Nat Bromhead
It’s being hailed as the ‘chase of the year’, Mitchelton-Scott’s Annemiek van Vleuten – the world Time Trial champion – chasing down Anne van der Breggen – world Road Race champion – in the closing 10km of La Course by the Tour de France.
Making the win even more special, it occurred just 48 hours after van Vleuten and Mitchelton-Scott won their first Grand Tour, the Giro Rosa in Italy.
Raced over 118 km from Lake Annecy through the French Alps, the 2018 edition of La Course made for spectacular viewing and thrilling racing. Van der Breggen attacked on the final climb of the day then added to her advantage in the final harrowing descent towards the finish.
Right To The Line
Producing a phenomenal pursuit, van Vleuten caught her Dutch compatriot just metres from the line to take what will surely be one of the victories of her career.
Speechless for a short time after the win, Annemiek van Vleuten eventually described the chase as “unbelievable.”
“With 300metres to go I still thought I would get second and then I saw her dying. To win like this…it was a tough ride, but beautiful.”
“The gap going into the descent was really small and Anna is also a really good descender, but I always keep believing and keep on thinking that anything is possible and never give up. That was really important today.
“This win is really beautiful, the second time at La Course and especially coming only two days after winning the Giro Rosa, but to win this race in this way is really special and high up on my list of memorable wins.”
La Course by Le Tour de France Top 3
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-SCOTT) 03:20:43
2. Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) +0:01
3. Ashleigh Moolman (Cervelo-Bigla) +1:22
