When Élise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) attacked simply earlier than the highest of the Col de la Croix, some could have thought that the Swiss climber was simply going for the mountain factors. Instead, Chabbey continued her assault on the descent and turned it right into a 50-kilometre solo, solely being caught 1.3km from the end.
Asked about her aims on the stage, Chabbey made it clear that the mountain jersey wasn’t on the entrance of her thoughts, reiterating her related feedback from earlier than final 12 months’s Tour de France Femmes.
“The mountain jersey will not be a purpose in itself. The plan was all the time to attempt to go early, to attempt to create a breakaway that would go additional after which possibly assist my leaders within the ultimate. But I used to be alone; within the downhill, I simply went full fuel, after which on the flat half, I had the hole. So I used to be like, ‘OK, now I simply go for it’,” Chabbey instructed Cyclingnews.
She constructed a large hole all by herself, and though she was nonetheless racing in a help function in her thoughts, Chabbey’s ideas ultimately turned in the direction of the stage victory.
“When I had three minutes on the backside of the final climb, I used to be like, ‘possibly I can go so far as potential, and in case they catch me, I can attempt to assist my leaders’. But I did not count on them to catch me that late, and on the finish I actually believed I may win this stage,” she mentioned
“So, after all, I’m tremendous disenchanted I did not make it, but it surely was shut, and I nonetheless hope to have some extra alternatives within the subsequent few days.”
The 31-year-old is third general after the primary stage, 46 seconds behind Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime). But her mindset hasn’t modified, and as a substitute of attempting to cement a great GC end result on the stage 2 time trial, she is concentrating on a stage win as a substitute.
“The purpose for me was by no means to go on the GC. So, even when I’m third, I do not assume the TT actually fits me. I believe I’ll nonetheless stick with my plan that I wish to go extra for possibly a stage win on stage 3 or 4,” Chabbey completed.
