"It was something special" - Marianne Vos recalls the pride she felt when wearing the Tour de France Femmes Yellow Jersey

One of the superstars of women's cycling, Marianne Vos has been taking a trip down memory lane and discussing just how much it meant to her to put on the Yellow Jersey of race leader at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes.

"It was something special. And to be honest, I couldn't even think about that feeling or about the expectations," the 35-year-old told the Eurosport GCN Cycling Show. "We didn't really know what to expect. So when it was there and when it was bigger than expected and bigger than all could dream of, putting on yellow was definitely something really special."

After narrowly missing out to Lorena Wiebes on taking the first-ever Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France Femmes, Vos took victory on stage two in Provins and with it the overall lead of the race. The Jumbo-Visma rider would then keep a hold of the lead until stage seven when she relinquished it to the eventual winner Annemiek van Vleuten.

"If I look back 10 or 15 years, it's such a big difference. So many races live on television. Fans are able to follow it from all over the world. But the level is really high. So nearly every week there is very tough competition. And for us as riders, that's why we do it. That makes it even more beautiful," Vos says of the growth of women's cycling. "I just enjoy it. It doesn't feel like a sacrifice to train or to work. I'm grateful for this possibility. So that's why I'm still around, maybe."