Iris Slappendel: Marianne Vos could be a 'very dark horse' to win Stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) could be a “very dark horse” to win Stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes, according to her compatriot and Warner Bros. Discovery cycling expert Iris Slappendel. The Tour de France Femmes gets underway this weekend, with 24 teams set to compete in what will be the showpiece event of the season.

Ad/> Competitors start with what should be a frenetic ride around the Champs-Elysees before heading east towards a fine day summit finish at the legendary La Super Plane des Belles Filles. CyclingBalsamo takes first victory in rainbow jersey with opening stage win at Volta Comunitat Valenciana17/02/2022 AT 16:06 It is eight years since Vos won the inaugural La Course and Slappendel believes success at the Tour de France would make her “story come full circle”. “She could be a very dark horse for the first stage,” Slappendel said.

“She won the very first La Course. She’s been advocating for the women’s Tour de France and I think that would make the story come full circle." Annemiek van Vleuten: Giro Donne win takes away the pressure ahead of Tour de France Femmes 'Now little girls can see us' — Vos, Longo-Borginhi set to light up Tour de France Femmes Slappendel, a former Dutch national road race champion, also believes Sprint Cycling Agency/Movistar Team star and competition favourite Annemiek van Vleuten may struggle on Stage 4. She said: “It's only eight days because it will keep the tension.

I still think that stage four – the gravel stage — could be a really tricky one for Annemiek van Vleuten, the out and out favourite. “It's already up to the other teams to attack her a bit sooner in the race and not wait for the last two stages. So, I think every day there will be a battle for the stages, but there