“There are no easy days in the Tour”, Marianne Vos established on Tuesday with the authority granted by the hundreds of successes she claimed in the past two decades and the two Maillot Jaune she has conquered since the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, on Sunday. The Dutch icon has escaped many traps to always battle at the front: 2nd on the Champs-Élysées, winner in Provins, 2nd again over the hills of Épernay. Few riders can say the same with significant gaps already opened up in the overall standings - there are only seven riders within a minute, and the 10th rider on GC, Tuesday’s stage winner Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, already trails by 1’48’’ in a very animated race where it seems everyone can rise to glory or tumble. Stage 4 will provide more opportunities to shine and lay new traps to be wary off as the race takes 12.9km of white roads and many hills (5 categorised ascent and a bonus point atop the Côte des Bergères, inside the last 10km) that promise more explosive racing on the way to Bar-sur-Aube. With her stellar experience of cyclo-cross, Vos has the skills to master such a terrain… But she’s also aware of the misfortunes that can fall on anyone, and she saw Silvia Persico join her on the podium of the Worlds this year. It definitely won’t be easy neither for Vos nor her rivals… Let’s enjoy the show!
