Race Report –Liane Lippert is back and triumphs in Stage 6 Giro d’Italia Women
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes kicked off with first stage in hot weather conditions, in the city centre of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. The stage, which covered 123 kilometers from Rotterdam to The Hague, was a fast-paced affair, dominated by the flat, open roads of the Netherlands. This terrain was a perfect fit for the sprinters, and the expected showdown did not disappoint.
The race wsas well advertised in the Netherlands resulting in huge crowds at start and finish location as well on the side of the road, it made it very special for the Dutch riders to race in their home country as part of the Grand Depart of a Grand Tour.
The Build-Up to the Sprint Finish
From the moment the peloton rolled out of Rotterdam, it was clear that the sprinter teams were intent on controlling the race. The flat parcours, with only 158 meters of elevation gain, provided little opportunity for breakaways to establish a significant lead. The main challenge for the riders came from the crosswinds, which are notorious on the exposed Dutch roads. Teams had to remain vigilant to avoid getting caught out in potential echelons.
The race remained largely together throughout, with only a few minor attempts at breakaways, all of which were quickly reeled back by the sprinters’ teams. As the race approached The Hague, the pace picked up significantly, with teams like SD Worx-Protime, Lidl-Trek, and Team dsm-firmenich PostNL jostling for position at the front.
A Battle of the Sprinters
The sprint for the finish was set to be a thrilling contest between some of the fastest women in the peloton. All eyes were on the Dutch riders, especially Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who were racing on home soil. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), another Dutch favorite, was also in the mix, fresh off her silver medal at the Olympics.
As the peloton barreled into The Hague, the teams set up their lead-out trains, and the tension built for the final sprint. In the last few kilometers, the road opened up, allowing the sprinters to unleash their full power. Charlotte Kool, who had been perfectly positioned by her team, launched her sprint with impeccable timing. Lorena Wiebes had to stop fighting for the top position due to somebody touched her back wheel and her derailleur broke off and wasn’t able to sprint for victory. Despite the fierce competition, Kool managed to edge out Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno-X Mobility) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) to take the stage victory.
Kool’s Reaction
After crossing the finish line, an elated Charlotte Kool expressed her joy at winning the first stage in her home country. “It’s a dream come true to win here in the Netherlands, in front of so many supportive fans. The team did an incredible job keeping me in the right position, and I’m so happy I could finish it off,” Kool said after the race. “Charlotte Kool already believed last year believed in the first day in yellow when the race was announced. ‘’Last year in the TdFF I believed in the yellow jersey as well, people said, you are mad as a dog but I still managed to became third. This one was more realistic. When the parcours was known, at the end of the season all my focus went to this day. When I was on the podium you realize that everything comes together. You work so hard together. It hasn’t been easy, but to be here now, it makes it super special!’’
Danny Stam
Danny Stam was of course disappointed.’’Somebody touch your back and you’re frustrated, of course. We know already a long time that we have a good lead out train and we also were focused on this stage.We know the first two stages are very good for Lorena. So yeah, I think we exactly knew how we should do it and I think it went really perfect till she could not pedal anymore.I think tomorrow is a new day and I think tomorrow is a new sprint, probably.And yeah, we hope we can keep a derrailleur on it. She (Lorena)just said that they touched the back of the bike and then one moment she could not pedal anymore. The complete derriere is gone. It’s difficult to bike like that. Difficult to sprint like that.’’
Riejanne Markus
Dutch Visma Leas a Bike rider Riejanne Markus said it was extreme hectic in yesterdays stage. ‘’The first hour wasn’t fun at all. We crashed once, with Fem (van Empel). It was important for us to take some points for the green jersey with Marianne. Today’s stage will be another hectic stage again, like yesterday, we just need to survive. I am really looking forward to the individual time trial in the afternoon.’’
Looking Ahead
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has only just begun, and if the first stage is anything to go by, we are in for a spectacular week of racing. Tomorrow see two stages in one day. We start of with a stage from Dordrecht to Rotterdam with a individual time trial ends the day with stage 3