Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-Scott) won stage one of the revamped La Course by Le Tour de France, as British champion Lizzie Deignan (Boels-Dolmans) finished second on the Col d’Izoard.
The women’s race, switched from its Champs-Elysees for the first time, and with a new format, saw plenty of action packed into the short 67.5km route from Briancon to Izoard.
And Van Vleuten, on the back of her two stage wins and third place overall at the Giro Rosa, proved strongest on the final climb, riding away from Deignan with five kilometres to race and holding on to claim victory.
There was concern for another Brit, Team Sunweb’s Molly Weaver, however, who crashed out of the race having only just returned to action after a horrific training crash but her team later confirmed she had suffered no fractures.
