Marlen Reusser has to abandon the Tour de France Femmes

The Swiss rider, who had contracted a virus, experienced difficulties right from the start and found herself at the back of the field. In the end, she had to bow to reality and got off her bike, completely exhausted.

According to Eurosport, she was also involved in a mass crash during the ride from Vannes to Plumelec. This incident probably took its toll on her morale.

As Tour de Suisse winner and runner-up at the Giro d'Italia, Marlen Reusser was initially one of the favorites. However, she dampened expectations on Friday. A stomach flu had severely affected her preparation.

"Start would not have been necessary"

"I wanted to know if I could do it, because the Tour de France Femmes is a very important race. But in hindsight, it wouldn't have been necessary to start," said the 33-year-old. She can look back on an already successful season and now wants to get really fit again. With the Tour de Romandie and the World Championships in Rwanda, there are still important races to come.

After the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes with a slight climb at the end, 38-year-old Dutchwoman Marianne Vos is in the lead. Elise Chabbey was the first Swiss rider to cross the finish line, nine seconds behind.

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