"Demi Vollering is of course the outspoken favourite" - Annemiek van Vleuten expects tough battle on final Tour de France Femmes

The Tour de France Femmes starts this Sunday, and whilst Demi Vollering expects there to be many contenders, Annemiek van Vleuten believes her compatriot is the clear favourite for the overall win.

"Demi Vollering is of course the outspoken favourite. She has shown that she has made huge strides this year and for me she is the top favourite. I am there, but I also thought Elisa Longo Borghini was very strong in the Giro," van Vleuten said in words collected by In de Leiderstrui. "She may be less for the Tourmalet stage, but those are riders that you don't want to give too much space in those first six stages. The same goes for Marlen Reusser."

The race could be decided in it's final and queen stage into the Tourmalet but until then there will be plenty hilly stages. Whilst Movistar brings in a strong lineup including Liane Lippert, Team SD Worx brings it's A-game to conquer the most important race in the women's calendar.

"It could be a race of seconds, but it could also be that there are big differences. It may be that the classification has already been drawn up after that seventh stage, but I also take into account that it can sometimes be decided on the last day," the World Champion hopes for.

Her rival team includes not only Vollering but also Lotte Kopecky and Marlen Reusser who may be key weapons in the way of her pursuit of yellow. After returning to good form, she has dominated the Giro Donne after a modest start to the year, and seems ready to defend her title in France.

“At least I know I did everything I could. That's also how I wanted to go to the Tour. I wanted to be optimally prepared and have a good level, where I can't blame myself when it comes to my preparation. In the training sessions between the Giro and the Tour I also rode very easily, where in the preparation for the Giro in the first week I certainly didn't ride as easily as I do now."

"So I have really taken a step. Whether that's enough, we'll see. I have the Giro and Vuelta in my pocket, as well as last year's Tour de France, so I can pin the number one on my rainbow jersey. I'm looking forward to that in the biggest race in women's cycling, because I can say that last year's Tour is the biggest I've won in my career," she concluded.

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