Kool wins Tour de France Femmes opening stage

Dutch rider Charlotte Kool surged to triumph shape 1 of nan Tour de France Femmes successful a bunch sprint decorativeness successful The Hague.

DSM-Firmenich PostNL's Kool kicked clear pinch astir 100m to spell and held disconnected nan chasers to declare nan first leader's yellowish jersey of nan eight-stage race.

Finland's Anniina Ahtosalo of Uno-X vanished second, pinch Italian Elisa Balsamo of Lidl Trek successful third.

Pre-stage favourite Lorena Wiebes sustained a dropped concatenation pinch 200m remaining and could not title nan finish.

"It was really hectic but I for illustration it. I kept connected thinking, 'OK I for illustration hectic, I for illustration chaos'," said Kool, 25.

"I went truthful early and I thought it's excessively agelong and it wounded truthful bad but it was capable successful nan end."

Stage 1 was a 124km level tally from Rotterdam to The Hague successful nan Netherlands, pinch this nan first clip nan race, successful its 3rd edition, has started extracurricular France.

A immense clang successful nan mediate of nan peloton astatine 69km to spell brought dozens of riders to a halt but nary rider was earnestly hurt.

Despite a frantic run-in to nan line, Wiebes looked ideally placed connected nan instrumentality of lead-out rider Barbara Guarischi.

But her concatenation problem forced her to beryllium up and Kool followed Guarischi earlier launching retired of her slipstream arsenic nan Italian looked information to spot Wiebes had drifted back.

Defending champion Demi Vollering had a comparatively easy time and vanished safely successful nan bunch.

The title continues successful nan Netherlands pinch 2 stages some taking spot connected Tuesday.

The riders look a 67km level people from Dordrecht to Rotterdam successful nan greeting earlier a 6.3km individual clip proceedings successful Rotterdam successful nan afternoon.

The Tour past moves from nan Netherlands into Belgium connected Wednesday earlier yet arriving successful France connected Thursday, pinch nan last shape taking spot connected Sunday.