Sunday afternoon history was made in Paris during the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes. Rachele Barbieri was close to the podium in a bunch sprint.
After a long wait the Tour de France Femmes finally started in Paris. The opening stage went over 81,7 km and finished on the famous Champs-Élysées. Several riders attacked during the stage, but the peloton took control of the stage and didn`t let anybody get a large gap. In the final kilometres everything came back together and the expected bunch sprint took place on the Champs-Élysées.
Rachele Barbieri was well placed trough the final corner and delivered a strong sprint. The Italian Liv Racing Xstra rider was close to a podium spot and finished fourth. The stage win and first yellow jersey went to Lorena Wiebes. “It was amazing to race here. The team was great today and delivered me in a good position for the sprint. It was hectic, but I was well placed. I was close to the podium, so I am a little disappointed to finish fourth. Tomorrow we will try again”, Barbieri commented after the race.
“We made a plan for the race, but that didn`t work out at the end. Still Jeanne delivered Rachele perfectly for the final sprint and the rest of the team was well grouped during the stage. It is a good start of this race and something we can build on the next days. The riders are really committed to race together”, sports director Wim Stroetinga said.