Vos hails 'phenomenon' Wiebes after sprint duel at Tour Femmes

Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Boke) got closer in Poitiers than she had 24 hours earlier, but there was nothing to be done against Lorena Wiebes’ remarkable finishing speed on stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes.

For the second day in a row, Vos had to settle for second place in the bunch sprint, though the Dutchwoman had the consolation of retaining the yellow jersey for another day. She now leads Wiebes in second place and Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) who are tied 12 seconds behind  in the overall standings.

Tuesday’s flat parcours was always likely to lend itself to a sprint finish, but the stage was hardly straightforward, with high speed and tension marking the 130km run from Saumur.

“It’s nice to get closer but Lorena was again very fast on the line,” said Vos.

“On such a day you know it’s going to be chaotic, and not only in the final. From the start, it was fast, constantly winding, with a high pace in the bunch, it was pretty tough to stay in front and stay in position. So thanks to the team, they worked really well and I’m very happy.”

Vos took second place ahead of Tour debutant Laura Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), but there was no coping with the finishing speed of Wiebes, who notched up the fifth Tour stage win of her career.

After beating Vos in Angers on Monday, Wiebes had described her rival as the greatest of all- time. Vos returned the compliment after Wiebes’ latest sprint exhibition in Poitiers. Still only 26 years of age, Wiebes has now scored a remarkable 109 career wins.

“Well, she’s just the best sprinter in the world, a phenomenon in the sprint,” Vos said. “She showed again she’s very hard to beat. She’s a tough competitor but it’s good to have her.”