- Dutch rider was sick and ‘close to quitting’ earlier this week
- Solo break on gruelling mountain stage could prove decisive
Annemiek van Vleuten recovered from illness to blow the Tour de France Femmes apart with a 60km lone attack in the first mountain stage, taking a memorable win and the overall lead with one day’s racing to come.
Such was her domination of the Vosges mountains in the first climbing test of the week-long race that only eight riders crossed the line within 10 minutes of her, on the last of three first category summits, Le Markstein, in the Vosges.
