Canada’s Isabella Holmgren, who finished second in last year’s Tour de l’Avenir women’s race, moved up a notch on the podium and left no doubt about her superiority.
Already dominant in the prologue in Tignes, where she built up a significant lead despite the short distance (3 km climb), she wore the CIC Yellow Jersey from start to finish.
Isabella Holmgren, 20, has now joined the list of winners after significantly raising her game, which shows that she has successfully made the transition from off-road disciplines (cyclo-cross, mountain biking) to road racing, where the Lidl-Trek team member is shaping up to be one of the best climbers of the future. Her slender figure certainly suggests that the mountains are her domain.
In the morning, the half stage of Colle San Marco and Petit-Saint-Bernard allowed Marion Bunel to demonstrate that she was the only one capable of competing in the mountains. However, the Frenchwoman, winner of the 2024 Tour de l’Avenir, was never able to catch the Canadian, and after reviewing the photo finish, Isabella Holmgren deprived Marion Bunel of victory and the French team of a fourth win after Célia Gery’s triple victory.
If it could ease Marion Bunel’s regrets, Isabella Holmgren was still the best in the afternoon, against the clock, confirming the impression she made in the prologue, in a similar exercise but over a longer distance: 10.3 km between Montvalezan and La Rosière resort.
Although she posted the third fastest time (behind Australia’s Talia Appleton, who finished third overall), the Frenchwoman was unable to avoid being caught and overtaken by the Canadian, who started one minute after her.
The final podium was therefore reversed compared to last year, and in addition to the CIC yellow jersey, Isabella Holmgren also won the Alden polka dot jersey for best climber, the white jersey for best young rider sponsored by the Parc des Oiseaux, while Célia Gery, three-time stage winner, won the Biofioul green jersey for the points classification.
France won the team classification.
