It’s game on! The Tour de France Femmes has returned for its third edition on Monday. Stage 1 was a flat 124.0 km run from Rotterdam to The Hague.
Although there were several breakaway attempts during the day, the sprinters’ teams set up for a chaotic and quick finale into The Hague. Kool took a long sprint, beating Finnish rider Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno-X Mobility) with Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) in third.
Canada’s Olivia Baril (Movistar), in her brand-new national championship jersey, finished 15th—staying near the front to avoid any crashes. Baril has her sights set on the tougher stages in the Tour where she can use her climbing skills to move up the GC.
Alison Jackson (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) finished 23rd, Simone Boilard (Uno-X Mobility) came in 28th, and Magdeleine Vallières Mill (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) was 104th. Those four riders all finished safely in the bunch with the same time. Clara Emond (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) came in 119th, 20 seconds behind.
Maggie Coles-Lyster: from the track to road in 24 hours
Maggie Coles-Lyster had a tough day in the saddle, finishing 148th, some 13 minutes behind. However, less than 24 hours earlier, she was racing on the track at the Paris Olympics in the omnium. After the third event, she was sitting third overall. “I was absolutely on cloud nine to be sitting in the bronze medal position after the first 3 races. I fought with everything I had for that medal in the points race but just couldn’t quite take the lap I needed to make it happen,” she posted on Instagram after the race. “Bittersweet for sure, but there’s comfort in knowing I gave it what I had and am proud of so much today. Is it wild that I’m already eager for the work over the next 4 years and to have another stab at it in LA at the Olympics?”
Coles-Lyster then went right from Paris for a 5-hour drive to join her Roland teammates at the Tour de France Femmes. She will definitely be looking to use her strong kick during the remaining flat stages for a big result.
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