Behind its consolation prize side, the prize for fighting spirit loosens tongues. Among the men in 2019, Stéphane Rossetto had split a “Me, it breaks my balls, guys like that”, disgusted to see the Belgian Aimé De Gendt steal the votes of the jury on arrival in Toulouse. Just as angry, Audrey Cordon-Ragot watches her language more. This Friday, July 29, the model teammate had carte blanche within the Trek-Segrafedo during this 6e stage between Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Rosheim (Bas-Rhin).
So the 32-year-old French champion spared no effort to keep the flame alive in a breakaway of 14 riders – contrary to some, to hear her after the finish. “I passed relays like not everyone else. I’m going to be honest with you and make a statement that will not please some people: for me, combativeness, we give it to people who pass on relays. » And get back on his bike to go to his team’s bus.
A decryption is required. The prize in question went to another native of Pontivy, ten years younger, Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope), whose role model is none other than… Cordon-Ragot. At the microphone of France Télévisions, the mother of the combative of the day told the inspiration represented by this almost neighbor, “who has already come to the house several times”. Not kept informed of the release of the other Morbihanaise, Le Net was still on the edge of the emotion of its end of race. “I believed in it, I believed in it, but it came back too quickly”she repeated, overwhelmed with emotion after the encouragement received along the way.
The first French victory on this Tour took four kilometers. Four too many for Le Net, taken up in the middle of the vineyards of Alsace by the peloton of favorites. The Breton performed well, but she had previously activated the energy saving mode. In the jargon of cycling, we rather use the expression “go skating” – understand getting into the last positions of a breakaway and letting yourself be led. The Net is not a fan of the least effort, but its team had other plans, as proved by the acceleration of the Australian Grace Brown in the climb of the road to Mollkirch, penultimate climb of the daytime.
“It’s a whole different race that will start”
Despite her first name in the spotlight in all the town halls of France, Marianne Vos flies the Dutch flag and stays away from the controversies between Tricolores. The yellow jersey was the fastest to win in the sprint in front of a group of 39 riders and sign its second stage victory (after Provins, Monday). A sprint without the queen of sprinters on this Tour, Lorena Wiebes (DSM), excluded from the final explanation after a fall in the descent of the Mollkirch path.
Too bad for his compatriot: Vos always sees life in yellow. But for how much longer? The Jumbo-Visma rider does have some climbing skills, but she knows the menu for the last two stages. And it is steep. “You have to be realistic, it’s a whole different race that is going to start”warns the one who has a 30-second lead over the Italian Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service).
???????? And in the end, Marianne Vos wins! In the absence of Lorena Wiebes, who fell a little earlier, the Dutch… https://t.co/VxdXR06IcZ
Before the superplanche des Belles-Filles on Sunday, the Vosges weekend offers a hearty entry from Saturday towards Markstein (Haut-Rhin) with three passes, including the Grand Ballon, the longest climb of this Tour de France Women with 13, 5 km and an average gradient of 6.7%. The opportunity for a transfer of power between Dutch women?
At the mention of her figures, the climber Annemiek van Vleuten displayed, in fact, a broad smile in front of the coach of her Movistar training. After paying tribute to Queen “Marianne”, the winner of the last Tour of Italy was eager to do battle: “I’m happy to have avoided trouble today, now we arrive on my ground. » The promise of a first fireworks display on Saturday?
