'Not the smoothest run' - Tour de France Femmes TT obstacles for Brown on way to fourth

Tour de France Femmes 2023: Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) during the stage 8 time trial where she came fourth
Tour de France Femmes 2023: Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) during the stage 8 time trial where she came fourth (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Grace Brown had been focussed on the stage 8 time trial well before the Tour de France Femmes even got underway but as the day approached it perhaps held even greater significance as it represented the final hope of a stage podium appearance for FDJ-Suez at this year’s edition of the race.

Though in the end just two seconds stood between Brown and those podium steps, with the Australian rider coming fourth as SD Worx swept the top three spots on the final stage. Marlen Reusser won with a time of 29:15, while GC winner Demi Vollering was ten seconds back in second and Lotte Kopecky nudged Brown off the podium after finishing 38 seconds off Reusser’s scorching time. Brown was 40 seconds back. 

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

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