Marion Bunel has taken the lead in the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes after a commanding performance in the first road stage from Bessans to Les Karellis. The 19-year-old French cyclist, who had already made a name for herself in the Tour de France Femmes, showed her strength by breaking away from the leading trio in the final kilometres of the 72.6 km stage.
Bunel, riding for the French national team, surged ahead on the steep final climb to Les Karellis, distancing her main rivals, Canada’s Isabella Holmgren and Belgium’s Lore De Schepper. The young Norman cyclist crossed the line 34 seconds ahead of Holmgren, who finished second, and 50 seconds clear of De Schepper, who had won the prologue the previous day.
Holmgren, a former junior world champion in both mountain biking and cyclocross, now finds herself second in the overall standings, 16 seconds behind Bunel. She will, however, wear the polka dot jersey as the leader of the Queen of the Mountains competition after a strong performance on the climbs. De Schepper, despite her loss of the yellow jersey, remains in contention, sitting third overall, 31 seconds back.
The stage was animated early on by a long solo breakaway from Czech rider Kristyna Burlová, who led for nearly 40 kilometres before being reeled in by the peloton, driven largely by the American team. As the race approached the decisive final climb, it was clear that the battle for both the stage win and the general classification would come down to the three strongest riders: Bunel, Holmgren, and De Schepper.
In the final 3 kilometres, Bunel attacked decisively, leaving Holmgren and De Schepper in her wake. Bunel’s victory not only handed her the stage win but also the prestigious yellow jersey, marking her as the rider to beat in this race for the world’s best under-23 female cyclists.
This victory comes just days after Bunel’s impressive showing in the Tour de France Femmes, where she finished 17th overall and claimed third in the best young rider classification. Competing in the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes, Bunel has continued to demonstrate her ability to perform at the highest level, despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of her Saint-Michel Mavic Auber team.
With two stages remaining, including a final one in Italy, Bunel will be fighting to keep the yellow jersey. However, with strong contenders like Holmgren and De Schepper still in the hunt, the race is far from over.
2024 Tour de l’Avenir Femmes Stage 1 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cassandra Donne Photographies
