'The best female cyclist ever' - Marianne Vos shows timeless class with Tour de France Femmes stage 1 win

Dutchwoman says 'everything came to together' on perfect day for Visma-Lease a Bike

Marianne Vos wins stage one of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As if Marianne Vos ever had anything to prove, the 38-year-old showed again on Saturday why she is, in the words of her sports director, and any longtime fan of the sport, “the best female cyclist ever”.

The Dutchwoman – a former multiple world and Olympic champion – stormed to victory on stage one of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, fending off the puncheurs in Plumelec, and tagging her Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the line. Before the day’s stage, Vos already counted 257 wins to her name. She now has 258, and a yellow jersey on her shoulders.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Tom Davidson
Senior News and Features Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.