"It was a pretty rough day," were Brown's first words as she crossed the finish line of the fourth stage of the Women's Tour, her first win in the FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope since winning the national time trial title in Australia in January.

The tough race to Welshpool played to Brown's strengths, and she knew she could win. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief at the long-awaited victory and moved one step closer to her goal of a Tour de France fam in July.

"This is my first win of the year. I'm relieved, I'm happy for the team, and I'm really happy because this is my first win in the FDJ, apart from the time trial at the All-Japan Championships in January," said Brown.

Brown's move from BikeExchange to FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope was the biggest event of the season. She has steadily improved since turning pro in 2018, winning two WorldTour races last year at Bourges des Pannes and taking a stage win at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas. He also showed remarkable performance in the Tour of Flanders (3rd), the Giro d'Italia Donne mountain time trial (3rd), and the Olympic time trial (4th). However, he missed races in the second half of the season due to a shoulder injury.

Following the success of the Australian championships, he moved to Europe and tried to rewind for a big win in the FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, but finished second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Vuelta a Burgos Feminas gave her a chance to experience a few more stage races as she aims for a stage win at next month's Tour de France Femme.

Her stage win in the women's Tour ahead of Kasia Nievesiadoma and Elisa Longo Borghini shows that she is reaching that goal not only with form but also with confidence.

"The addition of Nieviadma and Longo Borghini didn't bother me too much. I think I can beat those two in the sprint. I was happy they made it to the final," Brown said.

"I think everything went well and I was able to turn it around and win at the end," Braun said.

Brown heads into the queen stage in the overall lead, with the first Black Mountain summit finish of the competition awaiting her on Day 5 of the Women's Tour. She is four seconds ahead of Niwiadoma and six seconds ahead of Longo Borghini.

"Of course I want to be up there on the last climb [tomorrow]," she said. If I can finish with the top climbers, I'll be able to retain the jersey."