As it happened: Kool as you like, Dutch sprinter powers to yellow in The Hague

Bonjour and welcome to our live coverage of stage 1 of Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift!

As we begin our live coverage of the 2024 TDFF, the sun is out in the Netherlands for a great first day of racing.

It is ten years since TDFF campaigner Kathryn Bertine enjoyed the moment when she and other women got a 'foot in the door' at the Tour de France.  

‘One day was a foot in the door’ - 10 years since the first La Course by Le Tour de France: the day women’s cycling reclaimed the race it deserved

Are you ready for the TDFF?

Kirsten Frattini and James Moultrie are on the race for Cyclingnews, ready to capture all the news, interviews and the unique atmosphere.

This is what to look out for this week as 'Watch the Femmes.'

The main talking points ahead of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes

There's no time to dwell on Olympic blues. The sporting calendar accelerator is pushed to the floor and we move on to one of, if not the, biggest race on the women's WorldTour calendar. 

Vollering (SDW), Niewiadoma (CSR), Labous (DFP), Realini (LTK), Garcia (LAJ) and many more besides will be hoping to pull on the coveted yellow jersey on Sunday atop Alpe d'Huez. 

The Dutch team come to the race starting in their home nation with just three Dutch riders. Defending champion, Demi Vollering. The rider with the most stage wins at this race, Lorena Wiebes. And European champion, Mischa Bredewold. 

Niamh Fisher-Black is a back-up rider for Vollering. Blanka Vas comes with good form after her fourth place at the Olympic road race. Barbara Guarischi and veteran Christine Majerus complete the squad. 

The riders have completed sign on as we get our first photos from the stage and a very sunny Rotterdam.

Just half an hour before the start in Rotterdam with the race taking on a rather pleasing distance of 123km to Den Haag... Or... In French, Le Haye. 

Neutral start

The riders have set off in the neutral zone. Around 14km of neutral. 

Unfortunately, Italian star Elisa Longo-Borghini (LTK) is not at the start of the race after a training crash. Read more by clicking the link below...

>>> Elisa Longo Borghini to skip Tour de France Femmes following training crash 

Crash in neutral!

A few riders go down in the neutral zone. 

Yara Kastelijn (FED)
Puck Pieterse (FED)
Natalie Grinczer (CGS)
Thalita de Jong (LTD)
Maureen Arens (LTD)

Mechanical

Yara Kastelijn (FED)

The stage winner in the last year's race just having her bike looked at after her crash. 

It is a rather, lets say, jazzy new look for the Tour this year for the American team of Human Powered Health. 

Bike change

Elena Pirrone (CGS)

This will likely delay the official start. 

Mechanical

Clara Emond (EFO)

This issue, along with Pirrone (CGS) means that the riders roll through KM0 but are not racing just yet. 

The issue for Emond (EFO) is a radio issue. The mechanic is currently looking at it and trying to make sure she can hear what's going on. Radios are key to knowing what is going on as well as a safety feature. We saw the Olympics last week and there were no radios at all. Some riders didn't even know where they were in relation to the race. 

121.4km to go

The race begins! Already a couple of kilometres done as they waited for all the riders to get back on before starting. No attacks as the pace is just very high. 

Liv-AlUla-Jayco and FDJ-Suez currently the main teams on the front. 

SD Worx-Protime are now the main team on the front of the peloton. I imagine this will be a common sight throughout this race. UAE Team ADQ have a few riders up towards the front too. 

Natalie Grinczer (CGS), who was involved in the crash in the neutral, is just off the back at the moment. She is back racing after an awful head injury. Really good to see the 30-year-old Brit racing here. 

This is a very nervous start on this main road. Various teams jostling for position on the front. One of the camera bikes stopped in the tunnel and the riders didn't see it until very late, almost causing a crash. 

FDJ-Suez now have control on the front but Lidl-Trek, Canyon-SRAM, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL and SD Worx-Protime are just behind. 

Bike change

Natalie Grinczer (CGS)

She's not having a great start to this race. 

Still no break. Reason for this is that the average speed is up at over 52kph so far. 

Attack!

Three riders launch a move. 

Breakaway riders:

Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (CSR)
Gaia Masetti (AGS)
Iurani Blanco (LAB)

A nice move here that currently has about half a minute on the bunch.

Dropped from peloton

Madina Kakhorova (TCW)

Lidl-Trek leading the peloton. 

100km to go

Just 11" between the break and the peloton who have the hammer down now. 

Dropped from peloton

Asal Rizaeva (TCW)

Another rider from the Uzbekistan team. 

Break caught

The nerves are so high and the wind is a bit stronger at this section as more riders are being distanced. 

Elyne Roussel (AUB) and another Tashkent rider have been distanced. 

Mechanical

Carina Schrempf (FED)

Bike change

Elyne Roussel (AUB) 

That was the reason she was out of the back. 

Uno-X Mobility now lead the peloton. Lots of riders back at the cars just emptying bottles of water over their heads as well as taking plenty of bottles and ice up to their teammates. It is around 27 degrees C in the Netherlands today, so very hot for the riders. 

Attack

Yet again, it is three riders. However, this time, four more riders are trying to bridge. 

European champion, MIscha Bredewold (SDW), is trying to bridge and that closes everything down once again. 

So many teams in mostly orange at this race this year with one off kits or their normal colours. Makes it very confusing to pick out riders. 

Visma-Lease a Bike, Liv-AlUla-Jayco, SD Worx-Protime, Human Powered Health and St. Michel-Mavic-Auber93 all in orange or similar colours. Visma and St. Michel are almost identical kits!

Looking at the flags, the riders are now on a very strong crosswind section, but will anyone try to split things? Is it even strong enough?

80km to go

Canyon-SRAM, Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, Fenix-Deceuninck, Liv-AlUla-Jayco and SD Work-Protime leading the pack. 

Attack

Cristina Tonetti (LAB)

She has a small gap as she kicks on solo. 

Attack!

Two riders trying to bridge to Tonetti (LAB). 

Riders bridging:

Giorgia Vettorello (CGS)
Iurani Blanco (LAB)

They are trying to join Tonetti (LAB) at the front but the peloton aren't letting them get a gap. 

Crash!

Multiple riders down. 

Maggie Coles-Lyster (CGS)
Grace Brown (FST)
Fem van Empel (TVL)
Lizzie Deignan (LTK)
Marit Raaijmakers (HPH)
Marta Lach (WNT)

And several others all going down. This has now split the bunch in half. 

Bike change

Gaia Realini (LTK)

The GC leader of Lidl-Trek involved in the crash and now she is being guided back by Deignan (LTK). 

Realini (LTK) and Deignan (LTK) are now over two minutes down on the peloton. This is a bit of a nightmare moment for the Lidl-Trek leader. 

Just 5km to the only QoM of the day. 

Tonetti (LAB) is really trying to hold on solo for this Maasdeltatunnel QoM point. She would wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow if she does. 

QoM (Maasdeltatunnel)

1. Cristina Tonetti (ITA) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 2pts
2. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) Liv-AlUla-Jayco 1pt

The chasing riders were caught before the QoM. 

Attack in peloton

Elise Chabbey (CSR)

She failed to take the final QoM point so launched over the top. But was dragged back immediately. 

Break caught

Cristina Tonetti (LAB)

The break is done and, as Realini (LTK) makes it back to the peloton, we are all back together again. 

Just under 20km to the intermediate sprint. 

50km to go

The peloton appear to have settled down for the moment before they start thinking about the first intermediate sprint about 10km away. 

Abandons

Natalie Grinczer (CGS)
Asal Rizaeva (TCW)
Mohinabonu Elmurodova (TCW)

A real shame to see. Grinczer in her first race since her awful injury. And the riders from Uzbekistan are 19 and 18 years old respectively. 

The sprint teams now getting ready for the intermediate sprint with 4km to go until they make a dash for the first green jersey points. 

40km to go

DSM-Firmenich-PostNL, Visma-Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek and SD Worx-Protime all on the front for this intermediate sprint. A very technical run to it, too. 

Intermediate sprint (Groeneweg)

Marianne Vos (TVL) takes the intermediate sprint ahead of Ruby Roseman-Gannon (LAJ) and Marthe Truyen (FED) with none of the other big name sprinters going for the points. 

Intermediate sprint placings

1. Marianne Vos (NED) TVL 25pts
2. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) LAJ 20pts
3. Marthe Truyen (BEL) FED 17pts
4. Anna Henderson (GBR) TVL 15pts
5. Fem van Empel (NED) TVL 13pts
6. Caroline Andersson (SWE) LAJ 11pts
7. Franziska Koch (GER) DFP 10pts
8. Francesca Barale (ITA) DFP 9pts
9. Mischa Bredewold (NED) SDW 8pts
10. Elise Chabbey (SUI) CSR 7pts
11. Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) CSR 6pts
12. Neve Bradbury (AUS) CSR 5pts
13. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) DFP 4pts
14. Ellen van Dijk (NED) LTK 3pts
15. Christine Majerus (LUX) SDW 2pts

30km to go

The pace is still high with lots of teams still jostling for position. 

Crash!

Amanda Spratt (LTK)

The Australian climber hit the asphalt and is now getting some mechanical assistance from the neutral service as she is back riding again. 

Amanda Spratt (LTK) is now trying to get back in alongside Špela Kern (COF). The Australian just checking everything over as she rides back to the bunch, flexing her hands. 

Bike change

Kristen Faulkner (EFO)

Olympic road race and team pursuit champion has had to change onto the team standard bike instead of her special US national and Olympic champion custom paint job. 

Mechanical

Elisa Balsamo (LTK)

That will probably be a bike change as they head towards the final 20km. 

Looks like Balsamo (LTK) has changed bikes already as she is back on her race bike with the frame number on it. She is looking so calm and very smooth. 

20km to go

The peloton completely spread across the road at the moment. SD Worx-Protime just upping the tempo slightly to take full control, though. 

For the majority of the day, the peloton has looked like this. No teams really sitting together. Quite messy and high paced. Now, though, the bunch is in colour order as the beginnings of the sprint leadouts. 

10km to go

The pace is slowly ramping up as the riders head to the conclusion of stage one. The temperature is now soaring to 32 degrees centigrade. 

Fisher-Black (SDW) now setting the pace and it has ramped right up now. It is her 24th birthday today. Happy birthday, Niamh! 

EF Education-Oatly-Cannondale now sat on the front. Perhaps working for Finnish sprinter Lotta Henttala or Canadian Alison Jackson. 

5km to go

Demi Vollering (SDW) working hard on the front of the peloton for Wiebes (SDW). This is something she wanted to do for her teammate, but is it sensible with so much racing to come? DSM-Firmenich-PostNL also moving up as a team. 

4km to go. SD Worx-Protime and AG Insurance-Soudal leading the way now. 

Into the final 3km now. It is all coming together for the sprint as SD Worx-Protime take control with Bredewold leading the way. UAE Team ADQ and Human Powered Health are trying to move up. 

2km to go now. Multiple teams now spread across the road as they challenge SD Worx-Protime. 

Crash!

Elise Chabbey (CSR)
Loes Adegeest (FST)

Flamme Rouge

The pace is now rapid. Uno- Mobility and DSM-Firmenich-PostNL control for now but here comes SD Worx-Protime. 

Charlotte Kool (DFP) wins stage one of the Tour de France Femmes 2024!! Lorena Wiebes (SDW) dropped her chain in the final few metres. But a brilliant sprint by Kool to take the yellow jersey in her home country. 

Stage one top 10

1. Charlotte Kool (NED) DFP 2:47'40"
2. Anniina Ahtosalo (FIN) UNX
3. Elisa Balsamo (ITA) LTK
4. Lotta Henttala (FIN) EFO
5. Marianne Vos (NED) TVL
6. Daria Pikulik (POL) HPH
7. Mylene de Zoete (NED) WNT
8. Kim Le Court (MAU) AGS
9. Emilia Fahlin (SWE) ARK
10. Blanka Vas (HUN) SDW all S.T.

It's the stage, yellow and green for the Dutch sprinter who powered to a superb victory in The Hague. 

Charlotte Kool (DFP) takes yellow in The Hague after a superb sprint victory. Her first at the Tour de France Femmes. 

Polka dots are to be worn by Cristina Tonetti of Labora Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi. Massive moment for her and her team. 

And talking of massive moments... A superb second place on the stage as well as the white jersey for 20-year-old Anniina Ahtosalo of Uno-X Mobility. 

While we wait for the final jersey of the day, why not have a look at some of the other breaking news on our site? Also, catch our post race report by clicking the link below for all the reaction from day one at the Tour de France Femmmes 2024...

>>> Tour de France Femmes: Charlotte Kool wins stage 1 sprint in The Hague and takes first yellow jersey 

And finally, green is owned by Charlotte Kool (DFP). However, she will not be wearing it tomorrow. That honour goes to Marianne Vos (TVL) after she won the intermediate sprint and came fifth on the stage. Ahtosalo (UXM) is a close third in the competition.