Lorena Wiebes takes second straight Tour de France Femmes stage

Wiebes sets the early tone

Lorena Wiebes has opened the Tour de France Femmes with back-to-back stage wins, taking another sprint victory to underline her control of the race's first phase.

The important part is not just that Wiebes has won twice, but that she has done it immediately and in the same broad way: by finishing off sprint stages while the race is still settling into its shape. In a stage race, early repeated wins change how everyone else has to race. Rivals are no longer dealing with a rider who had one clean day; they are dealing with the rider who has already converted the first two stages.

For Wiebes, that reinforces the picture of early dominance described by the result. For the rest of the field, it raises the tactical bar. If the race keeps presenting sprint chances, teams will need either a cleaner way to disrupt her path to the line or enough race pressure before the finish to reduce her control.

Full details are at the linked ABC News (AU) source.