Lorena Wiebes has taken wins on the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France Femmes but hasn't yet been able to open her tally for the 2024 edition, surprisingly. After two pure flat bunch sprints, the Team SD Worx-ProTime rider has not yet been able to raise her arms but instead take on the disappointment from bad luck and bad timing.
Stage 1 saw her break her derailleur in the final meters of the stage and was unable to contest for the sprint. In Rotterdam this morning she was the big favourite for the win and was well positioned by the team, but has sprinted to second behind race leader Charlotte Kool after she made a small but key mistake.
"I started the sprint just a bit too early," the 25-year old admitted. "I thought we were closer to the finish. I already felt Charlotte Kool coming up and then there's not much you can do. At least I was able to sprint." A second place however was the best she could do, comfortably distancing the other sprinters but not her former teammate who overtook her right in the final meters to take a second stage win.
This afternoon, the 6-kilometer long time-trial provides her with an opportunity to jump into the race lead, and she now puts her focus on the coming days instead of the disappointing start to the race.
"The team did a perfect job. We took the initiative and the team did a good lead-out. Fortunately, with second place I was able to take back some seconds in the GC. In the time trial, we will go full steam ahead again. After that come some tougher days that should suit me as well," she concluded.
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