Tour de France Femmes : an emotional first stage

The opening day of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was filled with emotion. After a short but intense stage, Nadia Gontova finished 34th, just a few seconds behind the main GC contenders. The initial goals weren’t fully met, but the team remains optimistic for the days ahead.

A stage as short as the one between Vannes and Plumelec — only 79 kilometers — was always going to be raced aggressively. Saturday’s profile required riders and teams to stay alert to every move. Tension was high throughout the peloton, and a few crashes occurred, including within our own ranks. Fortunately, everyone made it to the finish, even if the race didn’t unfold as we had hoped. Still, Winspace Orange Seal takes several positives from this opener, particularly Nadia’s promising performance.

The Grand Départ in Brittany was an especially emotional moment for Marie-Morgane Le Deunff, who stepped in last minute to replace Aurela Nerlo. Starting the Tour on her home roads made the experience even more powerful. “I honestly don’t have words for the atmosphere,” said Marie-Morgane. “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It was amazing. Every village was full of people. It was unbelievable. The race was so tense — super fast from the beginning. The crowd on the Cadoudal climb was insane. I’m slowly starting to process what’s happening, and it feels good. My biggest fear is crashes. I was well positioned heading into the final circuit. Tomorrow (Sunday) will be even closer to home. I can’t wait.”

Franck Renimel, WOS sports director, reflected on the stage and looked ahead to what’s coming : “We came here aiming for the white jersey. The pace was extremely high. Two of our riders got caught in an early crash as we entered the circuit. On the positive side, we managed to get Nadia to the front, even though she’s still a bit behind. It’s a step below what we had hoped for, but we knew it would be tough — the white jersey was within reach, but nothing guaranteed. Sunday’s stage has a lot of elevation and some very hard climbs, with short recovery windows between efforts. It’ll require strength. Based on how Stage 1 played out, time gaps are bound to open. Some riders might already lose the GC.”

Results :

34 - Nadia Gontova

74 - Fiona Mangan

92 - Karolina Perekitko

94 - Kiara Lylyk

124 - Marine Allione

125 - Constance Valentin

133 - Marie-Morgane Le Deunff

Photo credit : Quentin Photographie BE