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Tour de France Femmes: Van Vleuten survives final stage to win inaugural race – as it happened

Annemiek van Vleuten survived multiple attacks and bike changes on stage eight to claim a historic Tour de France Femmes win

• 31 Jul 2022 Annemiek van Vleuten wins stage eight, and the 2022 Tour de France Femmes!
• 31 Jul 2022 Preamble

Thank you for reading our coverage of this year’s Tour de France Femmes , and thank you to all of you who got in touch via email or Twitter.

It was heartening to see the appetite for women’s cycling, both from fans out on the road and the many of you who have tuned in to read our live blogs, reports and more. It was a long wait for a proper multi-stage women’s Tour de France , 33 years, but this race looks well set to go from strength to strength.

Now, there is a football match of quite some significance happening at Wembley: join Sarah Rendell for minute-by-minute coverage of England v Germany in the Euro 2022 final right here:

Congratulations to all the riders who finished a gruelling race – and indeed congratulations to all of those who didn’t. Everyone played their part. It was a fantastic performance from Silvia Persico, third on today’s stage, and fifth in GC.

3rd place for Silvia Persico in #tdff last stage 😍 Second podium in this Grande Boucle, sixth top 10 in eight stages, fifth place in GC and best italian athlete of the peloton. So proud of you 😍😍😍😍😍 — Valcar - Travel & Service (@valcar_ts) July 31, 2022

Huge congratulations too to Vollering, Niewiadoma and Labous for finishing second, third and fourth respectively in GC. Vollering was pictured after today’s stage seemingly in tears – perhaps illustrating the sheer amount of effort she put in to try and reel in Van Vleuten today.

Jeremy Whittle reports:

The top five on stage 8:

1) Van Vleuten (Movistar) 3hr 37min 23sec 2) Vollering (SD Worx) +30secs 3) Persico (Valcar Travel & Service) +1min 43secs 4) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 52secs 5) Labous (Team DSM) +1min 56secs

The final top five in GC:

1) Van Vleuten (Movistar) 25hr 55min 44sec 2) Vollering (SD Worx) +3min 48secs 3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +6min 35secs 4) Labous (Team DSM) +7min 28secs 5) Persico (Valcar Travel & Service) +8min

Van Vleuten speaks: “That’s actually a dream that comes true. Winning in yellow on the top ... wow. And it was not an easy stage. It was not an easy week. It’s been a super-big rollercoaster for me, and even today it was not easy. To finish here, solo, it’s the best way.

“I’m super proud to be the first winner of the Tour de France for the women when it’s back on the calendar, in this new version ... wow, I hope it’s a big start, and we can build this event to a bigger event for the women ... I think it’s a milestone to win this first one.

“I think it now can all sink in, and I can finally enjoy it. Yesterday was an unbelievable day but I still wanted to keep the focus ... and now I can finally ... YES! ... go only ice cream and pizza tonight, and celebrate with this team ... tonight I can celebrate without thinking abouut tomorrow.”

The Tour de France Femmes official Twitter chips in with a Van Vleuten video:

🏆 💛 🏆 🇳🇱 @AvVleuten 👑 #TDFF #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/g2bYeLdYRx — Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 31, 2022

The camera motorbike that was following Van Vleuten toppled over in the closing metres of the race. That may demonstrate how steep that final bit of the climb is.

Hopefully some reaction coming up from Van Vleuten, among others.

Movistar’s social media team, needless to say, have been busy preparing the victory graphic for Twitter:

💛🐐 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄. 🐐💛 @AvVleuten again #MiekItHappen with resounding success atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles as she wins @LeTourFemmes - our 8th Tour de France victory. Incredibly proud of the whole Movistar Team! 🥹🏆 #TDFF | #RodamosJuntos | @Telefonica pic.twitter.com/uFaPlzjk2L — Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) July 31, 2022

Van Vleuten had a massive lead in the GC after yesterday but that was far from a straightforward day. She had four or five bike changes after some mechanical problems and a puncture, and was attacked left, right and centre by rival teams who chose to try and test her rather than admit defeat in the overall race. At one point she had to take it on herself to chase back into contact with the peloton. But she got the job done, and had the strength to accelerate away on the final climb to seal a dominant stage win, and overall win.

Ludwig , who won stage three, makes it to the top. Garcia, who did so much to animate the race, is next to finish.

Persico and Niewiadoma are engaged in a huge battle for third place on the stage ... and Persico takes it!

Annemiek van Vleuten wins stage eight, and the 2022 Tour de France Femmes!

Her rivals simply had no answer. An outstanding al-round performance from the Dutchwoman. Vollering comes home second, and seals second in GC.

500m to go: The severity of the gradients on the upper slopes is quite hard to appreciate on the TV. Anyway, safe to say that the legs of every rider will be screaming in pain ...

Van Vleuten grinds her way up the final few hundred metres of the race!

1km to go: Vollering fights on behind. Niewiadoma powers on behind that. But we are not going to see any movement in the podium places.

1.5km to go: Utter dominance, again, from Van Vleuten. The gap between her and Vollering is now 32secs. She is rounding off this race in style.

She will be joining Lorena Wiebes and Marianne Vos in winning two stages of this eight-stage race.

The fans are packed along each side of the road, and they are urging Van Vleuten on to glory. It’s nailed on now.

3.3km to go: Vollering of SD Worx, sporting the polka-dot jersey, is doing everything she can to try and close the gap to the incredibly strong Van Vleuten of Movistar, but it seems of little use. In fact the gap grows to 25secs.

At this rate we are not going to see any change in the top three in the GC. Van Vleuten, Vollering and then Niewiadoma will be the order of the top three. Niewiadoma said before the race she was aiming for the podium, so it’s looking likely to be mission accomplished.

4km to go: Van Vleuten now has nearly 20secs on Vollering. Behind them, Niewiadoma is in a group with Labous, Ludwig, Longo Borghini and Persico, among others.

This is another dominant day from Van Vleuten, and she is climbing towards her second stage win of the race and the yellow jersey. It’s 33 years since the women’s peloton had a Tour de France , and Van Vleuten’s name is going to be on top of the standings this evening.

5km to go: Vollering now tries to bridge across to Van Vleuten. Van Vleuten gets out of the saddle and accelerates again ... she does have time to have a look back over her shoulder to see if anyone is in contact. Vollering has her rival in sight but the gap is growing.

5.5km to go: Scratch that. Garcia comes back, and over the top of Rooijakkers, and she is out front on her own ... but Van Vleuten pumps past her at the front! The yellow jersey, after a stressful day of bike changes and managing attacks from her rivals, leads the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes .

6km to go: Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon/SRAM) has attacked out of the breakaway. She puts in a damaging effort that creates a gap to the rest. Mavi Garcia gives chase, but is visibly struggling to find the power to get back.

6.5km to go: A video here via Le Tour data on Twitter that details the final climb –

The final ascent of the day, and in fact @LeTourFemmes , is La Super Planche des Belles Filles. It should be familiar from Stage 7 of @LeTour where @TamauPogi won in the #MaillotJaune 💛 Will it be victory for the Yellow Jersey today after the 7km, 8.7% climb? #TDFF #TDFFdata pic.twitter.com/LJVO51U0Yf — letourdata (@letourdata) July 31, 2022

8km to go: The breakaway powers towards the foot of the climb, but Trek-Segafredo are doing work to close the gap, and it’s fallen to 38secs.

The group behind consists of 13 riders, according to the live tracker, with Van Vleuten, Vollering, Labous and Longo Borghini all in there.

12km to go: We have less than 5km to race until the foot of the final climb, or at least the official starting point, as the road has already kicked up. Garcia and Brown exchange words at the head of the breakaway group, Brown taking it up at the front.

This final climb will be all about who has managed to conserve the most energy over what has been a punishing week-long race. The escape group has an advantage of a minute, which I reckon is not going to be enough to allow them to fight it out for the stage win with no interference from the chasing pack.

14km to go: García again tries to up the pace at the front of the race, hoping to forge a decisive advantage before the final climb.

We are definitely going to see a big scrap on the final climb, certainly for podium places. Niewiadoma does have a decent cushion of 51secs on the fourth-placed rider, Labous of Team DSM, however.

17km to go: Out on the road, Manon Lloyd gives an informative update from the final climb for Eurosport. She says that some teams have placed not one but two spare bikes in the closing stages of final climb – those will be set up with different gearing that is more suited to the punishing gradients of the higher parts of La Super Planches de Belles Filles. “It’s going to be savage,” Lloyd says.

21km to go: Now, Van Vleuten is pictured riding along serenely on a flat section and having a chat with a rider from a rival team. She suddenly looks far more relaxed with the situation. Does she go for the stage win to underline her dominance, or will she sit back and let others fight it out? I reckon the latter, because she said before today’s stage that yellow is the priority and she is not planning to ‘put on a show’.

She certainly had to toil to get back to the main bunch after those bike problems, though.

22km to go: García attacks from the front group, seeking to make it a more selective bunch of riders by the time they hit the final climb. But her move is reeled in by the other nine riders.

23km to go: The surviving 10 riders in the break:

Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) Paula Patiño (Movistar Team) Elise Chabbey (Canyon/SRAM) Liane Lippert (Team DSM) Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma) Yara Kastelijn (Plantur-Pura) Coralie Demay (St-Michel Auber93) Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-SRAM) Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) Grace Brown (FDJ Suez Futuroscope)

27km to go: The group of favourites speeds down the descent, and Van Vleuten is distanced, but only by a couple of seconds. This isn’t going to be nearly enough to make any kind of dent in the Dutchwomen’s overall lead. That said, her rivals are certainly making her work today.

31km to go: Marianne Vos of Jumbo-Visma, in the green jersey, is back in the fourth group on the road. The world champion Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) is also there, which according to the live tracker includes 11 riders. They are over four minutes down on the leaders and about 3min 30secs behind Van Vleuten’s group.

32km to go: Six groups on the road, the last of which is just summiting the Ballon d’Alsace climb now.

33km to go: The riders can start thinking about the final climb, “La Super Planche des Belles Filles”: It’s 7km long, with an average gradient of 8.7%, but it kicks up to 24% in places. As if that wasn’t hard enough, the “Super” bit is the gravel road at the top ...

38km to go: The breakaway – now 10 riders – crests the climb of Ballon d’Alsace. Van Vleuten and the group of favourites are 1min 15secs behind. Santesteban and Christoforou are between those two groups, 38secs behind.

It’s going to take something spectacular for Van Vleuten to be denied here – she is within 40km of overall victory and has over three minutes’ advantage in GC.

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Annemiek van vleuten adds tour de france title to olympic gold.

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PLANCHE DES BELLES FILLES, France — Veteran rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s Tour de France, which returned after a 33-year absence, on Sunday after clinching the eighth and final stage in style.

The 39-year-old van Vleuten won the stage by 30 seconds from Dutch countrywoman Demi Vollering , who also finished the race second overall. Italian rider Silvia Persico was third in the stage, 1 minute, 43 seconds behind the winner.

In the overall standings, Movistar rider van Vleuten was 3:48 clear of Vollering (Team SD Worx) and 6:35 ahead of Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) in third spot.

Van Vleuten had just about enough energy to punch the air in delight when crossing the line after the 76-mile mountain stage in the Vosges mountains of eastern France. It featured two category 1 climbs, the second ascent being the stage-ending trek up La Super Planche des Belles Filles, which finished with a daunting gradient of 23%.

She entered the final stage with a lead of 3:14 seconds over Vollering.

On Saturday’s penultimate stage, Van Vleuten rose from eighth overall to take the yellow jersey from Marianne Vos with more superb climbing in the Vosges.

Van Vleuten added this victory to a long list of achievements, including three Giro d’Italia Femminile titles, Olympic gold in time trial and two world championship golds in the same discipline.

Six years ago, her career was under threat after she sustained fractures to her spine and was placed in intensive care after crashing during the women’s Olympic road race at the Brazil Games.

Vos was among the favorites, but the three-time Giro d’Italia champion ended up in 26th place overall.

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Van Vleuten wins women’s Tour de France for 1st time

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France women’s cycling race, in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, eastern France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, smiles as she crosses the finish line after winning the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, eastern France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, rides in the pack in Lure, France, Sunday, July 31, 2022, during the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super PLanche des Belles Filles, eastern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates after winning the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, eastern France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after winning the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, eastern France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, the overall leader’s yellow jersey, meets fans prior to the start of the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super PLanche des Belles Filles, eastern France, in Lure, France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Netherland’s Annemiek Van Vleuten, the overall leader’s yellow jersey, pose for the photo with her team prior to the start of the 8th stage of the Tour de France women’s cycling race from Lure to La Super PLanche des Belles Filles, eastern France, in Lure, France, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

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PLANCHE DES BELLES FILLES, France (AP) — Veteran rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s Tour de France for the first time on Sunday after clinching the eighth and final stage in style.

The 39-year-old Van Vleuten won the stage by 30 seconds from Dutch countrywoman Demi Vollering, who also finished the race second overall. Italian rider Silvia Persico was third in the stage, 1 minute, 43 seconds behind the winner.

In the overall standings, Movistar rider Van Vleuten was 3:48 clear of Vollering (Team SD Worx) and 6:35 ahead of Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) in third spot.

Van Vleuten had just about enough energy to punch the air in delight when crossing the line after the 123-kilometer (76-mile) mountain stage in the Vosges mountains of eastern France. It featured two category 1 climbs, the second ascent being the stage-ending trek up La Super Planche des Belles Filles, which finished with a daunting gradient of 23%.

She entered the final stage with a lead of 3:14 seconds over Vollering.

On Saturday’s penultimate stage, Van Vleuten rose from eighth overall to take the yellow jersey from Marianne Vos with more superb climbing in the Vosges.

Van Vleuten added this victory to a long list of achievements, including three Giro d’Italia Femminile titles, Olympic gold in time trial and two world championship golds in the same discipline.

Six years ago, her career was under threat after she sustained fractures to her spine and was placed in intensive care after crashing during the women’s Olympic road race at the Brazil Games.

Vos was among the favorites, but the three-time Giro d’Italia champion ended up in 26th place overall.

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Van Vleuten Breaks Through to Win Women’s Tour de France

• Author: Associated Press

PLANCHE DES BELLES FILLES, France (AP) — Veteran rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s Tour de France for the first time on Sunday after clinching the eighth and final stage in style.

The 39-year-old Van Vleuten won the stage by 30 seconds from Dutch countrywoman Demi Vollering, who also finished the race second overall. Italian rider Silvia Persico was third in the stage, 1 minute, 43 seconds behind the winner.

In the overall standings, Movistar rider Van Vleuten was 3:48 clear of Vollering (Team SD Worx) and 6:35 ahead of Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) in third spot.

Van Vleuten had just about enough energy to punch the air in delight when crossing the line after the 123-kilometer (76-mile) mountain stage in the Vosges mountains of eastern France. It featured two category 1 climbs, the second ascent being the stage-ending trek up La Super Planche des Belles Filles, which finished with a daunting gradient of 23%.

She entered the final stage with a lead of 3:14 seconds over Vollering.

On Saturday’s penultimate stage, Van Vleuten rose from eighth overall to take the yellow jersey from Marianne Vos with more superb climbing in the Vosges.

Van Vleuten added this victory to a long list of achievements, including three Giro d’Italia Femminile titles, Olympic gold in time trial and two world championship golds in the same discipline.

Six years ago, her career was under threat after she sustained fractures to her spine and was placed in intensive care after crashing during the women's Olympic road race at the Brazil Games.

Vos was among the favorites, but the three-time Giro d’Italia champion ended up in 26th place overall.

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Van Vleuten wins women’s Tour de France for 1st time

PLANCHE DES BELLES FILLES, France (AP) — Veteran rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s Tour de France for the first time on Sunday after clinching the eighth and final stage in style.

The 39-year-old Van Vleuten won the stage by 30 seconds from Dutch countrywoman Demi Vollering, who also finished the race second overall. Italian rider Silvia Persico was third in the stage, 1 minute, 43 seconds behind the winner.

In the overall standings, Movistar rider Van Vleuten was 3:48 clear of Vollering (Team SD Worx) and 6:35 ahead of Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) in third spot.

Van Vleuten had just about enough energy to punch the air in delight when crossing the line after the 123-kilometer (76-mile) mountain stage in the Vosges mountains of eastern France. It featured two category 1 climbs, the second ascent being the stage-ending trek up La Super Planche des Belles Filles, which finished with a daunting gradient of 23%.

She entered the final stage with a lead of 3:14 seconds over Vollering.

On Saturday’s penultimate stage, Van Vleuten rose from eighth overall to take the yellow jersey from Marianne Vos with more superb climbing in the Vosges.

Van Vleuten added this victory to a long list of achievements, including three Giro d’Italia Femminile titles, Olympic gold in time trial and two world championship golds in the same discipline.

Six years ago, her career was under threat after she sustained fractures to her spine and was placed in intensive care after crashing during the women’s Olympic road race at the Brazil Games.

Vos was among the favorites, but the three-time Giro d'Italia champion ended up in 26th place overall.

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten 'Super Proud' to Win the First Tour de France Femmes in 33 Years

The 39-year-old Dutch cyclist told reporters she was "super close" to quitting the tour after struggling with stomach issues earlier in the week

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten captured the yellow jersey to win the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes in 33 years, despite facing a series of challenges throughout the race.

The 39-year-old athlete emerged victorious on Sunday at Super Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges, finishing the race more than three minutes ahead of the runner-up Demi Vollering, a fellow countrywoman. In third place was Poland's Katarzyna "Kasia" Niewiadoma.

Prior to her win, Van Vleuten told reporters she was feeling under the weather, and dealing with adebilitating stomach issue. According to VeloNews , the cyclist took a handful of breaks to use the bathroom on stages two and three and told reporters she was "super close" to quitting the race.

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"It's a little bit of a miracle," the cyclist said of her win after the eighth and final stage of the race.

Van Vleuten called her sickness "a bad situation" and revealed that teammates had to help her pack her suitcase. "My teammates had to push me also all the time, so I was really in a bad situation," said the cyclist.

After the win, v an Vleuten told Yahoo Sports , "It was not an easy stage. It was not an easy week. It's been a super-big rollercoaster for me, and even today it was not easy. To finish here, solo, it's the best way."

The 2022 edition of the Tour de France Femmes was the first in 33 years. While the highly celebrated men's race happens each year, there hadn't been a women's version since 1989. After years of pushing to reboot the event, organizers were finally able to find a sponsor and put on the 2022 race.

"I'm super proud to be the first winner of the Tour de France for the women when it's back on the calendar, in this new version, Van Vleuten said. "I hope it's a big start, and we can build this event into a bigger event for women. It's a milestone to win this first one."

The tour impressed Van Vleuten from the start. On Tuesday, she said, "It's exceeding my expectations, the Tour de France Femmes. Especially it's exceeding on how it's organized. I really want to shout out to the organization."

And much like the men's event, the Tour de France Femmes had a few major moments that drew headlines. On Thursday, 16 cyclists on the tour were injured after a chaotic crash involving almost half of the participants. The riders suffered injuries that included "cuts, scrapes, abrasions and bruises," according to Cycling News .

"It was chaotic, people were screaming everywhere, and mechanics, directors and doctors came running," cyclist Magdeleine Vallieres Mill told the publication.

At least one woman, Danish cyclist Emma Norsgaard, required medical attention, but has since reported that she's okay. She suffered trauma to her head, shoulder and cervical vertebra and was transported to the hospital for evaluation, per the cycling outlet.

The accident happened on a straight road, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from the end of the 109-mile (175 km) stage, which is one of the flattest of the Tour, according to CNN . "It was a crash, it was a slow day, a long day. Someone touches a wheel and they crash, it's like the guys, it's like the Tour de France," Trek-Segafredo head director Ina Teutenberg told Cycling News .

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'Couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink' - Annemiek van Vleuten charge hit by stomach bug at Tour de France Femmes

Updated 26/07/2022 at 17:00 GMT

Pre-race favourite and recent Giro Donne champion Annemiek van Vleuten admitted she “couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink” after going down with a stomach problem at the Tour de France Femmes. The Dutchwoman is pleased at her damage limitation job in France, which has seen her stay in the general classification picture: 1’14” behind early pacesetter Marianne Vos, who increased her overall lead on Stage 3.

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Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024 Femmes : Victoire surprise de Grace Brown, Juliette Labous 8e

La 8e édition de Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes s’est dénouée au sprint. Et c'est Grace Brown qui s'est imposée ce dimanche 21 avril en Belgique, à l'issue d'un dernier kilomètre haletant.

Pour cette dernière Classique ardennaise féminine de la saison de cyclisme sur route , l'Australienne de 31 ans a passé la ligne d'arrivée devant l'Italienne Elisa Longo Borghini , bouclant les 153 km du parcours accidenté en 4 h 29 m 00 s. La Néerlandaise Demi Vollering , double-vainqueure de la Doyenne des Classiques en 2021 et 2023 et grande favorite, complète le podium.

Du côté des Françaises, Juliette Labous a terminé en 8e position. Evita Muzic et Cédrine Kerbaol s'offrent un Top 20.

LIRE AUSSI :

• Le guide complet de Liège-Bastogne-Liège hommes et femmes 2024
• Calendrier de la saison de l'UCI World Tour 2024 en cyclisme sur route
• Comment se qualifier pour Paris 2024 en cyclisme sur route

Le résumé de la course

Le suspense était à son comble jusqu'à la ligne d'arrivée. La course Femmes a commencé à s’emballer sur la célèbre côte de la Redoute. Un trio de tête composé d’ Élise Chabbey (SUI), Grace Brown (GBR) et Kim Cadzow (NZL) s’est détaché dans cette côte de 9,5 %, à 35 km de l’arrivée. Le trio comptait 2 min 40 sec d’avance sur le peloton à la sortie de cette difficulté.

C’est ensuite l’Italienne Elisa Longo Borghini qui a entamé une attaque dans la Roche-aux-Faucons (1,3 km à 11%), à 14 km de l’arrivée. Les favorites Demi Vollering et Niewiadoma Katarzyna lui ont pris la roue, créant ainsi un second trio, qui pointait à seulement 35 secondes du permier à 12 km de l’arrivée.

L’écart entre les deux trios n’a cessé de diminuer au fil des kilomètres, jusqu’à une jonction inévitable à 7 km de l’arrivée. Les six coureuses se sont finalement départagées au sprint. Bien engagée dans ce sprint, Elisa Longo Borghini semblait pédaler tout droit vers la victoire. Mais c'était sans compter sur le retour impressionnant de Grace Brown , qui a arraché la victoire sur la ligne.

L'Australienne s'offre une victoire prestigieuse sur cette Classique. Demi Vollering , qui était la principale favorite à sa propre succession, vient compléter le podium. La Néerlandaise, auteure d'un impressionnant triplé sur les Ardennaises l'an passé, n'est toujours pas parvenue à s'imposer cette année.

LIRE AUSSI - Tous les résultats de Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024 Femmes

Palmarès des cinq dernières éditions de Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes

• 2023 : Demi Vollering (NED)
• 2022 : Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)
• 2021 : Demi Vollering (NED)
• 2020 : Lizzie Deignan (GBR)
• 2019 : Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)

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Sources confirm Evenepoel will train at altitude next month, while the future for Van Aert is less clear with no hints of a return to the Tour this summer.

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Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel are both on the road to recovery after their devastating crashes, but the paths forward are not similarly clear for these two “Bigs” of Belgian bike racing.

Van Aert posted to Strava on Wednesday his first outdoor ride since he broke his sternum, collarbone, and several ribs three weeks ago at Dwars door Vlaanderen, a 30km ride on a specially adapted MTB.

“Sorry to all the colleagues I’ve ever given shit to because they have spacers under their stem,” he joked in the title of his file, referencing the extra-elevated front-end of his Cervélo ZFS.

Van Aert’s ride outside of his Herentals hometown comes just one week after he was forced to concede that he would not make his debut at the Giro d’Italia next month.

“At this point I cannot train at all. I’m trying to do my first pedal strokes on the bike, but not enough to be able to train,” he said in a video statement last week.

The shape of the 29-year-old’s summer is uncertain as his Olympic ambitions and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tour de France title defense come into tension.

Evenepoel back on track for the Tour de France

Meanwhile, team sources told Velo on Thursday that Evenepoel will be back on his track toward the Tour de France next month.

Soudal Quick-Step representatives confirmed Evenepoel will be on altitude camp in Sierra Nevada in early May ahead of the Critérium du Dauphiné on June 2 and his hugely hyped Tour debut a few weeks later.

Evenepoel has kept any training off-grid since he broke his collarbone and shoulder blade two weeks ago at the Itzulia Basque Country in a horrific crash that also involved Tour contenders Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič.

The 24-year-old broke some of his social media silence Wednesday when he shared images from his ambassadorial appearance with the Tous à Bord charitable project. He was not wearing a sling or showing any visible signs of his injuries.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by R.EV (@r.ev1703)

Evenepoel’s return to altitude training next month suggests Soudal Quick-Step’s Tour de France project rattles forward as planned.

The 24-year-old superstar was forced to skip his Liège-Bastogne-Liège defense this weekend, but his calendar appears to have been otherwise mostly unaltered.

Should all go to plan, Evenepoel will face off in a popcorn-worthy clash at the Tour de France with Roglič and Tadej Pogačar on June 29 at the Grand Départ .

Whether two-time champion Vingegaard will be there to defend his crown is uncertain.

The Danish dominator was cleared to leave hospital this week after he suffered a broken collarbone and ribs and damaged his lungs in the calendar-shaping Basque crash.

It has already been confirmed that, unlike Evenepoel, Vingegaard will not be attending a previously-scheduled altitude camp next month.

What next for Wout? Olympics, Tour, Vuelta calendar complications

Visma-Lease a Bike is at the drawing board while it waits on the progress of Van Aert and Vingegaard’s injuries, and each of their calendars could impact on the other.

The squad has not yet hinted at what it might have in mind for Van Aert, who originally opted out of riding his sixth-straight Tour in favor of taking a taste of the Giro d’Italia.

That original plan freed Van Aert to go 100 percent for the Paris Olympics, which arrive just days after the conclusion of the Tour.

Should the team stick to the script and keep Van Aert out of the Tour de France, there’s every possibility he’ll return to grand tour racing for a debut at the Vuelta a España in August.

Visma-Lease a Bike director Merijn Zeeman recently told Het Nieuwsblad the team is contemplating every possibility for Van Aert and Vingegaard.

The coming weeks could see the squad making some crucial decisions for both.

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Annemiek van Vleuten disappointed with final Tour de France Femmes, looks ahead to retirement

World champion praises overall winner Demi Vollering

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) came into the season with an ambitious goal of winning all three grand tours, and while she succeeded at La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d'Italia Donne , she was upset to have finished just off the podium in fourth place at the Tour de France Femmes . 

"Of course, there's disappointment that I was not good the last two days," Van Vleuten said.

"I was in the battle and gave it my all. I didn’t make any mistakes, or think that I was not smart or that I did something wrong. I don’t know what happened, I was obviously not myself. And that’s a bit sad for my last Tour de France. I don’t know what happened."

Van Vleuten came into the eight-day race as the defending champion and as one of the overwhelming favourites but struggled on the two final decisive days. 

Demi Vollering wins the Tour de France Femmes 2023 The final GC standings at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes UCI Road World Championships 2023

On stage 7 , she finished third on the Col du Tourmalet 2:34 behind winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx). On the stage 8 time trial in Pau , she finished 14th at 1:41 behind Vollering. She dropped one place in the overall classification finishing fourth at 3:59 behind the Tour de France Femmes overall winner, Vollering.

Although she expressed disappointment in her performances, she also said that she felt unwell and had stomach problems following the queen stage 7 on the summit of the Tourmalet and that those symptoms carried into the morning of the time trial.

"When I woke up this morning, I already felt off. Yesterday evening I felt like I would be sick this morning. I was not really sick, I didn’t have a temperature that was high, but I said I’d give it a go, you never know," Van Vleuten said.

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"But I already know from how I was riding yesterday on the Tourmalet, I think people that watch more women’s cycling know it is not the level I normally have."

"Knowing how I felt and that it was hard to recover from that stage in a short time, I was hoping for it and going for it, but I knew that it would be hard."

Van Vleuten said there were highlights from this week, too, in watching her teammates Liane Lippert and Emma Norsgaard secure stage victories.

"Yes, it's a huge disappointment for me, for my own performance. But not for the team performances, it was super nice to share the win of Liane and Emma, two beautiful wins out of eight stages," Van Vleuten said.

Our champion. And many people’s.@AvVleuten completes her final @LeTourFemmes avec @GoZwift stage.Miek is 4th overall to cap off an outstanding Grand Tour season, winning La Vuelta and the Giro Donne.#RodamosJuntos | #TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/WniNyfcj1Y July 30, 2023

As she crossed the finish line of the time trial, she was surrounded by all of her teammates who had arrived to support her in her last Tour de France Femmes before retirement.

Van Vleuten appeared to be emotional as they chanted her name and congratulatory hugs.

"I was emotional for my teammates. It was so nice for them to be there. It was such a nice gesture after they worked so hard for me the whole week and to be there at the finish line with such a warm welcome. Our team is like a warm family, and I had a really good time in the two years," said Van Vleuten, who will retire at the end of this season.

"I think we achieved a lot of beautiful memories, and it's also what the manager told me, and it will not make any difference after this disappointing Tour de France for me, personally, for the GC. But we won two stages, and we achieved a lot together, and that was nice to hear those words of the manager at the finish."

'I won't be the leader'  - Van Vleuten to work for Vollering, Wiebes at Glasgow Worlds

Van Vleuten will now head to the Glasgow World Championships , where she lines up as the defending champion. She will join the Dutch National Team that includes Vollering and Lorena Wiebes and revealed that she will not be the team leader but will work for her teammates in her final Worlds.

"I think Vollering will be the leader, together with our sprinter, and I will be there also, but I am on the leader," Van Vleuten said.

"I think she already [arrived] this spring at an amazing level. It was sad that I could not really compete with her for the last two days [at the Tour de France] at my normal level because it would have been a bit more interesting."

Van Vleuten also praised Vollering and SD Worx for their success at the Tour de France Femmes and noted that Vollering handled the pressure of being a team leader and a champion very well.

"She was super good, the whole team, they did super well. She is a young rider, and it is not easy to have so much pressure on your shoulders. I can also feel the pressure. I'm 40, and I can also feel the pressure, and I'm a bit more used to it," Van Vleuten said.

"She can deal with the pressure, and it's not easy in the Tour de France, there's a lot of tension, so shout out to her that she can handle it already at such a young age. She had an amazing performance."

ASO announced that the Tour de France Femmes will begin in Rotterdam, Netherlands next year , where Van Vleuten said she would be watching as a fan while she enjoys her retirement.

"For sure, I am a big cycling fan, and I don't know in what kind of role, maybe already in a role in the team, but first I will take a sabbatical next year, but for sure I will be supporting because I am a big cycling fan." 

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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews , overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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