In the early phase of the race, a breakaway of three riders briefly went up the road, but they were brought back by the peloton before reaching the approach to the local circuit.

For Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women, it was a solid but unspectacular opening day. The stage was controlled for long stretches and felt relatively calm, until it fully exploded on the local circuit in the finale. The team stayed well positioned for much of the day but was unable to form the ideal sprint train in the closing kilometers. Nienke Veenhoven was not able to contest the sprint and did not get involved in the fight for the stage win.

In the bunch sprint, Margaux Vigié was the strongest rider for the team, finishing 16th, just outside the top ten on the day. The French rider narrowly missed out on a higher placing in the opening stage.

After the finish, rider Femke de Vries reflected on a hectic finale: “It was a slow and warm day until we hit the local circuit. It was sprinting after every corner. Margaux and Daniek helped me a lot, I was able to stay in the wheels the whole time.”

Looking ahead, the team expects a different kind of stage tomorrow, covering 156 kilometers. “It should be a less hectic day since it’s not a city circuit like today. I’m looking forward to the next few days,” said De Vries.