D'Hoore crossed the line first in a sprint finish in Southwold, Suffolk
Belgium's Jolien D'Hoore won the first stage of the Women's Tour just three weeks after breaking her collarbone.
A sprint finish saw the Mitchelton-Scott rider, 28, win in a time of three hours 14 minutes 39 seconds.
Ale Cipollini's Marta Bastianelli was second with Team Sunweb's Coryn Rivera third after a 129.7km route from Framlingham to Southwold.
Britain's Hannah Barnes was ninth but two bonus seconds saw Dani Rowe gain the Best British Rider blue jersey.
D'Hoore underwent surgery after breaking her collarbone in a crash while racing in the madison at the Vier-Bahnen-Tournee in Dudenhofen, Germany, in May.
But after three weeks off the bike, she won the opening stage for her second Women's Tour stage win in succession having won the final stage in 2017.
The Women's Tour has more than doubled its prize fund this year to match the sums awarded in the men's race, with prize money for the five-day event now standing at 90,000 euro (£80,355).
The 17-team event, now in its fifth edition, forms part of the UCI Women's WorldTour., external
Thursday's second stage will see riders tackle a 145km route from Rushden to Daventry.
- Published7 March 2018
- Published11 June 2017
