The hour of denouement approaches. And promises a hell of a show. At the end of a very intense week, the riders of the Tour de France attack the last two stages, this weekend, in the passes of the Grand-Est, with in particular the Grand Ballon on Saturday and the Super Planche des Belles Filles on Sunday.
This “Renewal Tour”, under the auspices of ASO, which has decided to use the same means as for its male counterpart, has been a great success. Sporty, first, with very lively stages and offensive leaders. Popular, too, with very good audiences (around 25% market share every afternoon) and more and more people on the roadside. “It’s impressive, we saw that for the boys, and for the first time we can experience that too, appreciates the Frenchwoman Marie Le Net. There are a lot of media, we receive lots of messages on the networks, it’s great. »
“We did not imagine having so many people at the start, finish, on the hills. We make the most of having our Tour de France, adds Aude Biannic, teammate of the headliner Annemiek Van Vleuten. We introduce women’s cycling to the whole world, it’s recognition for our sport and it’s a pleasure. We can also do great races, as interesting as the men. Before this last weekend, we take stock of the race, the athletes who stand out and the challenges of the final stages. With the informed opinion of Paul Brousse, the coach of the French women’s team and consultant for France TV on this Tour.
What we have seen so far
Since the first stage on the Champs-Elysées on Sunday, it hasn’t stopped. Even on the very flat route the next day, towards Provins, the fight raged with attempts to curb the FDJ-Suez and Trek-Segafredo teams, before Marianne Vos caused a royal breakaway with world champion Elisa Balsamo, Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Silvia Persico. The Dutch legend took the opportunity to afford the stage and put on the yellow jersey, which she has not let go since, even adding a second success on Friday.
In fact, there was not a day without a fight between the leaders, who never hid. On the road to Epernay, Tuesday, it went in all directions from the coast of Mutigny, 15 terminals from the finish, and the big favorite Annemiek van Vleuten, a little sick, could not keep pace. The white paths and their steep slopes on Wednesday also had their little effect, like the steep final towards Rosheim on Friday.
Paul Brousse’s opinion: “Everyone was able to realize that for girls too, it’s very high level sport. It’s going fast, there’s suspense, with some great battles between the best. It will move until the last kilometers, Sunday. The show is beautiful, we are a little nervous because it’s the Tour de France, we’ve been talking about it for a year now, and then they all want to do well. I’ve seen remarks about falls, but there are also some in boys, and it’s completely inherent in the race. In any case, because of the course and the composition of the teams (only 6 riders), it’s full of twists and turns. The fight can really break out at any time. »
The weekend program
Be careful, it will go up. Strong. Saturday, the runners will have to swallow 127 km between Sélestat and Le Markstein Fellering, with three pretty first category passes to climb. The Petit Ballon, the Platzerwasel then the Grand Ballon, in that order, will operate a drastic selection between the favorites, and the gaps, minimal for the moment within the top 10 (the Swiss Elise Chabbey is 10th at 2’24 from Marianne Vos), will grow. And then on Sunday, a final stage in the form of an apotheosis.
First with a passage tinged with history at the Ballon d’Alsace, which was the first big pass of the Tour de France for men to be crossed in 1905. It is the first time that it has been climbed in a women’s stage race. But that’s not all. The finish will then be judged at the top of the terrible Planche des Belles Filles, climbed in “Super” mode, that is to say with the famous last unpaved kilometer and its passages at more than 20%. “Just thinking about it, my legs hurt,” said Marie Le Net, laughing on Friday. The one who will be crowned up there will have well deserved it.
Paul Brousse’s opinion: “It’s going to be very hard, in addition they arrive after a week of competition, we can see that fatigue is setting in, it’s normal. It’s hot, too. It’s going to be fireworks for two days, and even if there are big gaps on Saturday, everything can be turned upside down on Sunday. I can not wait to be there. La Planche is a very difficult climb, but the girls are used to this kind of difficulty. On the Tour of Italy, they go through the Stelvio and other hard passes like that. The Board will put the leaders in their place. »
Who to win this Tour de France?
Everything will depend on the state of form of the great favorite Annemiek Van Vleuten, who admitted having almost given up at the start of the week. If the Dutchwoman, who says she is getting better and better, actually recovers her legs, we can count on her to make up for her one-minute delay in the general standings (9th). In any case, everything is very open for the final victory. A priori, Marianne Vos does not have the profile to maintain her rank in the high mountains. But even at 35, one should not underestimate one of the greatest cyclists in history, Olympic champion, three-time world champion and three-time Giro winner. Behind her, the best climbers in the peloton, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Demi Vollering, Ashleigh Moolman or Elisa Longo Borghini, are all on the lookout, in a pocket handkerchief. It will bleed.
Paul Brousse’s opinion: “Frankly, it’s not easy to find one. Van Vleuten was the scarecrow of this Tour, she seems a little below since the start of the week. Will she be able to recover by Sunday? Not sure, it’s still difficult to get back on track when you’re on the bike four or five hours a day. I have the impression that Vollering, before his fall, looked very good. Ludwig may have her limits in longer passes, but she looks in top form. They are all there, placed, in any case. We are expecting it to unravel this weekend. »
And the French, then?
The nation’s hopes rest on Juliette Labous, 7th overall just over a minute behind Vos. The young 23-year-old DSM team rider finally arrives on her field. And she stamps impatiently. “I hope for a top 5, I think it’s downright playable,” she projects. Winner of a big mountain stage on the Tour of Italy at the beginning of the month, she could even see a little higher.
Behind her, Evita Muzic, also 23, is making a nice Tour. We saw him in front in the final of the 4th stage on Wednesday, taking 2nd place at Bar-sur-Aube ahead of the beefy Alena Amialiusik. 12th overall, she can hope to join the top 10, even if her main mission will surely be to support her leader Cecilie Ludwig. Other French runners distinguished themselves, notably Marie le Net on Friday and Victoire Berteau the day before. Still young people (respectively 22 and 21 years old). French women’s cycling is doing well, and the general public will have discovered their name and their face.
Paul Brousse’s opinion: “In my opinion, Juliette (Labous) is in the form of her life at the moment, she has had a perfect race from the start. She says she is aiming for a top 5, but she can see the podium and why not the yellow jersey. She’s a little nugget, she has character, a lot of determination in her sporting project, and she is extremely meticulous. She does everything to make it go well, with ambition. For the moment it is progressing from year to year, and for me it is not about to stop. She is currently the most complete French rider, a potential winner of the Tour de France in the short term. »
“Evita (Muzic) is a beautiful athlete in the making, she may have less quality in the time trial but she has a little more punch than Juliette, on a finish in a small group she is able to finish in the sprint. She is a real finisher, when she finds herself for the win she is rarely wrong. She has winning in her blood, and if she can play her card this weekend, she can believe in a stage victory. In general, I’m really happy to see the French women behaving well, they are moving forward, they are having a lot of fun on this Tour. There was a lot of apprehension and nervousness before the first stage on the Champs, they wondered a little what sauce they were going to be eaten, but now that it’s gone they like it, they try things. It’s good, that’s how we progress. »