Young Belgian rider Lore De Schepper donned the first CIC yellow jersey of the Tour de l’Avenir for women at the end of the prologue, which took place on an uphill section from the resort of La Rosière following the finish of the first alpine stage for the boys.
Three Frenchwomen made it into the top eleven: Ema Comte from Haute-Savoie (8th), Marion Bunel (10th), who has been improving steadily since her 8th place in last year’s final, and Julie Bego (11th), the outgoing junior world champion.
The young female hopefuls will now follow virtually the same route as the men’s Tour de l’Avenir, with the only difference being that the start of the 1st stage in Bessans on Thursday will bypass the Iseran before the finish at altitude in the resort of Les Karellis.
