Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made history Sunday, becoming the first French rider to win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. (Yes, there have been earlier versions of the women’s Tour de France, but this current iteration has had no French winners.)
The Visma–Lease a Bike rider made a helluva statement. Her return to road racing peaked with an amazing dub on the final stage, taking the overall title. After stepping away from the road to focus on mountain biking, Ferrand-Prévot came back this season and already has a Paris-Roubaix win to her name. And now, she has the Tour. Classic power move, as they say.
Last year’s champion, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, rode herself onto the final podium, edging out Sarah Gigante after an aggressive descent. (Sidenote: How much does it suck to be amazing up the climbs–where it counts–but have a tough time doing crazy descents.)
Ferrand-Prévot’s stage win—France’s third straight—gave her a 2:37 buffer over Gigante heading into Sunday. Niewiadoma was eyeing the Aussie’s podium position and took risks on the downhills to try and take it. Further down the GC, Demi Vollering had to keep an eye on fast-descending Cedrine Kerbaol, with the EF Education–Oatly rider threatening to bump her from fourth.
Meanwhile, Canadian riders Nadia Gontova (Winspace – Orange Seal) and Magdeleine Vallières had extremely impressive rides. There have been five Canadians riding this Tour—three of whom were riding their first, including Gontova. Sarah Van Dam (Ceratizit) mixed it up in the sprint—her specialty—taking a top ten. National champion Alison Jackson was a force in breakaways. Her EF Education–Oatly teammate Vallières showed off her climbing prowess once the roads went up—including Sunday. She finished a very respectable 18th overall—the highest place for a Canadian woman in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Meanwhile, Gontova honoured her own promise—with an incredible ride on the last stage. Sunday, the riders went from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil, 124.1 km. Just a few days ago, the Richmond, B.C. rider said, “It’s super exciting being part of the race, and the crowds are really incredible. I’ve had some bad luck the last few stages, but I’m enjoying the learning experience and hoping to have good legs in the mountains.”
Well, she damn well delivered. Congrats to all five Canadians who gave it all at the Tour de France Femmes!
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