Sprints are always hectic, with dozens of the fastest riders in the world barreling down the finishing line, all wanting the same thing: to be the first across the finish line. Warnings are shouted, elbows are thrown, mistakes happen and all but one rider is left disappointed.
Today, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) was among the disappointed. The favourite for the fast and flat opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift rolled across the line in 41st. Her bike’s rear derailleur and chain dragging across the pavement, her eyes filled with tears.
The dream was to claim the yellow jersey on home turf, with a Dutch sprinter and a Dutch team capturing the first stage of the world’s most prestigious race. With Wiebes being the top sprinter in the peloton and a perfectly orchestrated lead-out at her disposal, the story practically wrote itself. But it wasn’t meant to be.
The team had done its job. Wiebes had been delivered perfectly into the finishing chute, poised to do what she does best when she made contact with the quickly approaching front wheel of Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno-X Mobility). The impact had been light –everyone stayed upright– but unfortunate. Wiebes’ derailleur and chain had come off, abruptly ending her momentum and bursting the yellow-jersey dream. Ahtosalo rode on to secure a second-place finish and the home crowd still got its Dutch hero in Charlotte Kool. Wiebes was devastated.
“Luck was not on our side in the first stage of Tour de France Femmes with Lorena Wiebes not being able to sprint for her chances as somebody rode into her derailleur,” the team said in a statement post-race.
The team’s sports manager, Danny Stam, felt for his sprinter, putting words to her tears, stating: “It’s just hard to take when you don’t even have the chance to go for your luck. These last months Lorena was multiple times the fastest in sprints. Taking the yellow jersey in her own country was a big dream for her. It’s just really unfortunate she couldn’t go for it. Tomorrow, we will try again.”
The Tour de France Femmes continues with two stages on Tuesday, August 13. The morning stage consists of another fast and flat 69.7-kilometre road race between Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Weibes may get her redemption then.
The morning stage is followed by a short, 6.3-kilometre time trial in the afternoon. Come back here for the stories of the races.
