distanced
Podium contender after her recent second place at the Giro d’Italia Donne, Juliette Labous was the main victim of the day, left behind in the ascent of the Durtol coast.
On Monday, the second stage will take the peloton from Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac in Cantal, on a 151 kilometer course offering six listed climbs, the last less than two kilometers from the line.
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