- Belgian has 41-second lead over teammate Lorena Wiebes
- High pace of Côte de Durtol climb causes significant splits
Lotte Kopecky won the first stage of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes after a late solo breakaway to lead the overall standings by 45 seconds from her teammate Lorena Wiebes.
The 123.8km loop, out and back from the centre of Clermont-Ferrand, came to a head in the last 20km as the peloton fought for position on the approach to the only real climb of the stage, the Côte de Durtol, in the shadow of the Puy de Dôme.
Written by Jeremy Whittle in Clermont-Ferrand
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jul/23/lotte-kopecky-wins-first-stage-of-tour-de-france-femmes-after-gruelling-climb under the title “Lotte Kopecky wins first stage of Tour de France Femmes after gruelling climb”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
