Tour de France Femmes a big goal for Marianne Vos: "There is always a certain tension"

Marianne Vos will be one of the main figures at this summer's Tour de France Femmes, a very deserved position taking into consideration how much she has marked the sport over the last few decades.

"I think this is a very nice development... It is wonderful that ASO was willing to take this step and recognized that the sport can handle it and that the outside world looked at them and said it was time for an actual, full women’s Tour. It will be very special to be part of the first Tour de France for women and to be in that peloton," Vos told CyclingWeekly. 

Right after the finale of the men's Tour de France, the women's peloton will set off on an eight-day stage-race through northern France which has the potential to be one of the most popular and broadcasted races of the year. Vos isn't a natural climber, however she should be in the discussion for the overall classification aswell as several stages.

She will be hoping to be back to peak form ahead of the race, and she still has around two months to build that fitness back up ahead of the summer. "Pressure may not be quite the right word, but there is always a certain tension, a certain will to perform," she added.

"I want it — the good result — for myself, but of course also for the people I work with. You know you’ve done a lot in the preparation, you’ve been working towards it, and then of course you want a beautiful outcome. And I think you need that healthy tension to perform well. If I don't have that tension, then I'm not ready. I need that little bit of nervousness," Vos concluded.