Much as expected, Dutch super-sprinter Lorena Wiebes (DSM) won the first stage of the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift that consisted of 12 laps on the Champs-Élysées and is the first overall leader of the race.
Due to bonus seconds, Wiebes is 10 seconds ahead of the vast majority of the peloton; only stage runner-up Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and third-placed Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) sit at 4 and 6 seconds, respectively.
Most of the GC contenders finished safely at the same time as Wiebes, including the top favourite for the GC victory, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), and her expected rivals Demi Vollering (SD Worx), Marta Cavalli, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (both FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), and Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ).
However, crashes in a nervous peloton on the first stage over the Champs-Élysées cobblestones led to several riders losing time. Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange-Jayco) crashed on the final lap and finished 56 seconds behind, as did Trek-Segafredo’s strong domestique Leah Thomas. Spratt’s teammate Ane Santesteban, another dependable climber, lost 1:40. The Australian team’s third climbing option, Kristen Faulkner, also finished behind the peloton, but her deficit was later erased as her mechanical happened on the last three kilometres.
Young Swiss climber Petra Stiasny (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad) was very unfortunate as she ended up missing the time limit, meaning that her Tour de France Femmes is over almost before it really started.
A group of 36 riders crossed the line 17 seconds back, including Trek-Segafredo’s Shirin van Anrooij, Sabrina Stultiens, Thalita de Jong (both Liv Racing Xstra), Rachel Neylan (Cofidis), Joss Lowden (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), and Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM).
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The Tour de France classifications
Here’s a rundown of all the ongoing competitions at the Tour de France. Click here for a more comprehensive explainer, including minor competitions such as the intermediate sprints prize and the fighting spirit prize.
Yellow Jersey/Maillot Jaune – The yellow jersey is worn by the overall race leader on the general classification who has completed the stages so far in the lowest accumulated time.
Green Jersey – The green jersey is the points classification. Riders accrue points at one of the two intermediate sprints during stages and also at stage finishes, and the man with the most points leads the ranking.
Polka Dot Jersey…
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