'Sorry to my team for failing them' – rider misses time cut on Tour de France Femmes opening stage

Alison Avoine, a rider for Ma Petite Entreprise, faced a disappointing day during the opening Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stage, missing the time cut by nearly 27 minutes. The Frenchwoman finished alone at the back of the race, only one minute and 45 seconds short of the fixed time - an additional 12% of the winner's time. The race officials announced her elimination with the statement, "Alison Avoine, Ma Petite Entreprise, is eliminated as she finished outside of the stage's time limit."

Avoine, a 26-year-old neuropsychiatrist and cyclist, acknowledged her failure, both to herself and her team, in an emotional Instagram post. She expressed remorse for her harsh treatment of herself, her team, and her loved ones. Despite the setback, Avoine emphasized that sport is a human endeavor and that she would have better days ahead.

Stage one, a 138km race covering four categorized climbs, saw a few crashes, but Avoine assisted her fallen teammates, only to pay the price for her efforts. The Ma Petite Entreprise team experienced mixed results, with their breakaway rider Océane Mahé earning the polka dot jersey. The peloton now moves on to Sunday's second stage with three riders down due to crashes on the opening day, including Laura Tomasi (Uno-X Mobility) and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Premier Tech).