Charlotte Kool wins her second stage in a row at the Tour de France Femmes
Cyclist Charlotte Kool saw a dream come true in the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes. She had already achieved victory in the first stage in The Hague on Monday and then also did so in the bunch sprint in Rotterdam on Tuesday. She beat her compatriots Lorena Wiebes and Marianne Vos.
"Dreams come true quickly these days," said the sprinter of the dsm-firmenich PostNL team in an interview after the stage. "First the win yesterday and then winning today in the yellow jersey. That is very special." The yellow jersey is given to the person leading the general individual classification.
The second ride was short and hectic. The peloton departed from Dordrecht at 09:50 a.m., and the stage quickly seemed to be heading towards a mass sprint, although Belgian cyclist Audrey De Keersmaeker tried to change this with an attack. She was caught with eight kilometers to go. A fall in the last kilometers ensured that many cyclists were behind while the sprinter teams positioned themselves in the streets of Rotterdam.
Mischa Bredewold, Blanka Vos, and Barbara Guarischi pulled the sprint for Wiebes, who had been unable to join the sprint the day before due to a mechanical defect. Vos and Kool were on Wiebes' wheel, and the sprinter in the yellow jersey managed to get past her before the finish line for her second stage victory.
The 25-year-old discussed what was a chaotic final sprint. "We were a bit far but knew we had to stay calm. I launched my sprint, and that was enough. It was hectic, but I like that."
Kool said that she feels stronger than ever, even though she had a tough start to the season. "I did not expect this two weeks ago. But things can change quickly."
The sprinter will defend a 14-second lead on the Finish cyclist Anniina Ahtosalo and Wiebes on Tuesday in the 6.3-kilometer time trial in Rotterdam.
Reporting by ANP