With finish on La Super Planche des Belles Filles the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes came to an end Sunday afternoon. Liv Racing Xstra looks back with pride and satisfaction.
The eight and final stage started with a high tempo. A lot of riders were in trouble, but just before the intermediate sprint all came back together. After the Côte d’Esmouilières an escape group was formed. Jeanne Korevaar was in it for Liv Racing Xstra and showed our purple Cuore jersey in the front once again. On the second climb of the day, the Ballon d’Alsace the gap with the peloton was one minute. Before the start of La Super Planche des Belles Filles all came back together.
“At first I missed the right group, but with some other riders I made the jump to the front. It was a hard stage again. On the second climb I choose my own tempo, but that wasn`t enough to hang on in the front. On the final climb I tried to enjoy a little, but it still was very hard of course. This Tour de France Femmes was an amazing experience. There were a lot of people at the side of the road. I rode with goosebumps sometimes. I also received a lot of reactions outside the race. So this Tour really made us visible to a large audience.”
“I am satisfied with my race. In the sprint stages I could do my work for Rachele. That worked out well, she is a very strong sprinter and nice to work for. In the hilly stages I could battle with the best. There I even surprised myself a little. I gives confidence and perspective for the future. As team we made a good step forward after all illness, injuries and bad luck we had in the first part of the season. The atmosphere was very good all week long. That makes we can perform on a higher level too. The whole team showed resilience. I hope we can reward ourselves with some nice results in the coming months”, Korevaar looked back on her first Tour de France.
Her words were echoed by sports director Wim Stroetinga. “The team did a very good job all week long. The atmosphere was very good. During the stages the girls rode well together. When a breakaway was formed, we were there almost every time. All the riders tried to be in the breakaway and were committed to show the team colours during the race. In the sprint stages we worked well to bring Rachele in a good position. Of course it is too bad we weren`t rewarded with a stage win or a podium spot, but we can be proud and satisfied with our performance. It will also be a big motivation for the other riders that weren`t here. Hopefully this is a turning point in our season, so we can enjoy some nice results in the upcoming races”, Stroetinga concluded.