As if Marianne Vos ever had something to show, the 38-year-old confirmed once more on Saturday why she is, within the phrases of her sports activities director, and any longtime fan of the game, “the most effective feminine bicycle owner ever”.
The Dutchwoman – a former a number of world and Olympic champion – stormed to victory on stage one of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, keeping off the puncheurs in Plumelec, and tagging her Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the road. Earlier than the day’s stage, Vos already counted 257 wins to her identify. Now she has 258, and a yellow jersey on her shoulders.
“It was one thing I didn’t actually take into consideration going into the stage,” she stated in her press convention. “Taking the win is a unbelievable feeling, after which, as a bonus, taking the yellow jersey – I couldn’t actually assume or dream about that.”
By the point Vos arrived within the media corridor on the outskirts of the Breton city, the sky had begun to darken. The time ticked past 9 o’clock. And but, as she sat in her yellow jersey, zipped as much as her chin, the Dutchwoman appeared in no rush to go away.
After two winless editions of the race, having worn yellow for 5 days in 2022, Vos was savouring the second.
“It’s biking,” she stated of her string of Tour podium locations. “Generally you’re shut, and typically it simply doesn’t work out.
“In fact, it’s [a matter of] protecting the religion, nevertheless it’s additionally the religion that’s put in from the crew. In the event that they imagine, you’re feeling somewhat little bit of strain, however you additionally wish to end it off, and I feel that’s what occurred immediately. The whole lot got here collectively.”
Arriving again at her crew bus to a mass of French followers, Ferrand-Prévot echoed the identical sentiment. “The plan performed out like a dream,” she stated.
What that plan entailed was the Frenchwoman launching a flyer on the ultimate climb, a transfer to “make the others work so Marianne can do her dash from behind,” she defined.
“I didn’t actually assume [about winning]. I believed, ‘Make it to the tip, after which we’ll see.’ I didn’t flip round as a result of that’s no use.”
When Vos thrashed round her shoulder, solely meters from the road, Ferrand-Prévot appeared throughout and smiled. “I used to be relieved it was her,” she stated, grinning once more as she recalled the second. “I believed, ‘Uff, it’s Marianne, not another person.’”
Afterwards, the pair fell into one another’s arms. It was an embrace that held the expertise of just about 30 world titles, honours they’ve collected between them throughout a number of disciplines. It was additionally proof that, irrespective of what number of many years of racing you’ve performed, the sensation of profitable stays simply as candy.
“We turn out to be stronger due to these two, they usually helped one another to get this outcome,” stated Visma’s sports activities director Jos van Emden.
The day’s standings learn first for Vos, and third for Ferrand-Prévot, simply behind Kim Le Courtroom (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal), however with just a few seconds’ time hole already to the remainder of the GC contenders.
“It couldn’t have been higher,” stated Van Emden. “Effectively, one-two would have been higher,” he added with a smile. “I didn’t see this coming, not this manner, not this spectacular.”
The win, for the Dutchman, solely cemented Vos’s present popularity. “She’s most likely the most effective feminine bicycle owner ever. In fact, I’m not goal. However she retains confirming that she’s the most effective,” he stated. “You see, age doesn’t matter.”
At 38, and now in her twentieth yr as a professional, the Dutchwoman continues to be on the very high.
