Anna van der Breggen admits she is struggling at the Tour de France Femmes

Anna van der Breggen ran into trouble on the climbs during the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes,something she had already hinted might happen before the start. The 36-year-old Dutch rider has not yet found her best legs, although she did finish Monday alongside the other general classification contenders after they chose not to press on following a demanding climb.

Van der Breggen had already lost eight seconds to her general classification rivals on the explosive finish to stage 1, which was won by her SD Worx-Protime teammate Lorena Wiebes. The powerful sprinter also won stage 2, thanks in part to Van der Breggen, who took several turns on the front during the finale and helped bring back lone breakaway rider Riejanne Markus.

Anyone who thought Van der Breggen’s work on the front on Sunday was a sign of strong legs for the days ahead may be disappointed. “To be honest, I haven’t felt good so far. The first two days weren’t great,” she said with surprising honesty when NOS asked her about her condition on Monday morning.

During stage 3, Van der Breggen was briefly dropped when Kim Le Court launched a powerful acceleration on the Côte de Chaux-Champagny. She was not the only major name in difficulty, as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of Visma | Lease a Bike also found herself under pressure. Demi Vollering of FDJ United-SUEZ was unable to respond immediately either, although she appeared to have simply been caught off guard.

For Van der Breggen, however, the problem was that she could not go any faster. “That’s also why I rode on the front for Lorena yesterday,” she explained, referring to Sunday’s second stage. “She is riding so well that she had to be given the opportunity to sprint for the victory. We saw what she managed to do, and that also motivates me to keep looking for moments when I can help.”

Van der Breggen produced several impressive pulls on the front, but they were not evidence that she had reached peak form. “The team needed help yesterday, and when that happens I can’t stop myself from doing a few turns on the front,” she said with a laugh. Van der Breggen may have another opportunity to make an impact in Tuesday’s fourth stage, a 21-kilometre individual time trial between Gevrey-Chambertin and Dijon.

Her preparation for the Tour does not appear to be the cause of her difficult start. Speaking to De Telegraaf, Van der Breggen said she was still making progress after returning to professional racing, but suggested her best level may not arrive until next season. “I’m continuing to improve, but I would be more inclined to target next year’s Tour,” she said. “I need a little more time before I’m back at my best.”