"Monday (the victory at Provins, editor's note) was already a magical moment for me, but winning in yellow now... There is not much more to wish for. Presenting myself with the yellow jersey for the weekend decisive, it's more than a dream come true", delivered the Dutch triple world champion (2006, 2012 and 2013).
The Oranje legend sprinted a small group that did not include the queen of mass arrivals, Lorena Wiebes, victorious the day before but delayed in a fall on Friday.
With 76 points ahead of the DSM rocket, Marianne Vos has almost secured the green jersey. As for yellow, on the eve of the decisive weekend in the Vosges, the champion increased her lead in the general classification to 30 seconds over her first pursuers, including the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma, contender for the final victory and very comfortable when the road rises.
This will be the case from Saturday with the first meeting in the mountains, and the most generous with 3,000 meters of elevation gain, between Sélestat and Le Markstein.
"There are climbers, leaders aiming for the general classification, who have this weekend in their sights, we will see other names play the leading roles", predicted, in a perfume of end of reign, the Dutchwoman who left his mark on this Tour, again on Friday.
It was not until his 35th birthday and the rebirth of the female version of the Big Loop to see Vos, with the predestined first name Marianne, become a symbol in France and clench his fist on the line in the golden fabric.
- Direction of placement -
In the Roman city of Rosheim, on the Alsace wine route, her sense of placement and her feline dexterity still worked wonders in the finale, which set her apart more than the yellow tunic she wore for at least five days. . In the final package, the Italian Marta Bastianelli, 2nd, and the Belgian Lotte Lopecky, 3rd, did not exist against Vos perfectly positioned and unbeatable.
The Jumbo-Visma leader collected a fifth podium in six finishes -- her worst result being fifth on Thursday -- but expects to step down now. In an easy to draw parallel with Wout van Aert, who shares with her the same uniform, that of Jumbo, and the same jerseys, yellow and soon green on the Tour, rainbow in winter in the mud of the cyclo- cross.
Three climbs are on the program on Saturday: the Petit Ballon (9.3 km at 8.1% average gradient), the Col du Platzerwasel (7.1 km at 8.3%) and the Grand Ballon (13.5 km at 6.7%), the longest climb proposed this year, the summit of which is located seven kilometers from the line.
A final promised to a big name in the peloton. All the breakaways have broken their teeth since Sunday and the Alsace wine route was no exception on Friday.
Last survivor of the fourteen runaways of the day, the French Marie Le Net was caught in the descent to Rosheim, 4 kilometers from the finish.
