Ladies Thalita de Jong takes first road win of the season

The first day of the Tour Féminin de l'Ardèche got ridden over a short distance of 88 kilometers from Saint-Fortunat-sur-Eyrieux to Beauchastel, but it promised to be a tough course. “After the technical descent of the first climb we were only left with 15 riders in the first group. On the second climb of 8 kilometers we rode a nice pace, some riders from the back returned but in the end the strongest riders survived. Our advantage only got bigger. I knew the finish a bit from back in 2021, when I became third. But I was confident about my sprint, despite some attacks which I answered immediately. I started my sprint fully and won with a nice advantage”, a very happy Thalita de Jong said.

“This win means a lot, after a lot of top 10 spots I could finally raise my arms for the first time. After the Tour de France Femmes I tested covid positive and missed a couple of days of training. From the weekend onwards I could restart and after the criterium in Oetingen last Saturday I felt really great. I was looking forward to the Ardèche. I start in the leader’s jersey tomorrow, controlling the race will be difficult, but whatever happens I’m very satisfied with today’s victory.”

Picture: Brecht Steenhouwer