{"id":7093,"date":"2024-08-13T15:37:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T13:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?p=7093"},"modified":"2024-09-06T15:44:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T13:44:46","slug":"charlotte-kool-wins-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift-stage-1-and-celebrates-best-day-of-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2024\/08\/13\/charlotte-kool-wins-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift-stage-1-and-celebrates-best-day-of-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Kool Wins Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 1 and Celebrates \u201cBest Day of My Life\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlotte Kool won the biggest victory of her career by sprinting the fastest on Monday\u2019s stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (TdFF) and became the race\u2019s first holder of the yellow jersey. The dsm-firmenich PostNL rider benefitted from a stroke of luck when stage and \u0160koda Green Jersey favourite Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx\u2013Protime) suffered a problem with her derailleur at the start of the sprint and was forced to stop. She eventually finished 41st.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kool finished a good bike length ahead of the 20-year-old Finnish rider Anniina (Uno-X Mobility) who will wear the best young rider\u2019s white jersey on Tuesday\u2019s stage 2. Lidl-Trek\u2019s Alisa Balsamo finished third.<\/p>\n

For Kool, the victory puts an end to a frustrating season of just one victory and 10 second places, almost all of them behind Wiebes. The win was also special for the 25-year-old Dutch rider because it came on home soil, as the first three stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift<\/a> take place entirely in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

So Kool had many reasons to be delighted. \u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable, it\u2019s a dream coming true,\u201d she told Eurosport after the stage. \u201cIt was not an easy season and this is what it was all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that the sprint was \u201creally hectic. But I like it. I was thinking [that] I like hectic and I like chaos and I went so early and I thought it\u2019s too long and it hurt so bad. It was enough in the end. This is, I think, the best day of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also took to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter to post a photo<\/a> of herself laughing and waving on the podium, with the caption: \u201cThat feeling when your childhood dream is coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiebes had been in excellent position as the bunch gathered speed but someone collided with her from behind. \u201cHer entire derailleur was broken off so she couldn\u2019t sprint anymore, it was over,\u201d team director Danny Stam told NOS<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating to be left like that and unable to sprint because you can\u2019t shift gears. I spoke to her, and she\u2019s understandably frustrated and disappointed. But this can happen in such a hectic sprint in the Tour de France.\u201d<\/p>\n

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KOOL. KOOL. KOOL.#TDF2024<\/a> l #WatchTheFemmes<\/a> l @GoZwift<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KWY5xGHZRZ<\/a><\/p>\n

— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) August 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n