Marianne Vos stormed to victory on the opening stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, securing the yellow jersey after a tense finale in Plumelec. The stage, which spanned 78.8 hilly kilometres from Vannes, saw a late twist as Vos overtook teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot just metres from the finish line.
Ferrand-Prévot had launched a daring solo break in the closing kilometres and looked poised for a triumphant finish on home soil. However, the effort proved too demanding, and she began to fade as the line approached. Kim Le Court of AG Insurance-Soudal surged forward to challenge, but Vos timed her sprint perfectly to snatch the win and the overall lead.
Vos expressed admiration for her teammate’s aggressive strategy and thanked her team for their support throughout the stage. The Dutch veteran once again demonstrated her ability to read a race and execute flawlessly under pressure.
Defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma, riding for Canyon/Sram Zondacrypto, finished fourth, ten seconds behind the winner. FDJ-Suez’s Demi Vollering, who narrowly lost the overall title in 2024 by just four seconds, came in fifth, trailing by 13 seconds.
The day was not without incident. Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, a pre-race favourite riding for Movistar, was forced to abandon the race after a crash on the Côte de Cadoudal climb. The crash, which occurred roughly 30km from the finish, involved about ten riders and disrupted the rhythm of the peloton. Reusser, who had recently finished second at the Giro d’Italia Women, suffered injuries that ruled her out of further participation.
Britain’s Pfeiffer Georgi rounded out the top ten, finishing 19 seconds behind Vos. Her strong showing hints at potential consistency over the week-long event.
The Tour remains in Brittany for Stage Two, which features a 110.4km route from the port city of Brest to Quimper. Another hilly profile awaits, promising more aggressive racing and potential shifts in the general classification as the fight for the maillot jaune intensifies.
