An ecstatic Annemiek van Vleuten on Sunday said she was “very proud” to be the winner of the inaugural women’s Tour de France after her perfectly judged ride secured her victory the eighth and final stage.
The 39-year-old Movistar Team rider, who grabbed the lead with a brilliant solo performance in the mountains on Saturday, bided her time in the peloton on the 123km route from Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges before powering up the final climb to seal her triumph.
She crossed the line 30 seconds ahead of fellow Dutch rider Demi Vollering of SD Worx who took second overall, 3 minutes, 48 seconds behind her compatriot. Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Canyon—SRAM came third in the final standings after a fourth place finish on Sunday’s stage.
Photo: AFP
“That is a dream come true: winning in yellow, on top,” a delighted Van Vleuten said.
It marked a big moment for women’s cycling which has flirted with versions of a Tour de France in the past, each of them short-lived.
This new version began in Paris a week ago just hours before Jonas Vingegaard claimed victory on the Champs-Elysees in the men’s Tour de France.
It has attracted good crowds on the route and strong television coverage, suggesting that the race might finally be here to stay.
“I am so proud to be the first woman to win this new version,” said Van Vleuten, who can add the crown to her many other titles, including three Giro d’Italia wins and Olympic time-trial gold in Tokyo last year. “I hope it is a big start for more and that we can build this event to a bigger one for women.”
“Finally I can really enjoy it. Yesterday was an unbelievable day, but I still wanted to keep the focus and not to celebrate,” she said. “Now I can finally go for ice cream and pizza tonight and celebrate with the team. Sometimes we take too little time to celebrate, it [cycling] always continues. But tonight I can celebrate without thinking about tomorrow.”
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