“The goal is to ride a good classification here”, a confident Markus says. During the Tour de France Femmes’ first edition - in the last week of July - Markus finished twelfth in the final classification. Especially in the previous two challenging mountain stages to Le Markstein and La Super Planche des Belles Filles the rider showed good form. “It was the best thing I have experienced in women’s cycling. There were so many people standing on the side of the road. It was unique, overwhelming.”

“The fact that I could race in France in the red-white-blue jersey was perfect. Everyone recognizes you even more easily and shouts your name.” The rider will show the jersey to the Dutch crowd next week. “I’m looking forward to it because my family and friends will visit the race. When I won the Dutch Championships at the end of June, I couldn’t quite grasp the impact of the victory. I had a terrific time wearing the jersey at the Tour de France for women and I am sure I will enjoy it in the Netherlands too.”

On Tuesday, Team Jumbo-Visma will start in the Dutch province of Flevoland with a flat ride of 141 kilometres. On days two and three, a sprint is anticipated. According to Markus, these stages provide some excellent opportunities for her teammates. “The first three days, we want to set up nice sprints. There are opportunities for Coryn (Labecki) and Karlijn (Swinkels). We have to see how it goes, but we aim to finish as high as possible."

The 27-year-old Markus will mainly focus on the last three days in which a time trial is planned in addition to two challenging stages in Limburg and Gelderland. Her bronze medal in the time trial at the European Championships two weeks ago has boosted her confidence. “I set out to finish in the top three in Munich and I succeeded. I came pretty close to winning at only 28 seconds behind the winner. The most important thing is that I have come one step closer. That motivates me for the foreseeable future.”

The rider predicts that the stages in Limburg and Arnhem will make the difference. “Those will be two very tough days, but I’m looking forward to them.” The fourth stage in Limburg seems to be the toughest, with a lot of climbing and almost 1,800 altimeters, including several ascents of the Gulperberg and Cauberg. “During the Tour de France Femmes, I could keep up well during the last stages. I am in good shape and hope to get some good results this week too”, Markus concludes.