Stage 2 of the Tour de Feminin saw a mix of attacks, solo brilliance, and a historic finish as Canada’s Anabelle Thomas sprinted to victory in Krásná Lípa. The 19-year-old from Calgary, riding for KDM-Pack, took the biggest win of her young career by outpacing Poland’s Malwina Mul and Italy’s Chiara Reghini from a lead group of twenty. It was the first stage win ever for Canada at the Tour de Feminin.
The 111-kilometre stage set off under changeable skies from Jiříkov and was shaped by both the terrain and the weather. Rolling climbs, strong winds, and several rain showers gradually tore the peloton into pieces. After the first 40km, the race was still together, but that quickly changed as the pace lifted and fatigue set in.
Malwina Mul, already a stage winner in Krásná Lípa in 2023, attacked just after the first intermediate sprint at 72km. She rode clear of the peloton and quickly built a lead that stretched to 1:45 over the next 15 kilometres. Her solo effort was impressive, particularly as rain began to fall and the peloton began to splinter behind her.
Over the Janov climb, Mul collected maximum points and continued to push on alone. Behind her, a strong chase group of around 20 riders was beginning to take shape. Czech national champion Barbora Němcová and Kristýna Zemanová were both in this group, along with Belgian race leader Xaydee Van Sinaey and her teammates Tess Moerman and Lauren Dickson.
Mul’s lead began to shrink on the final long drag into Krásná Lípa. By the time she reached the final intermediate sprint with 28km remaining, her advantage was down to 40 seconds. She managed to hold off the chasers long enough to pick up bonus seconds, but was caught shortly after.
With the groups behind still scattered, a select lead bunch of 23 riders pushed on into the final kilometres. Attempts by Van Sinaey, Moerman and Dickson to split the group in the last five kilometres were unsuccessful, and it came down to a reduced sprint on the wet streets of Krásná Lípa.
Thomas launched early and held her line despite pressure from Mul, who had enough left to contest the sprint after her breakaway effort. Reghini followed closely behind for third. Van Sinaey finished sixth, just ahead of Kristýna Zemanová in seventh. Barbora Němcová stayed inside the group and retained her jersey as best Czech rider.
Rider reactions
Anabelle Thomas was ecstatic after her breakthrough win. “It was a tough stage, but I’m thrilled,” said the 19-year-old, who turns 20 next week. “There were long climbs, which I don’t like as much as the shorter ones, but I’m happy. I didn’t expect to win today.”
Her victory was a historic one – the first-ever Canadian stage win in the history of the Tour de Feminin. Previously, Canada’s best results were a second place by Amy Moore in 2006 and a third for Alison Testroete in 2010.
Malwina Mul was gracious in defeat, despite being reeled in late. “I didn’t expect it at all,” said the Polish rider. “But in the end, the weather worked against me. Still, we have a strong team, and I’ll be aiming to win tomorrow’s stage.”
Barbora Němcová stayed active throughout and picked up valuable mountain points along the way. “I felt good today and wanted to be part of the front,” she said. “The conditions were hard, but we fought well.”
The yellow jersey stayed with Xaydee Van Sinaey, who celebrated her 20th birthday by keeping her overall lead intact. She’ll take the leader’s jersey into Saturday’s third stage, which follows a challenging 110.7km circuit based on the autumn Tour de Zeleňák route, starting and finishing in Rumburk.
2025 Tour de Feminin Stage 2 results
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