'I honestly didn't expect that' – how one rider almost foiled Lorena Wiebes's sprint supremacy at the Tour de France Femmes
Riejanne Markus came within seconds of victory on stage two
Stage two of the Tour de France Femmes unfolded as an unexpected drama, with Dutch sprinter Riejanne Markus narrowly missing out on a sprint victory, despite her team's best efforts. As the race approached its climax, Wiebes took the lead, her gap widening to around a minute. Markus, peeling off the front of the breakaway with 39km to go, charged solo towards the finish line, but as the sprinters surged over the top, she was absorbed into the pack.
"I honestly didn't expect that," Markus admitted, reflecting on her 76th place finish that day. She attributed her near miss to the sheer strength and determination of Wiebes, the most dominant sprinter of her generation. Despite the disappointment, Markus was awarded the combativity prize and basked in the applause of the crowd, hoping to turn her luck in the remaining stages.
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