Wiebes takes second consecutive Tour de France Femmes stage win
Lorena Wiebes sprinted to her second straight stage win at the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, finishing ahead of the pack on the 147.9km route from Aigle to Geneva. The Dutch rider keeps the yellow jersey with a 14-second overall lead.
Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes claimed victory on the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, repeating her success from the opening day. The hilly 147.9-kilometre stage ran from Aigle to Geneva in Switzerland, with much of the route following the lakeshore. Wearing the race leader's yellow jersey, Wiebes launched her sprint from 250 metres out and crossed the line several bike lengths clear of her rivals.
The previous two overall winners of the event, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Kasia Niewiadoma, as well as pre-race favourite Demi Vollering, finished in the main pack. Dutch time-trial specialist Riejanne Markus spent the final kilometres alone at the front, but the chasing group caught her less than 500 metres from the finish.
Wiebes, a 27-year-old two-time former European champion, extended her overall lead to 14 seconds over Kim Le Court and 16 seconds over Vollering. Elisa Balsamo of Italy finished second on the stage, while 39-year-old Dutch veteran Marianne Vos took third.
Monday's third stage takes the peloton into France, featuring a steep 11km climb just outside Geneva before a flat 15km run to the finish in Poligny. The nine-day race's decisive moments are expected on Tuesday with an individual time trial and on Friday when contenders tackle Mont Ventoux.
