Marianne Vos claims the yellow jersey in the Tour de France Femmes, following her triumph in a grueling uphill sprint during stage 1.
Marianne Vos Wins Thrilling First Stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes
Marianne Vos claimed a dramatic victory in the opening stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, outpacing Kim Le Court-Pienaar in the final few meters to take the win. The stage, a 78.8km hilly route from Vannes to Plumelec, concluded with a decisive climb of the Côte de Cadoudal, a 1.1-mile ascent with an average gradient of 6.2%.
The race began with a significant early breakaway by Maud Rijnbeek and Laura Tomasi, but the peloton eventually caught Tomasi, and Rijnbeek went solo for a portion before being reeled in. Several crashes marred the stage, affecting riders like Liane Lippert (Movistar), Mavi Garcia, and Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv-Jayco-AlUla). Notably, Marlen Reusser, one of the big contenders for the yellow jersey, had to retire due to the impact of a recent illness.
In the critical final kilometers, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, a teammate of Vos, launched a strong attack with about 700 meters to go on the last ascent, briefly pulling ahead. However, Vos, using her experience and tactical acumen, chased down Ferrand-Prévot and then surged past her just before the finish, celebrating her win at the line.
The victory marks Vos's 258th career win and her third Tour de France Femmes stage victory. It also earns her the first yellow jersey of the 2025 race. The top five in both the stage and general classification after the day were:
- Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal)
- Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM/Zondacrypto)
- Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)
Visma-Lease a Bike played a key role in the final stages of the race, setting a thrilling tone for the rest of the Tour de France Femmes 2025. Vos described her team's performance as "amazing." Elise Chabbey won the sprint to the top of the second ascent of the Côte de Cadoudal, earning the polka dot mountains jersey for FDJ-suez.
- The thrilling victory by Marianne Vos in the first stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes was marked by her excelling in sports, outpacing her opponents in a dramatic finish.
- Fueled by her team's exceptional performance and tactical acumen, Marianne Vos clinched the first yellow jersey of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, a testament to her continued dominance in sports.
