Stop at the falls. To reach the walls of Provins from Meaux, the riders above all had to avoid the many accidents that marred the second stage of the Tour de France women, Monday July 25. The Eiffel Tower in the rearview mirror, projected towards the Great East, the sprinters had another opportunity to shine at the end of a flat course of 136 km. In the final excitement, it was the Dutch Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) who won, a success that allowed her to take the yellow jersey from her compatriot Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM).
Under the gray sky of Seine-et-Marne, we could expect a drowsy test on the long straight tracks before a final runaway in Provins. But the bikes flew on the tarmac, redistributing the cards within the formations. Hit by Nicole Frain (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Marta Cavalli, second in the Giro this year, was forced to retire.
It’s a blow for the French formation FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope which relied on the Italian rider as a luxury lieutenant for Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (+1’38), their leader designated for the general.
Taking advantage of the mess, six riders broke away from the peloton 17 km from the finish, made up of Marianne Vos, Elisa Longo-Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel Service), Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) , Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM Racing) and Maike van der Duin (Le Col-Wahoo).
She is thus ahead of Silvia Persico by 10 seconds in the general classification, and by 12 seconds Katarzyna Niewiadoma. Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM), left behind by the breakaway, finished fifth in the stage and is 29 seconds behind the new yellow jersey.
If the intermediate sprint had already isolated several runners, the chaos of repeated falls added to the explosion of the race. Several favorites ended up in the wrong car. The Dutch Demi Vollering (SD Worx), an excellent puncher, only arrived twelfth in the stage, 29 seconds behind Marianne Vos.
The winner of the Tour of Italy, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), and the Frenchwoman Juliette Labous (Team DSM) arrived in a group more than 34 seconds behind. Enough to widen the first gaps in the general classification. The two riders are now 50 seconds from the new yellow jersey.