‘Going to go on a rampage’ – Annemiek van Vleuten’s Tour de France Femmes chances assessed after slow start

One of the biggest surprises of an already eventful two days of the Tour de France Femmes 2022 is the notable absence of Annemiek van Vleuten’s name from the main headlines.

Having triumphed at the Giro Donne just two weeks before the new Grand Tour hit Paris on Sunday, Movistar’s Dutch superstar had been tipped to double up at the race.

However, two stages down and you have to scroll further than you might have expected on the general classification to find Van Vleuten’s name.

Discussing her chances on The Breakaway, Adam Blythe pondered if she is in the right physical condition for the race.

“Maybe she’s not feeling as good as she was,” he said. “Because on the finish line when we saw her come through, she looked to be suffering.

“She came across the line looking like she was… not in a bit of panic, but just trying to hold on to the positions. And so maybe she’s just not feeling great.”

Dani Rowe suggested that winning the Giro so close to the Tour may have had an impact and two big races in quick succession could possibly be taking their toll on the 39-year-old.

“That’s the interesting dynamic between having two Grand Tours for the women,” she added. “She’s one of these riders is trying to do the double with the Giro Donne.

“She obviously performed incredibly well in that 10-day stage race, but actually, is two weeks enough time to recover for a stage race like this?”

However, Dani Christmas refused to rule out the Olympic road race silver medallist and backed Van Vleuten to grow into the race and ultimately show what she is undeniably capable.

“Let’s not discount her now,” she proclaimed. “Because she has a fantastic opportunity.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for her. She’s in a great position because Annemiek is [only] 50 seconds down. She’s now in a position where she can… I mean, she’s going to go on a rampage in the later stages.”

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