Spanish rider Garcia becomes the oldest stage winner at women’s Tour de France at age 41

QUIMPER, France (AP) — Mavi Garcia became the oldest rider to win a stage at the women’s Tour de France on Sunday.

The 41-year-old Spaniard clinched the second stage with a solo breakaway. She looked back twice before realizing she would not be caught and then raised her arms aloft at the finish line.

Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten was 39 when she won a mountain stage on the 2022 women’s Tour, organizers said.

Garcia attacked with about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) left on the 110.4-kilometer hilly stage through Brittany and ending in Quimper. She looked like being caught near the end as the peloton loomed large behind her, but she kicked in and won by three seconds.

“I’ve been racing for a long time and I hadn’t been having my best year, but this win really gives me a massive boost of energy,” Garcia said. “I really didn’t believe I was going to win at the end. I’ve tried many times like that and it never worked out, so I just couldn’t believe it until I was five meters from the line.”

Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes was second and Kim Le Court of Mauritius took third place in a sprint to the line.

Le Court did just enough to take the race leader’s yellow jersey from cycling great Marianne Vos, who won Saturday’s opening stage in a close finish and placed fifth on Sunday.

Le Court and Vos have the same overall time after two stages, but Le Court now leads overall courtesy of her better combined stage finishes over the first two days.

Stage 3 on Monday is a flat stage for sprinters, ending in the western city of Angers. The nine-stage race ends on Aug. 3.

Last year provided the smallest winning margin in the history of the women’s and men’s races, with Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma beating 2023 champion Demi Vollering by four seconds, and Pauliena Rooijakkers only 10 seconds off the pace in third place. ___

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