Marianne Vos opened her 2025 Tour de France Femmes campaign with a statement win on the Côte de Cadoudal, sprinting to victory in Plumelec ahead of Kim Le Court and teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot after a finely judged finale. It was Vos’s third career stage win at this race and her 258th professional victory.
The day had started in chaos, with a crash in the neutral zone involving Juliette Labous, Daniek Hengeveld and plenty of others delaying the flag drop. A standing start was eventually given just outside Vannes, and almost immediately, the race came to life. Laura Tomasi was first to attack, joined by Maud Rijnbeek, and the duo carved out a small lead on the twisting Breton roads. Rijnbeek would later drop Tomasi and go solo, claiming maximum QoM points on the Côte de Botségalo, but the peloton was never far behind.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxThat peloton was already showing signs of tension. A crash on a narrow bridge midway through the stage brought down Marlen Reusser, Liane Lippert and Mavi Garcia. All remounted, but Reusser, struggling with illness since the Giro Donne, would eventually abandon the race – a big loss to Movistar’s overall ambitions.
The pace increased sharply on the local circuit around Plumelec. With three ascents of the Cadoudal ahead, the field split under the pressure. Elise Chabbey was aggressive, taking full points on the second ascent and earning the polka dot jersey in the process. Francesca Barale had a short-lived solo move, while attacks from Włodarczyk, Kastelijn, Jansen and Chabbey animated the final 15km. Włodarczyk briefly held a solo lead, but was closed down by a chasing effort led by Blanka Vas and Wiebes.
Visma – Lease a Bike bided their time and made their move inside the final 5km. The team assembled around Vos and Ferrand-Prévot with precision, controlling the front and nullifying challenges from Lidl-Trek and UAE Team ADQ. Elisa Longo Borghini had to move up late through the bunch, while Lucinda Brand tried to give Elisa Balsamo a final boost into position.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxAt the Flamme Rouge, Ferrand-Prévot launched a fierce uphill move, attacking with 300 metres to go. It was a perfectly timed effort that opened a real gap, and for a moment it looked like she might take it. Vos, riding in support, initially held back, clearly hoping her teammate could finish it off. But Kim Le Court surged up behind, forcing Vos to shift gear and respond.
With less than 100 metres remaining, Ferrand-Prévot started to fade just slightly – not collapsing, but running out of punch on the steep gradient. Vos, aware of Le Court’s looming presence, stepped around and powered through to take the win. Le Court came in fast for second, and Ferrand-Prévot held on for third after a well-executed but ultimately unrewarded final effort.
Vos now leads the general classification and starts Sunday in yellow. It was a win built on calm timing, strong team support, and ruthless race instinct. Ferrand-Prévot’s effort underlined her form and value to Visma’s broader campaign, even if she didn’t get the result herself. For Le Court and AG Insurance-Soudal, second place marks another major result in a season full of upward momentum.
2025 Tour de France Femmes Stage 1 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: A.S.O / Pauline Ballet
