"I rode a good time trial”, Markus said. The 28-year-old Dutchwoman saw Kraak and Henderson put in a solid time trial during her warm-up. Both riders didn't have to concede much to the fastest riders but saw Reusser put a great time on the clock moments later. Markus stayed reasonably close for 22 kilometres, eventually losing 50 seconds to the eventual winner.

"It was a special week”, Markus continued. "The Tour de France Femmes remains a unique experience, and there are always a lot of fans at the side. I didn't start this Tour fully fit, but fortunately, I noticed that I improved at every stage. It is great that I can still perform like this after eight tough days. Now it's time to rest for the world championships."

Race director Carmen Small was pleased with the second edition of the Tour. "The team has done a great job. We finished second on one stage with Marianne Vos. Of course, we wanted to win, but all in all, we got the maximum out of it. We have learnt a lot and will take that with us for the future. Everyone gave everything. That is what counts in the end.”