A brave solo attack inside the final 15 kilometers benefited her, with great legs and a peloton that didn’t agree on an organized chase. “I always try, and it never works, so it wasn’t until 50 meters before the finish that I dared to believe I was going to win. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this feeling, so this is extra special. It’s probably time to retire from cycling now, but this gives me an incredible energy boost”.
In a day also marked by Elisa Longo Borghini’s time loss and with SD Worx having Lotte Kopecky working for Lorena Wiebes and Anna van der Breggen, it was García who stole the show, with Lorena Wiebes sprinting to second and Kim Le Court in third. Le Court has become the first rider from Mauritius to ever lead the Tour de France – again, both men’s and women’s events.
“It’s a shame Lorena Wiebes was still there, because if I had finished second, I could have still taken the yellow jersey,” Le Court said in an interview with Eurosport following the stage, unaware that she was the new yellow jersey at the time.
“It was chaos. I thought it would be a little less chaotic than yesterday, but it was very difficult in the peloton. There was fighting and shouting, but the final was fair and had a fast approach. Everyone was pushing their limits.” However after a strong second place on the first day, the winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes has used her explosivity to match Vos in terms of time with today’s stage and is the new yellow jersey.
“It’s a surprising year, considering where I come from… It’s been a year and a half now, which is really cool. It shows that hard work pays off. I ride with pride, which helps. It’s an unknown country for many people in Mauritius, but everyone there supports me. That’s fantastic,” she concluded.
