'The one to beat' - Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig's quest to dethrone Annemiek van Vleuten at Tour de France Femmes

ByBen Snowball

Published 10/04/2023 at 18:01 GMT

The Eurosport GCN Cycling Show returns on Tuesday April 11 at 17:30 BST on Eurosport 1 and discovery+, with Danish champion Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig talking up a second crack at the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes. Also on the show: cyclo-cross-turned-road-star Fem van Empel shares her ambitions after moving to Jumbo-Visma, and we head to Italy with Fabian Cancellara’s new team Tudor Pro.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ–Suez) has a bold target for this year’s Tour de France Femmes: topple Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and win the yellow jersey.

The animated Dane won a stage at last year’s inaugural women’s Tour, just one day after seeing her GC hopes unravel following a nasty crash that forced her FDJ co-leader Marta Cavalli out of the race.

Buoyed by her victory, Uttrup Ludwig went on to finish seventh in the battle for yellow – albeit 8’59” off runaway winner Van Vleuten.

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Speaking to the Eurosport GCN Cycling Show, available to watch on April 11 at 17:30 BST on Eurosport 1 and discovery+, Uttrup Ludwig talked up her Dutch rival and her own dream.

“Annemiek is an amazing bike rider,” she said.

“As it is at the moment, she’s the one to beat. We’re going to try and do that this year. I believe in us.”

Uttrup Ludwig won Stage 3 to Epernay at last year's Tour after seeing off Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) in a sprint showdown, before giving an iconic and emotional interview.

'Such a good comeback after a f****** s*** day' - Uttrup Ludwig on Stage 3 win

“Looking back at last year, that day is one of the best memories,” she said.

“It was a big day, especially because of what happened the day before. Everything looked so black. We were all on the floor, losing Marta and then losing time. We were just like ‘can this get worse?’ And then the next day, new pants on, and it was quite incredible. It was probably one of the best days of my life.

“I also came into last year’s Tour wanting to go for the GC and I think we have the same ambition this year and trying to get that podium.”

Both Uttrup Ludwig and Van Vleuten had a quiet spring and are still chasing their first victory on the road in 2023. The pair duked it out for the final spot on the podium at Strade Bianche Donne in March, with Uttrup Ludwig coming out on top.

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Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

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