first tour de france femmes

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The Tour de France Femmes’ Long and Winding Road: A brief history of the women’s Tour de France

On Sunday morning, the peloton will roll out of Clermont-Ferrand for start of the second edition of the relaunched Tour de France Femmes. After the roaring success of the 2022 Tour Femmes, in terms of both the racing and the fervent roadside and television audience (recent data revealed that the race reached a cumulative audience of over 23 million people), expectations are high for an event that is already, just twelve months into its renaissance, an integral part of the women’s cycling calendar.

Not that the Tour de France Femmes is resting on its laurels, however. The 2023 edition appears keen to cast off the shackles of its association with the all-encompassing Tour Hommes – the Paris start, a kind of symbolic ‘handover’ from the men’s race, is already gone, replaced by some tough opening days in the Massif Central: a decision informed, race director Marion Rousse says, partly by a desire for the race to assert its independence, and partly to put together an interesting sporting test.

The groundbreaking narrative of the Tour de France Femmes – rhetoric commonly used throughout 2022’s ‘inaugural’ edition – continues at pace this year. The 2023 Tour de France Femmes, according to the official record, is again one of firsts. A first start away from Paris, a first venture in the Pyrenees (with a summit finish atop the iconic Col du Tourmalet, no less), and a first decisive final day time trial in Pau.

Because, if you were reading the official Tour preview, you’d be fooled into thinking – with the exception of one or two casual references to the 1980s – that everything began in 2022.

> History maker: Peerless Annemiek van Vleuten wins first edition of relaunched Tour de France Femmes

But the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (to give it its full title), as all those who fought to secure a stable, successful Tour de France for female riders will attest, forms part of a long history, one even more circuitous and taxing than the route the riders will face through the middle and south of France over the next eight days.

The long, hard fight

Because rather than a historic first, last year’s “inaugural” Tour de France Femmes was something of a rebirth, the culmination of a long fight to get something back, not gain something new.

The first women’s Tour de France was, in fact, held almost seven decades ago, in 1955. The race was the brainchild of journalist and sometime-team manager Jean Leulliot, who organised the infamous Circuit de France stage race in 1942 with the collaboration of the Nazis, and was the race director, and then owner, of Paris-Nice.

The inaugural Tour de France Féminin – only the second women’s stage race of its kind, after the Circuit Feminin Lyonnais-Auvergne was held earlier that year, in July – took place over five days in Normandy in September and October 1955.

It was won by Irish-born Isle of Man rider Millie Robinson, the winner of the Lyonnais-Auvergne race two months previously, who secured her historic (and largely forgotten) success via a late attack into Elbeuf on stage four and a dominant time trial performance – unsurprisingly, for someone from this part of the world – the following day.

However, despite the race’s apparent success, Leulliot quickly abandoned his experiment after just one edition.

Almost three decades later, in 1984, the idea was eventually revived by the Tour’s co-organiser Félix Lévitan. This time, the event much more closely resembled the men’s race and could properly be described, in the modern parlance, as a ‘grand tour’, and one which actually took the riders on a tour of France.

Two-time Tour Féminin winner Maria Canins climbs the Col d'Izoard during the 1986 race

The 1984 edition, held in the same summer as the inaugural women’s road race at the Olympic Games, took place over 18 days, with the women riding shortened versions of the men’s stages, including the iconic Alpine and Pyrenean passes such as the brutal Col de Joux Plane, earlier in the day.

That first-ever Tour de France Féminin, won by American Marianne Martin (two years before Greg LeMond became the country’s first male winner), kickstarted what was arguably the first ever golden age of women’s cycling.

Running concurrently with the men’s race meant that the pioneering women’s peloton were greeted by the same huge crowds, on the same iconic roads, while images of three-time winner Jeannie Longo – who enjoyed a brilliant rivalry with Italian double winner Maria Canins – on the final podium in Paris alongside Stephen Roche and LeMond, are embedded in the psyche of cycling fans of a certain vintage.

However, despite its links to the men’s event, the Tour de France Féminin retained an amateur-style, hard-scrabble feel, and was barely promoted beyond those taking part and the people they passed on the roadside. The ‘grand tour’ aspect of the race was also increasingly diluted as interest struggled to ignite – by 1989, it had been reduced to an 11-day race and was almost 300km shorter than its 1984 equivalent.

Following that 1989 edition, won once again by the dominant rider of her generation Longo, incoming Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc scrapped the race, citing the commercial and financial concerns of running a race with limited media coverage and sponsorship (Leblanc missing the irony, clearly, of who was responsible for drumming up that interest).

Even more crucially, Leblanc and organisers ASO prevented other aspiring race planners from using the Tour de France trademark, ridding subsequent attempts at a women’s grand tour in France, such as the initial Tour of the EEC (first won in 1990 by four-time world champion Catherine Marshal) of much-needed legitimacy and exposure.

The trademark issue became a persistent thorn in the side for the event’s eventual successor, Pierre Boué’s Tour Cycliste Féminin (which later became known in 1998 as the Grande Boucle Féminine, after ASO complained, predictably, about the previous name).

Despite featuring long and tough stages, and some of France’s most iconic climbs (the 1995 edition included a finish on Alpe d’Huez) the Grande Boucle struggled to draw in sponsors and was dogged by organisational difficulties such as poor accommodation and unpaid prize money. The two-week race was missing from the calendar in 2004, and returned in a much-shortened format the following year.

The final edition of the Grande Boucle in 2009, won by Emma Pooley (the third British triumph in four years following Nicole Cooke’s successes in 2006 and 2007) was only four stages and 306.5km-long, prompting Pooley to memorably describe it as “more of a Petite Boucle”.

Not that there was anything “petite” about the riders’ performances, however. The first of Cooke’s back-to-back wins, in 2006, saw the future Olympic and world champion ride away solo in the yellow jersey on Mont Ventoux – a poignant site for British cycling – to secure a dominant victory.

Nevertheless, the demise of the Grande Boucle acted as a catalyst for a rethink – for a women’s Tour de France to be successful and sustainable, it had to have the backing of, you guessed it, the Tour de France.

In the late 2000s, a campaign was launched by pro cyclist, film maker, and writer Kathryn Bertine, who was later joined by Pooley, the sport’s new superstar Marianne Vos, and triathlete Chrissie Wellington, to convince Tour organisers ASO to put their weight behind a real women’s Tour de France.

Lizzie Deignan outsprints Marianne Vos at the 2020 La Course

In 2014, the Tour organisers finally relented, to some degree, and came up with La Course by Le Tour de France. Originally held as a crit-style race around Paris on the same day as the final stage of the men’s race, the organisers then tinkered with a few mid-race experiments, while never expanding the event beyond two days.

Though La Course, and especially its first three years on the Champs-Élysées, felt at times like more of a concession than a statement of intent, a bolted-on afterthought rather than a sustainable plan for future growth, it nevertheless galvanised Bertine, Pooley, and Vos’s campaign for a proper, stable stage race under the Tour de France umbrella.

And with some scintillating racing to boot, especially once the race ventured beyond Paris – Annemiek van Vleuten’s stunning, last-ditch duel with Anna van der Breggen in the Alps in 2018 the undoubted highlight of the race’s tenure – even ASO couldn’t resist the hand of history, as well as the expectations of a sport and an audience that was fast outgrowing races seemingly more akin to amuse-bouches or petit fours than the full tasting menu of a grand tour.

In June 2021, ASO announced that a new women’s eight-day stage race, the Tour de France Femmes, would take place the week after the following year’s men’s race. A Tour de France for women was finally, after decades of struggle and frustrations, back.

And, it’s safe to say, the women’s peloton certainly made the most of the opportunity during a frenetic, exhilarating week on the fan-packed roads of France last year.

Stage four’s foray onto gravel brought drama and chaos, while Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig’s brilliant, come-from-behind sprint in Épernay – after a torrid opening few days for the Dane’s FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope team – reinforced her position as one of the sport’s darlings and its most entertaining interviewee.

Meanwhile, Annemiek van Vleuten’s stunning success in the Vosges mountains, after a battle with illness earlier in the week, provided the race with an inspiring, if ultimately predictable, climax.

But it was the success of the greatest rider of all time, Marianne Vos, that perfectly encapsulated what was a week-long celebration of women’s cycling. Vos’s two stage wins and five days in the yellow jersey proved not only fitting for a rider who has given the sport so much during her long, storied career, but for women’s cycling itself.

This was a case of cycling’s most iconic rider finally gracing the stage she has deserved for almost two decades. Vos fought long and hard for her moment at the Tour, and she deserved every second of it.

For one of the riders who took part in last year’s relaunched race, British road race champion Pfeiffer Georgi, the 2022 Tour de France Femmes was a “massive moment” for women’s cycling.

“It was a really amazing atmosphere,” the DSM rider told the road.cc Podcast . “We started on the Champs-Élysées and had our team presentation in front of the Eiffel Tower. The crowds were insane.

“Everyone had this feeling that it was a massive moment for women’s cycling. We waited a long time to have the race back, and just the support and the excitement of the racing every day, there was so much to fight for. And I felt very lucky to compete in the first edition of this new format.”

Of course, while we all got carried away with the euphoria of a fourth week of racing in July, the Tour Femmes isn’t perfect, and we should be cautious when evaluating what essentially amounts to a spot of late-stage band wagoning by ASO.

First, inequality still strikes at the heart of the relaunched women’s Tour. For starters, can an eight-day race really be defined as a ‘grand tour’? And even if there are plans in place to eventually expand the race to two, or even three, weeks, money remains an ever-present issue: Van Vleuten received €50,000 in prize money for her career-defining triumph, a tenth of what her male equivalent Jonas Vingegaard earned for winning the men’s Tour.

Despite the efforts of other race organisers, such as Flanders Classics – who this year began to offer equal prize money across its stable of one-day races – that chasm remains painfully intact for this year’s Tours de France.

Another measure of the gulf between how ASO views its male and female events lies most glaringly in the lack of line-to-line television coverage for the Tour Femmes. While the Tour Hommes has been graced with ‘every kilometre counts’ coverage for well over a decade now, the Tour Femmes more closely resembles the mid-2000s approach to watching a bike race on TV.

Last year, arguably the defining moment of the entire race came when Van Vleuten blew the field to shreds on the Petit Ballon, the first of stage seven’s three mammoth climbs – it’s just a shame no-one was able to see it, as the television cameras had yet to start rolling.

“I would love to see more TV coverage,” says Georgi. “I think that’s one of the most important things at the moment. People find our racing exciting, they want to watch it, and when it’s there, they do watch it. Some of the women’s classics have more viewers than the men’s.

“The interest and excitement are there, that’s where it all begins. That’s where people see it, that’s where sponsors get their products and name shown. TV coverage is the catalyst for everything, and getting our racing and love for the sport out there more.”

Reflecting on the impact of the Tour Femmes on women’s cycling, the 22-year-old continued: “The Tour is the pinnacle of cycling. And people who don’t know cycling always ask ‘have you raced it?’ I think everyone is so happy to say yes, we finally have it on our calendar.

“The first edition was eight stages, and I can see that growing over the years. It’s nice that it’s after the men’s Tour too, so the focus is on us. The crowds that came out, not just in Paris, but La Planche des Belles Filles was one of the craziest experiences I’ve had.

“It felt like I was on the Tour I’ve always watched on TV.”

It’s clear that women’s cycling, which experienced a great leap forward in terms of the quality of its races and the levels of professionalisation in the period between the last Grande Boucle in 2009 and the ‘inaugural’ Tour Femmes in 2022, deserves it place on cycling’s biggest stage.

It’s now up to ASO to make sure that the curtain doesn’t fall again.

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Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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After more than 30 years, a multiday women's Tour de France is back

Tom Goldman

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio of Team South Africa leads the peloton during the women's road race on the second day of the 2020 Olympic Games at Fuji International Speedway on July 25, 2021 in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan. Michael Steele/Getty Images hide caption

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio of Team South Africa leads the peloton during the women's road race on the second day of the 2020 Olympic Games at Fuji International Speedway on July 25, 2021 in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan.

Bicycle racing's most famous competition, for men, ends Sunday in Paris.

But on the same day, in the same city, another version of the Tour de France begins .

And this one is for the world's best female riders.

It's been more than 30 years since women have competed in a viable, multistage Tour de France. Now they finally have another chance, and it's due, in large part, to the pandemic.

Pedaling to victory at home

With COVID-19 surging in 2020, elite cyclists, pretty much like everyone, were on lockdown.

But for them, as the proverbial door closed, another opened.

The company Zwift , which combines fitness and video gaming for indoor training, put on virtual races worldwide, with separate contests for men and women. Including a virtual Tour de France.

Some pro cyclists rolled their eyes.

"Like, I did not want to ride inside. I thought it was dumb," said American cyclist Lily Williams. "You know it's harder to ride inside because you're just staring at the wall."

Others embraced the chance to break the drudgery of indoor training and maintain a level of competitiveness, albeit virtual.

"I saw the opportunity it presented for us in one of the most challenging years for the world," said Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, a 13-year veteran of women's pro cycling.

It paid off for Moolman-Pasio.

She pedaled to victory in stage five of the 2020 virtual Tour de France, the so-called "queen stage." The toughest stage in a multiday road race.

The next day, Moolman-Pasio and her husband ventured outside their home in Girona, Spain, and noticed people pointing.

"He's like, 'Well, it's because of the Tour de France,' " Moolman-Pasio said. "You know you were on TV and everyone saw you winning the queen stage."

It was not an isolated incident.

Colombian rider Egan Bernal , the 2019 Tour de France champion, holds a virtual test during a news conference in Bogota on April 2, 2022. JUAN BARRETO/Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Colombian rider Egan Bernal , the 2019 Tour de France champion, holds a virtual test during a news conference in Bogota on April 2, 2022.

Turning virtual racing into reality

According to Zwift, more than 16 million people in more than 130 countries saw the virtual races – on television and digital platforms. And viewership was equally split between the men's and women's events.

Longtime Tour de France organizer ASO — the Amaury Sport Organization — saw in those numbers the potential for women's cycling.

"That's how the conversation started," said Moolman-Pasio.

The conversation with Zwift was about launching a real women's Tour, one with heft and sustainability. A top-notch broadcast plan was critical.

"That's the key to the success of the race," said Kate Veronneau from Zwift, "to building that audience, to building future investment and growing the race and keeping it around."

Veronneau says broadcasting to 190 countries on each of the race's eight days should certainly help keep the new women's Tour de France around.

After so many other Tours had gone away.

Laurent Fignon, left, of France, and Marianne Martin of Boulder, Colo., hold up their trophies in Paris after winning the men's and women's Tour de France cycling races on July 23, 1984. Steven/AP hide caption

Trials, and lots of errors

In 1955, a five-stage loop from Paris to Normandy marked the first women's Tour de France. But it only lasted a year.

It wasn't until 1984 that organizers tried again.

A multistage event called the Tour de France Feminin ran for six years. It featured three wins for French cycling legend Jeannie Longo .

She won the last event in 1989. That Tour folded, like other versions after, because of uneven media coverage and sponsorship.

Both are there now.

Zwift won't say how much money it's poured into its four-year title sponsorship of the Tour de France femmes avec Zwift . But it's enough for about $250,000 in prize money, with $50,000 to the winner.

Finally seeing women

Moolman-Pasio is one of many veteran riders who've fought for a viable women's Tour de France. She's thrilled about finally getting to race in cycling's most prominent event, and about the girls and young women who'll be watching.

"Instead of sitting on the couch and watching the Tour de France and seeing men race up these epic climbs and fighting for the yellow jersey, finally they will see [women]," Moolman-Pasio said. "And it's the opportunity for them to recognize pro cycling as a career choice."

It's still a challenging choice, though.

Many female pro cyclists have to work as well as race.

Williams, the U.S. rider who thought virtual racing was dumb but now likes it so much she sometimes rides inside intentionally, was one of them. She's spent most of her five years as a pro working another job – as communications director for a bike registration network.

But the financial landscape is changing, and finally, Williams is a full time pro.

"This is the first year I've made a full salary from cycling," she said. "Now I actually have the opportunity to just race my bike, which I can't even tell you goes so far because not only is the training and racing incredibly demanding but the travel and the recovery require so much more of you than it did before."

The sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has been raising minimum salaries for women competing on professional teams. Team budgets are growing, as is prize money across the board. After the Tour de France femmes avec Zwift announced its record $250,000 purse, another women's grand tour event, the Giro d'Italia Donne, matched the Tour's prize money amount.

In her short professional career, Williams has won a World Championship gold medal and Olympic bronze in track cycling. She's excited about the upcoming Tour, a hallowed road race she watched every year, with her family, growing up.

A race now for women too.

"I think it's [part of] the general trend we're seeing everywhere," Williams said, "where women are gaining equal opportunity across the board in a lot of different areas of the world. So it's all kind of coming to a head. And I think the Tour de France is going to be such a great opportunity for us to showcase that as well."

Lily Williams celebrates after the Women's Team Pursuit Finals during the second day of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Feb. 27, 2020, in Berlin. Maja Hitij/Getty Images hide caption

Lily Williams celebrates after the Women's Team Pursuit Finals during the second day of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Feb. 27, 2020, in Berlin.

Eight, for now

It will be a shorter showcase than the men's Tour.

Women's teams aren't big enough, at least for now, to support a 21-stage Tour de France like the men.

"The top women are more than ready to race three weeks," said Sadhbh O'Shea, a bicycle racing writer for VeloNews. "[But with] a good chunk of these riders working part time to fund their racing, until we can get a full peloton of professional riders, I don't think the women's sport is ready for a full three-week stage race."

But O'Shea thinks the eight-stage race starting Sunday is right for this initial effort.

With so much racing in the men's Tour, "you tend to get these dips in terms of the pace and aggression," O'Shea said. "Whereas with the women's racing, because it's shorter because there are fewer riders, it tends to be a little more gung-ho right from the start and all the way through. You do occasionally get lulls, but it tends to be more action, more of the time."

The women's stages average 80 miles, the men 99.

The action starts Sunday in Paris, before the men arrive for their finish, when the women will own the city streets. Their first stage begins at the Eiffel Tower – 12 laps, or 50 miles later — it ends on the Champs-Elysees. After the city, seven more stages of sprints, grueling mountain climbs and even sections of gravel and dirt roads.

By the end, on July 31, the new women's Tour hopes to finish with new fans, and a promise to be back – year after year.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022: Everything You Need to Know

The route, the prize money and the favourites for the women’s Tour de France revival

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Tour de France Femmes 2022 Preview Video

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Oops, you've found our out-of-date page. Don't worry, though - the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023 race guide is here!

Eight days of racing, worldwide TV coverage, a €250,000 prize purse and dynamic, mixed-terrain courses. The 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is shaping up to be a great showcasing of women’s cycling, and one we’ve been waiting for since the last official women’s Tour de France was discontinued after 1989. 

So far, the race has more than delivered on its promise with some incredibly exciting racing and star riders such as Marianne Vos and Lorena Wiebes perfoming at their best

With three more stages of action ahead, here's all you need to know about the 2022 Tour de France Femmes.

Women at the Tour de France: a history

Marianne Martin at the 1984 Tour de France

While you may see a lot of references to the “inaugural” Tour de France Femmes, there have been several versions of a women’s Tour de France throughout history, dating back to 1955 with the Leulliot race . This, however, was just a one-off five-day race organised by journalist and race director Jean Leulliot. A starting list of 41 women contested the race and was won by Manx cyclist Millie Robinson . The race failed to receive financial backing and did not return for a second year. 

An official women’s Tour de France was launched in 1984. Organised by the Société du Tour de France in conjunction with the men’s event, the women raced on the same day and same, albeit shortened, routes as the men’s race. The women raced for 18 stages for a total length of 991 kilometres. By winning that race, American Marianne Martin is widely recognized as the first official women’s Tour de France winner.  

After two years of a full-length tour, organisers cut the Tour de France Féminin down to two weeks before scrapping the women’s race altogether, citing lack of commercial and media interest. During the six years the race was held, it was very much a battle between the Italian Maria Canins and iconic French racer Jeannie Longo. Canins won the 1985 and 1986 editions while Longo made do with second place. The roles reversed for the next three editions with Longo taking the yellow jersey and Canins in second.

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Over the years, several other formations of a women’s Tour de France formed, though none were held in conjunction with the men’s event nor held the same prestige. There was the Tour de la C.E.E. Féminin , which ran from 1990 until 1992, and the Tour Cycliste Féminin which later was renamed La Grande Boucle Féminin Internationale after organisers of the Tour de France, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), claimed trademark infringement. This event featured somewhere between 9 and 13 stages and saw familiar names like Leontien van Moorsel, Nicole Cooke and Emma Pooley victorious. The event decreased in the number of stages and competitors as the years went on, and was discontinued after the 2009 edition.

There was also the Tour de l’Aude Féminin and the Route de France Féminine , both held in Southern France but, again, without affiliation to the Tour de France organisations.

In 2014, a large lobbying effort spearheaded by cyclists Kathryn Bertine , Marianne Vos , Emma Pooley and former world triathlon champion Chrissie Wellington, resulted into the A.S.O organising a single-day La Course by le Tour de France women’s race, held on the cobbles of Champs-Élysées on the same day at the men’s final stage of the Tour de France. La Course continued to be held in various (at times, experimental) formats and locations until the ASO announced its inaugural Tour de France Femmes , the closest thing to an actual women’s Tour de France since 1989.

The 2022 Tour de France Femmes - an Overview

Dates: July 24 - July 31

Number of teams: 24

Number of riders: up to 168

Number of stages: 8

Total distance: 1,029 kilometres 

Prize money: There is a total of €250,000 in prize money, including €50,000 for the overall winner. While among the biggest prize purses on the women's calendar, this pales to the men’s Tour de France prize money which sees the winner takes home €500,000 and the prize purse totals a whopping €2,288,450. 

Tour de France Femmes 2022 Route

The eight-day race will start at the Eiffel Tower, and the Tour de France Femmes route will then consist of seven further stages before finishing atop the La Planche des Belles Filles ski resort. There will be flat sprint and mountain top finishes, cobbles and gravel sectors, city streets and country lanes. 

July 24: Eiffel Tower > Champs-Élysées Flat, cobbles, 82 kilometres

Home to the first three editions of La Course, this flat circuit stage that’s almost destined to be won by a sprinter. The peloton will ride 12 laps of the 6.8km circuit before finishing on the famed cobbled stretch in front of the Arc de Triomphe. 

July 25: Meaux > Provins Flat, 136.5 kilometres

From the city into the country roads of the Brie region. Stage 2 features some familiar roads for those who’ve ridden Tour L’Avenir. Plenty of riders will leave their mark on TdFF before the roads turn up. The course gets a little bumpy toward the end so whoever wants to claim the stage win, and the jersey, will need a decent punch. 

July 26: Reims > Épernay Hilly, 133 kilometres

Now in the Champagne region, the roads are starting to turn up and the bumpy course profile suggests plenty of breakaway potential. It’s likely we’ll see the yellow jersey changing backs on this day.

July 27: Troyes > Bar-Sur-Aube Gravel day! 126 kilometres

Hills and gravel. If the gravelly stage 5 of the men’s Tour de France is anything to go by, then we’re in for a treat. With four unpaved sectors and an undulating  course profile, you won’t want to miss the action on this stage.

July 28: Bar-le-Duc > Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Flat, looong 175 kilometres

One last flat stage before we head toward the mountains. This is the longest stage of the Tour as well as the longest professional women's road race stage in modern history, surpassing the 170km stage that the peloton undertook at the 2020 Giro Rosa. With the GC taking shape and the legs tired from the first four days, the race may be a defensive one and is likely to end in a bunch sprint. 

July 29: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges > Rosheim Hilly rollercoaster, 128 kilometres

A rollercoaster stage with four categorised climbs scattered along the route, stage six is one for the puncheurs . The final climb comes just nine kilometres from the finish, which if timed right could favour a daring soloist with time trialling prowess. 

July 30: Sélestat > Le Markstein Mountainous,  127 kilometres

The Tour now becomes a climber’s competition. After a gentle start, the peloton will tackle three of the toughest mountain passes in the Vosges. And upon reaching the top of the third pass, the Grand Ballon, the route will follow the ridge line towards the Markstein. Perhaps the most challenging stage on paper, only the strongest climbers will contest the jersey.

July 31: Lure > Super Planche des Belles Filles A grande, mountainous finale, 123 kilometres

For the grande finale, the inaugural Tour de France Femmes ends on a high: atop one of France's most iconic climbs: La Super Planche Des Belles Filles. Two categorised climbs precede the summit finish, where jersey hopefuls can test their legs and try for a breakaway, though it’s likely the real racing will play out on the ascent up to Planche Des Belles Filles.

Fresh off her third overall win of the hilly and brutal Giro Donne, Annemiek van Vleuten is a top favourite.

Tour de France Femmes 2022 Race Favourites

It’s no secret that all the peloton’s biggest stars have been preparing for this event and the chance to write their name into the history books. 

While the official start list is yet to be announced, look to familiar faces like Marianne “the G.O.A.T”  Vos (Jumbo-Visma), breakout rider Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx, sprinter sensation Lorena Wiebes (DSM) and world champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) to go for the early stage wins and vie for the sprinters jersey. Vos and Balsamo showed tremendous form at the Giro Donne in early July as they scored multiple sprint wins each. 

But with the final weekend taking place in the mountains, the yellow jersey will likely be contested by the best climbers. Of course, fresh off her third overall win of the hilly and brutal Giro Donne, Annemiek van Vleuten is a top favourite. 

Two minutes down from Van Vleuten and holding her own in the Italian mountains was Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope). Earlier this season, the 24-year-old showed that she’s not timid when it comes to taking on the biggest names in the peloton when she left her mark on the Ardennes Classics with wins at both Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne .

And while she came up short in the Ardennes, look to Demi Vollering to lead the always competitive SD Worx squad in the mountains. With three stage wins, the Dutch woman took the Itzulia overall classification with confidence in May and backed that performance up by also winning the polka dot jersey at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas later that month. 

Other climbers to watch are French woman J uliette Labous (DSM), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange-Jayco), Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) and Kristen Faulkner (BikeExchange-Jayco).

Tour de France Femmes 2022 Provisional Start List

Canyon//SRAM Racing Alena Amialiusik Tiffany Cromwell Elise Chabbey  Soraya Paladin Soraya Pauliena Rooijakkers  Katarzyna Niewiadoma

EF Education-Tibco-SVB Emily Newsom  Magdeleine Vallieres Krista Doebel-Hickok Veronica Ewers  Katrin Hammes  Letizia Borghesi 

FDJ- Suez - Futuroscope Marie Le Net Vittoria Guazzini  Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig Évita Muzic  Marta Cavalli  Grace Brown 

Human Powered Health Lily Williams Marit Raaijmakers  Barbara Malcotti Nina Buijsman  Henrietta Christie  Antri Christoforou

Liv Racing Xstra  Valerie Demey Rachele Barbieri Thalita De Jong  Silke Smulders  Sabrina Stultiens  Jeanne Korevaar

Movistar Team  Aude Biannic  Arlenis Sierra  Sheyla Gutiérrez  Andrea Paula Patiño  Emma Norsgaard  Annemiek Van Vleuten 

Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad Caroline Baur  Olga Zabelinskaya Rotem Gafinovitz  Petra Stiasny Petra Tamara Dronova-Balabolina  Hannah Buch 

Team Bikeexchange - Jayco Ane Santesteban  Kristen Faulkner Amanda Spratt  Ruby Roseman-Gannon Alexandra Manly  Urska Zigart

Team DSM  Franziska Koch Charlotte Kool  Liane Lippert  Lorena Wiebes  Juliette Labous  Pfeiffer Georgi 

Team Jumbo-Visma  Riejanne Markus  Noemi Rüegg  Karlijn Swinkels  Anna Henderson  Marianne Vos  Romy Kasper

Team SD Worx  Christine Majerus  Chantal Van Den Broek-Blaak  Demi Vollering  Lotte Kopecky Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio  Marlen Reusser 

Trek - Segafredo  Leah Thomas  Shirin van Anrooij  Elisa Longo Borghini Elisa Balsamo  Audrey Cordon-Ragot  Ellen Van Dijk 

UAE Team ADQ  Sofia Bertizzolo  Erica Magnaldi  Eugenia Bujak  Mavi García  Marta Bastianelli  Maaike Boogaard 

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team  Mie Bjørndal Ottestad Anne Dorthe Ysland  Hannah Barnes Hannah Ludwig Julie Leth  Joscelin Lowden 

Ceratizit-Wnt Pro Cycling Sandra Alonso Laura Asencio Lisa Brennauer Maria Giulia Confalonieri Marta Lach Kathrin Schweinberger

Parkhotel Valkenburg Mischa Bredewold  Femke Gerritse  Femke Markus  Anne Van Rooijen  Quinty Schoens  Nicole Frain 

Valcar - Travel & Service Olivia Baril  Alice Maria Arzuffi Chiara Consonni  Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini Silvia Persico  Llaria Sanguineti

AG Insurance - Nxtg Team  Ally Wollaston  Julia Borgström Anya Louw  Ilse Pluimers Gaia Masetti Lone Meertens 

Arkéa Pro Cycling Team Greta Richioud  Anais Morichon  Pauline Allin  Yuliia Biriukova Morgane Coston Amandine Fouquenet 

Cofidis Women Team Victoire Berteau  Sandra Lévénez Martina Alzini  Rachel Neylan  Valentine Fortin  Alana Castrique 

Le Col - Wahoo Eva Van Agt Jesse Vandenbulcke Marjolein Van 't Geloof  Elizabeth Holden Gladys Verhulst  Maike van der Duin

Plantur-Pura Kim De Baat  Christina Schweinberger  Laura Süßemilch Sanne Cant  Julie de Wilde  Yara Kastelijn

Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime Noémie Abgrall  Frances Janse van Rensburg India Grangier  Séverine Eraud Natalie Grinczer Maeva Squiban

24 St Michel - Auber93 WE Alison Avoine Sandrine Bideau  Simone Boilard  Coralie Demay  Barbara Fonseca Margot Pompanon

How to Watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2022

Demi Vollering wins the 8th La Course by Le Tour in 2021

In Europe, the Tour de France Femmes broadcasting rights belong to Discovery Sports and Eurovision Sport. Viewers can watch the live, ad-free coverage via Discovery Sports' portfolio of channels, including Eurosport's linear channels and relevant streaming platforms. 

U.S. fans can watch the race on Peacock and CNBC. 

Cycling Weekly 's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years. 

Effective immediately, the NCL paused all its operations in order to focus on restructuring and rebuilding for the 2025 season.

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 15 April 24

Race will get underway in Welshpool before concluding in Greater Manchester four days later

By Tom Thewlis Published 15 April 24

Belgian aiming to peak in April with Paris-Roubaix a potential target

By Tom Thewlis Published 23 January 24

With so much packed into the route, is it too rich a meal?

By Adam Becket Published 31 October 23

Mathieu van der Poel and Lotte Kopecky named as best Classics riders at French awards ceremony

By Adam Becket Published 25 October 23

A Giro di Lombardia live stream is the best way to keep up with this year's race. Here's how to watch in 2023.

By Cycling Weekly Published 7 October 23

The flying Dutchwoman could almost win it all, but now her era has almost ended, she should be remembered as the greatest

By Adam Becket Published 31 July 23

SD Worx rider seals yellow jersey with three-minute gap, as team-mate Marlen Reusser triumphs on stage eight

By Tom Davidson Published 30 July 23

Reigning champion concedes defeat to compatriot on Col du Tourmalet

By Tom Davidson Published 29 July 23

Dutchwoman lays waste to GC rivals on stage seven and takes the yellow jersey

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2023 edition.

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Femmes du Tour

Up close and personal with the champions.

Long before they are due to appear on television this summer, the champions have begun to open their doors, agreeing to shares their views about the upcoming Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. A dozen have welcomed a film crew that takes viewers of this series of portraits into the heart of their daily lives: in Brittany with Audrey Cordon-Ragot , in the Piedmontese village of Ornavasso to gather the insights of Elisa Longo-Borghini , in Girona in Spain where Kasia Niewiadoma and Cecilie Utrup Ludwig have set up their training camp, and of course in the Netherlands to meet Queen Marianne Vos .

Ep. 1 - Audrey Cordon-Ragot: Trek - Segafredo

Ep. 2 - Tiffany Cromwell: Canyon // SRAM Racing

Tiffany Cromwell, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner, Giro Rosa stage winner, Olympian and one of the peloton's strongest road captains.

Ep. 3 - Demi Vollering: Team SD Worx

A rising star with wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Women's Tour and on La Course by le Tour de France, Demi Vollering will be looking to make her mark on Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Ep. 4 - Elisa Longo-Borghini: Trek - Segafredo

Elisa Longo-Borghini, the latest Queen of the North and Italian champion, initially inspired by her brother and now one of the greatest riders at the highest level. Hear about her journey to Paris-Roubaix Femmes victory and more.

Ep. 5 - Annemiek van Vleuten: Movistar Team Women

Annemiek van Vleuten. One of the GOATS of world cycling with a list of wins stretching over more than 10 years.

Ep. 6 - Mavi Garcia: UAE Team ADQ

Mavi Garcia, a 3-time national road race champion and 3-time national TT champion, came into professional cycling after success as a duathlete and recently claimed her first WorldTour win on the Vuelta a Burgos stage 3.​

Ép. 7 - Marianne Vos : Team Jumbo Visma

Est une des reines du cyclisme. 3 fois championne du monde et médaillée d’or olympique, elle a tout remporté ! (Re)découvrez-la, elle et ses victoires alors qu’elle se prépare pour Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Ep. 8 - Evita Muzic: FDJ Suez Futuroscope

Evita Muzic, a double French champion and stage winner on the Giro Rosa, is one of cycling's newest and upcoming stars. What inspires her and what drives her, find out in this episode.

Ep. 9 - Kasia Niewiadoma: Canyon // SRAM Racing

Kasia Niewiadoma, winner of the the Amstel Gold Race 2019 and a National road and TT champion, will be one of the stars of the show when le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift comes to town. Learn more ahead of the 24th July.

Ep. 10 - Anna Henderson: Canyon // SRAM Racing

Anna Henderson is one of the young stars coming up through the ranks of the peloton and the 23 year-old former British TT champion and track specialist is one to watch on Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Ep. 11 - Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig: FDJ Suez Futuroscope

As the men start in Copenhagen today we look to one of Danish cycling's great stars, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig. With a strong palmarès and a great team she'll be eyeing Yellow at Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Ep. 12 - Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio: Team SD Worx

A former national champion, UCI E-sport World Champion on Zwift and a trailblazer for women's cycling for those outside of Europe, she'll be looking to make her mark on the inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

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2024 Could Be a Make-Or-Break Year for the Tour de France Femmes

I f there’s one depressing fact I’ve learned in nearly two decades of covering women’s cycling, it’s that, sadly, there’s rarely a moment to rest on one’s laurels in this sport—and that’s particularly true for race organizers, and team owners.

Just because a race does fantastically well one year in terms of unprecedented levels of viewership and media coverage or because a team is arguably the absolute best in the world doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s all easy come, easy go. That’s why I’m nervous about the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and why I believe that this year could be the most pivotal year for the race.

But why am I worried about the Tour de France Femmes in year three? After all, viewership numbers have been high, enthusiasm hasn’t waned, and sports bars are full of fans screaming for Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma. And yet... There are a few important factors to consider.

Last year, Zwift’s Kate Verroneau told me that the second year of the TDFF was scary for her: The first year, you’re riding a wave of hype. In the second year, the race has to stand as a great race, not just a “first.” What about the third year?

“There’s no kind of resting on the fact that last year was really successful,” Veronneau said then. “I look at it and think, ‘Last year was pretty easy sell: It was the first women’s Tour de France in over 30 years. That was easy to get the media on board, easy to get sponsors on board. It was the first time that that huge of an audience watched women’s racing.”

Year two was hugely successful, but what about year three?

The sponsorship dynamics at play

First, there’s the simple fact that this is year three of Zwift’s four-year commitment to the Tour de France Femmes in partnership with ASO. That means if Zwift isn’t planning to continue its support or is going to cut back its sponsorship budget, this is the year the race needs to look for a new sponsor.

Leaving it entirely to next year, the final year in their contract, is foolhardy. So I have to imagine that there’s some buzz happening behind the scenes already. I haven’t heard any scuttlebutt about them giving up their title sponsorship position, to be clear, but considering Zwift just had a round of layoffs and a shuffle in their C-suite , who knows where they’re heading? Hopefully into another lengthy contract, but it’s unclear. My fingers are crossed.

Viewership challenges

Viewership this year will also be more important than ever. High viewership numbers mean a better chance of securing new or renewed sponsorship dollars, and TdFF viewership has been undeniably impressive. But this year is going to make that tricky. The men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes are separated this year by the Olympics. That means three weeks between the races, rather than the men’s race ending on the day the women’s race began.

In the past two years, it was easy to just continue tuning in if you’d been watching the men’s race. This year, viewers will have to actively seek it out starting August 12—the day after the Olympics finish. That is a lot of TV watching for cycling/sports fans to contend with. While serious fans will still tune in, those ‘medium’ fans may not.

The state of the cycling industry

Then, there’s the cycling industry landscape. Brands like Trek and Specialized are slashing budgets , and Shimano is reporting quarter after quarter of losses . To blithely assume that there’s a cycling company capable of taking Zwift’s place as title sponsor in the current landscape is a mistake.

I say all this not to be discouraging. It’s meant to be a rallying cry. What does this all mean for you, the person reading this?

I want to believe that this race will survive and thrive in the same way that Le Tour has for over a century. But I also know that it takes more than love to keep a race of this magnitude running. It takes cold, hard cash. It takes commitment from big businesses that often see women’s cycling as a line item that they can scrap when it’s time to tighten up their belts. It took decades to get back to a point where we have this race. It’s happened before, it’s been lost before. Let’s not let it happen again.

It’s time to get fired up and ensure that the Tour de France Femmes isn’t just a blip in the cycling history books. Mark your calendars, set a Google alert for the Tour de France Femmes, follow racers on social media, and plan watch parties—let’s make this the loudest Tour de France Femmes yet.

Sportive Breaks

Call us: 617-242-7845 | Email us: [email protected]

2024 Tour de France - Pyrenees

Wed, July 10 – Mon, July 15, 2024

See our flexible bookings payment plans. View Details .

Wed, July 10 - Mon, July 15

Key features.

• 5 nights | 6 days
• Stay in Aucun in the Pyrenees
• Fully supported tour with experienced guides​
• Ride the Pyrenees including the Tourmalet
• LIVE Stage viewing on 3 stages
• Air-Conditioned Coach Transport.
• Special Bike Trailer
• Arrival and departure transfers from Toulouse Airport available
• Starts in Toulouse on Wednesday, July 10.
• Spread your payments - Interest free payment plan
• See the Sights, Enjoy French Cuisine

The 2024 Tour de France in the Pyrenees with Sportive Breaks

Sportive Breaks offer unforgettable Tour de France cycling and spectator tours with hotels, transport, daily support all included. Our 5 nights/ 6 day tour to ride and watch the 2024 Tour de France is available to book. Experience three stages of the 2024 Tour de France in the Pyrenees. We stay in Aucun so are in a perfect location ride some of the iconic climbs including the Tourmalet. We also offer a longer trip of 13 nights finishing in Nice. Click the link to find out more. Tour de France – Pyrenees to Nice

Tour de France stages

We will be well-situated to view the following stages of the 2024 Tour de France:

• Fri, July 12 – S13 – Agen to Pau – Flat
• Sat, July 13 – S14 – Pau – St Lary Soulan – Mountain
• Sun, July 14 – S15 – Loudenvielle – Plateau de Beille – Mountain

While our itinerary enables you the opportunity to see 3 Pyrenees stages of the Tour, it also offers plenty of options for doing our own cycle touring. Non-cyclists are also well catered for with opportunities to visit some iconic places like Lourdes.

What's Included?

Accommodation.

5 nights in a 3* hotel

Included meals

Breakfast and Dinner included

Experienced team of driver, mechanic and bike guides

Bike Rental from $361

Carbon road bikes and E-Road bikes available

Guided Rides

With support vehicle

LIVE Stage viewing

On 3 stages

Transfers - Additional cost

Return airport transfers from Toulouse – See details

Tour Dynamic

Daily rides.

We offer a guided ride each day. We have our bike guides on the road with you. We also have a support vehicle with driver who is also a mechanic. We will either transport everyone to a location from where we will start the daily rides, or we will ride straight out from the hotel. We offer vehicle support for the riders and the spectators will be transported to the day’s touristic venue or to a vantage point to watch the race.

Riders and spectators may have a different itinerary daily but are reunited to enjoy the race watching experiences together.

Who is this tour for?

Cyclists and spectators.

Our tour is suitable for both cyclists of any level and non-cycling spectators. The hotel we stay at is in a excellent location with the world-renowned French cuisine we all enjoy so much.

Our daily, guided rides give cyclists the opportunity to ride some of the most beautiful climbs that feature on this year’s Tour de France.

We will also provide plenty of opportunity for spectators to enjoy time away from the Tour de France with scheduled visits to local towns and villages like Lourdes and Pau.

Day One - Arrival day

Toulouse Airport to Aucun

On your arrival in Lourdes, you will be taken to our hotel in nearby Aucun, close to fantastic climbs such as the Col d’Aubisque, Col du Soulor, the Col du Tourmalet and the climb to Hautacam. Here we will spend the next 5 nights with daily breakfasts and dinners included. For those of you who have booked bike rental, these will be available for you today. This afternoon we have time for a warmup ride in the area. Evening meal at the hotel.

Toulouse arrival This afternoon, we also offer an airport transfer at 15.00 from Toulouse Airport to collect those who have chosen to join the tour today.

View Toulouse group airport transfer details here

Daily Highlights

• Airport Transfer from Toulouse
• Expert Staff Fully Supported
• Short Warm Up Ride
• Hotel in Aucun
• Rental Bikes

Possible light afternoon ride taking some scenic trails in the area, and getting used to riding in France.

Welcome Dinner

Day Two - First Riding Day

Today you will have various ride options from the hotel including to ride the Col du Tourmalet which will feature on this year’s tour again. We offer a guided ride which you can join but we will also provide GPX files for several self-guided rides should you wish to do something different:

Other options include:

• Climb to Hautacam
• Col du Soulor and Aubisque
• Col de Marie Blanque

Those without bikes will have the opportunity to spend a relaxing day at the hotel’s swimming pool or to visit Lourdes. It’s worth a visit so for those who are interested, the coach will provide transport today.

Dinner at the hotel.

• Staff support
• Guided or self-guided ride options
• Hotel with breakfast and dinner
• Optional Lourdes Visit

Supported ride in the area. Several self-guided options available.

Breakfast and Dinner

Day Three - First Tour de France Action

After a leisurely breakfast we will propose a guided ride today that will finish in Pau. There will be a likely sprint finish in Pau today.

A great option is to ride from our hotel to Laruns and to tackle the Col de Marie Blanque before a long descent into Pau. This ride totals 68 miles. A flatter, more direct ride is also possible.

Non-riders can visit Pau today and after the stage finish we will return to the hotel.

Dinner will be taken at the hotel.

• Transport to Pau
• Staff Support
• Guided Ride
• Live Race Viewing in Pau

Guided Ride to Pau

Day Four - Tourmalet Stage

Riders will head out onto the road and take on one of the area’s most spectacular climbs, the Tourmalet. Ride up to the summit and be road-side as the riders come past on the climb.

Non-Riders will be able to stay quite local today and watch the riders as they come through nearby Lourdes and Argeles Gazost en-route to the Tourmalet. We will transport you to the desired viewing location.

Dinner will be at the hotel.

• Hotel on Half Board Basis
• Live Race Viewing

Supported ride

Day Five - Loudenvielle

Today’s stage will see the Tour move out of the Pyrenees with a stage from Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille. Bastille day is always special with large crowds supporting the riders and a party atmosphere everywhere.

After an early breakfast we will travel to Loudenveille at the bottom of the first climb of the day, the Peyresourde where we will find a good parking spot for the coach, and we will watch the riders get ready for the start. After we’ve seen the stage start, we will offer a guided ride back to Aucun. An option is to ride yesterday’s stage in reverse so return to the hotel via the Hourquette d’Ancizan and the other side of the Tourmalet. This evening we will watch the Euros final at the hotel. It may feature France who will be very keen to win on Bastille day.

• Transport to TDF Start Venue
• Tour de France Start

Guided Ride back to the hotel

Day Six - Au Revoir

After breakfast we offer transfers from the hotel to Toulouse airport at 10:00hrs.

For private transfer costs please contact us

• Airport Transfers

Price – Toulouse

• $1461 per person based on two people sharing a twin (2 single beds) or double (one bed for couple)
• $1777 per person for the single occupancy of a room

We offer the option to book a Male or Female ‘Twin Share’ where we will pair you up with another guest on the tour. If you book this and you want to share with a particular person, please let us know at time of booking. Contact us for this option.

Bike Rental

We have a choice of Bianchi Infinito either Di2 or Ultegra Disc and a Colnago E-Bike (or similar). Please read all information here before booking

• Bianchi Infinito Shimano 12v Di2 Disc (or similar) $361
• Bianchi Infinito Shimano Ultegra Disc (or similar) $394
• Colnago E64 (or similar) – $394

More about the event

You will witness the following stages during our tour:

• Fri,  July 12 – Stage 13 – Agen – Pau
• Saturday, July 13 – Stage 14 – Pau – St Lary Soulan
• Sunday, July 14 – Stage 15 – Loudienville – Plateau de Beille

While our itinerary enables you the opportunity to see 2 mountain stages of the Tour plus a sprint finish, it also offers plenty of options for doing our own cycle touring in one of the best regions of France. Non-cyclists are also well catered for with opportunities to visit some iconic places like Lourdes.

If you like the look of this tour but would like to stay for longer, click the link to have a look at our Toulouse – Nice tour

Hotel Locations

• Aucun, Pyrenees

Plenty to choose from

Did you know we offer the biggest selection of European Gran Fondo and Cyclo-Sportive events.

Spread your payments

Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking. *Selected products. Terms and Conditions apply

You're in safe hands

We have a team of highly experienced professionals who have been organising cycling trips for over 25 years.

Logistics covered

We know the routes, we know the roads. We know how the event works and the best hotels for the start and finish. We organise everything for you; transfers, bike transport, additional feed stops, rep support and more.

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Lorena Wiebes pips Marianne Vos to win first stage of Tour de France Femmes

• DSM rider and stage favourite leads Dutch one-two
• Wiebes: ‘It’s really special the Tour is back for women’

Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM, the most prolific sprinter in the women’s peloton, out-manoeuvred Marianne Vos, of Jumbo-Visma, to win the opening stage of the revived women’s Tour de France in Paris.

Wiebes, winner of the RideLondon Classique in May, accelerated past Vos in the final 100m of the curtain-raiser to the women’s race, an 82km stage based on laps of the Champs-Élysées.

“I’m really happy that I was finally able to race on the Champs Élysées,” Wiebes said. “As I expected it was a hard race. It feels really special to ride here in Paris and even more special to wear the yellow jersey.”

Over the next week, the women’s peloton will race over a thousand kilometres in eight stages, heading east towards next weekend’s climactic climbing stages in the Vosges mountains, with a denouement expected next Sunday on the ascent of Super Planche des Belles Filles, the gravel finish used in this year’s men’s Tour.

“It’s really special that the Tour de France is back for women,” Wiebes said. “It’s a really good course. We have everything – sprint stages, punchy stages, climbing stages. I hope we can inspire a lot of young girls to get on a bike.”

The Dutchwoman has been untouchable as a sprinter this season, winning race after race, including stages in the British Women’s Tour. “This has been an aim since the beginning of the season,” she said of her stage win in Paris.

“The lead-out was quite chaotic. But I stayed on [teammate] Pfeiffer Georgi’s wheel and Charlotte Kool was still behind me. Our plan was to swap positions after the tunnel but there was too much chaos and Pfeiffer put me in a perfect position.

“I was fine with the pressure, because I directly put the most pressure on myself. We did everything as normal and I started to become a bit more nervous towards the final bit, but I finished it off.”

It was an emphatic win and equally, after three weeks of the men’s race, rare to see a rider in Jumbo-Visma colours getting beaten. Wiebes admitted she had been relying on Vos starting her sprint early. “I expected it and I was happy that I could accelerate one more time to the finish line,” she said.

From the Champs-Élysées, the women’s Tour convoy heads east, with the 134-km second stage looping through the eastern suburbs of the French capital, with only one fourth-category climb, before an expected sprint finish in Provins.

It is ideal territory for another Wiebes success, at least on paper. “If today has not taken too much energy we will also go for the green jersey,” she said, “but we’re going to put a crazy amount of effort into it.”

For now, Wiebes is enjoying the moment and has even painted her nails in the colours of her two most likely jerseys, yellow and green. “I wanted to do something special with my nails. Originally, I wanted her to do all the colours of the [rainbow] jersey but my nail artist didn’t have enough time in the day! So we decided to do two colours – the most important colours.”

For many in the peloton, this will be the greatest opportunity of their career, one for which they have made numerous sacrifices. In fact, Marion Rousse, race director of the Tour de France Femmes , a former professional, has first-hand experience of those sacrifices herself.

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Rousse, who now works for several major races and is also a regular pundit on French television’s coverage of the Tour, quit racing at 25 to work in the media. “I was wearing three hats: racing cyclist, TV pundit and I was also helping out at the town hall in Étampes because my salary as a rider wasn’t enough.”

There are suspicions that some riders in this Tour may also be enduring similar circumstances, unlike their male counterparts. Rousse is well aware of the need for the women’s peloton to seize the day.

“Woman racers have long felt that they weren’t legitimate, because they couldn’t ride in the biggest bike race in France,” she said. “But it’s not a gift we are giving them, they deserve it.”

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Tour de France Femmes

Worldtour, stage race, 23rd -30th july 2023, france.

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As it happened: Demi Vollering confirms Tour de France Femmes victory as Reusser takes stage 8

22.6 kilometres from Pau to Pau that will decide the winner of the yellow jersey

Tour de France Femmes stage 8 start time Tour de France Femmes stage 7 result Day on the Tourmalet – High altitude atmosphere for Tour de France Femmes Tour de France Femmes - everything you need to know

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 8, the final day of racing at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes!

The final stage consists of a 22.6km time trial starting and finishing in the Pyrenean city of Pau. It's a mainly flat route that runs south out of the city before looping back in after completing a hill in the middle of the course. 

Yesterday's queen stage saw Demi Vollering (SD Worx) move into a commanding lead of the overall GC after she destroyed the field up the Col du Tourmalet. It was an emphatic performance that sees her start the final day 1:50 ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in second and 2:28 in front of big rival, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), in third. 

'Minutes not seconds' - Vollering puts controversy behind her, wears yellow jersey into Pau

Make sure to check out when each rider will be starting below for the final time trial, with the favourites in GC all setting off at the end of proceedings. 

Tour de France Femmes stage 8 time trial start times

There was some very important skin suit fittings going on for the four jersey wearers late last night, Vollering in yellow, Niewiadoma in polka-dots, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in green and Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) in white. 

Getting ready for ITT with @SANTINI_SMS ⏱️📸 A.S.O./ Jennifer Lindini #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @GoZwift pic.twitter.com/7dvbvjvZ8e July 30, 2023

Just under 40 minutes until Marjolein van't Geloof (Human Powered Health) rolls off the start ramp and gets racing underway on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes. 

It's stopped for now, but the rain had been falling quite heavily in Pau ahead of the start, so the course may be damp in places. 

SD Worx getting a look at the course. They'll have three options for the stage win today in Reusser, Kopecky and Vollering. The latter may play it safe as the race leader which may hinder her chances at the stage victory, whereas Reusser is the best active TT rider in the world (with Ellen van Dijk not racing due to her pregnancy) and should be going all out in terms of power and through the corners to try and win the stage.

Doing the recon of the ITT course 👀 pic.twitter.com/YFcnUTsz2z July 30, 2023

There was another DNS this morning with Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing TeqFind) unable to start the stage due to illness. Full list of abandons below.

Tour de France Femmes abandons - A tally of the riders leaving the race

Quite the back wheel for St Michel-Mavic-Auber93. 

Voilà. #TDFF2023 | 📸 @DevaireAuguste pic.twitter.com/W1AOB97CXA July 30, 2023

Here's how the top-10 on GC looks ahead of the start. Vollering's lead should be insurmountable barring any disaster, but the fight for the podium should be very interesting with Niewiadoma in second and Moolman in fifth separated only by 49 seconds. Kopecky will also be desperate to get on the podium after the climbing performance of her life yesterday. 

Gorgeous new bike for France TT national champion and white jersey, Cédrine Kerbaol, ahead of the start. 

A post shared by Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@letourfemmes) A photo posted by on

STAGE START

Van't Geloof has rolled off the start line and the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes in underway!

🚩First start of the day, it's @MGeloof! 🚩Premier départ de la journée, c'est @MGeloof ! #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift pic.twitter.com/Phz0yhMkd3 July 30, 2023

The riders will be coming thick and fast at first with a new starter each minute for now.

Two Josie's are next to start the final stage, Talbot (Cofidis) and Nelson (Coop-Hitec Products). 

Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-SUEZ) is the first big name TT specialist to start today, as the U23 TT World Champion from last year in Australia. She'll likely set the early benchmark. 

Among those to start most recently are April tacky (Lifeplus Wahoo), Megan Jastrab (DSM-Firmenich) and Margaux Vigie (Lifeplus Wahoo). 

Early starters heading through some tunnels out of Pau. 

🚴‍♀️The first riders are on the road! 🚴‍♀️Les premiers coureuses sont en route ! #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift pic.twitter.com/xolNVn6yyt July 30, 2023

Our first few riders should be closing in on the hill at the halfway point which signifies the point where they start looping back around towards Pau and the intermediate time check. 

Teniel Campbell (Jayco AlUla) and Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma) are the next two riders to roll down the start ramp. 

Talbot has set the best early time at the intermediate check of the first four starters. 

Guazzini has unsurprisingly smashed Talbot's time by 33 seconds and she's now the virtual leader on the road. 

The Côte de Bosdarros (1.4km at 6.7%) is the climb at the halfway mark. 

Coming roughly halfway through today's route, the 1.38km Côte de Bosdarros averages 6.7%. @ashleighcycling is the current holder of the @Strava QOM but after 7 hard days of racing, can anyone better her time? 👑⏱️ #TDFF2023 #TDFFdata pic.twitter.com/cAW6fiUNUJ July 30, 2023

Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) getting aero. 

First few riders beginning to finish now. 

Guazzini's intermediate time of 17:40 is still holding strong with a lot of riders passing the halfway point. 

Talbot passed Van't Geloof and was the first finisher with a time of 31:42. 

Guazzini takes the lead with a 30:06 finishing time. She may be sat in the hot seat for quite some time. 

Georgie Howe (Jayco AlUla) has just set the second best time at the intermediate point, seven seconds behind Guazzini. She'll be very close come the finish to taking the lead. 

Elena Cecchini (SD Worx) gives us a first look at those interesting Specialized helmets again. 

Alexandra Manly (Jayco AlUla) is the next rider to start. IN around four minutes, one of the next favourites for the day will roll off the ramp, Emma Norsgaard (Movistar). She's already won a stage at this Tour and should be right up there again today. 

Norsgsaard will be racing in the fantastic Danish national TT champion's skin suit today. 

🔥 Warm-up for @audebiannic @Sheyarcoiris @emmanorsgaard1, already on course at the decisive @LeTourFemmes avec @GoZwift TT. #TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/7wneSzo186 July 30, 2023

Maaike Boogaard (AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep) has just set the third fastest time at the intermediate time check, 26 seconds down on Guazzini. 

Norsgaard is away and straight into the first few corners of the course. 

Howe has finished, but was unable to hold pace with Guazzini in the second half of the course and lost a further 14 seconds. 

We're a couple minutes away from the start of the British national TT champion, Lizzie Holden (UAE ADQ) and the British road race champion, Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich). Both are strong TT riders. 

Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx) rolls off the start ramp with the snood helmet on. 

Boogaard goes into third at the finish, but also loses more than 30 seconds to Guazzini in the second half. 

We're seeing the bloodied knee of Arianna Fidanza (Ceratizit-WNT) who must've crashed off camera. Thankfully she's finished the course, but looked quite banged up. 

We're close to the start of some very strong TT riders in Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Van de Welde (Fenix-Deceuninck), Skalniak-Sójka (Canyon-SRAM) and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek). 

Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) has set a new best time at the intermediate time check of 13:37, three seconds faster than Guazzini. 

Thalita de Jong (Liv Racing TeqFind) has also come within touching distance at the immediate check with a 17:44, just four seconds down on Guazzini and seven down on Henderson. 

Very deserved reward for Kathrin Schweinberger (Ceratizit-WNT) after eight brutal days of racing. 

When you’re one of the first of the team to finish @LeTourFemmes AND win the race back to the camper… Prost, @SchweinbergerK! 🍻#TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/hnh5uE0Hda July 30, 2023

Early leader Guazzini attacking the 22.6km course. 

Here comes Henderson onto the climb. It's going to close between her and Guazzini. 

Guazzini holds on! Henderson came close, but after leading at the intermediate time check, she was unable to hold onto the lead. 

We're close to the start of two massive hitters, Australian TT champ Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) and European Champion Marlen Reusser (SD Worx). They were second and third respectively at the World Championships ITT last year behind Van Dijk who isn't here, so should both be well within the fight for the stage win. 

Six-time French TT national champion, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) rolls of the start line and you can be sure of her emptying absolutely everything on this 22km course in front of the French fans. 

Esmée Peperkamp (DSM-Firmenich) and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) have both started very well in the opening half of the TT and could come close to Guazzini's time come the finish. 

Big gulp and huge focus as Reusser blasts off the start ramp. 

Here's former British national TT champion Henderson emptying the tank on her way to second for now on the 22km course. 

Huge opening half from Anouska Koster (Uno-X) puts her second at the intermediate time check with a 17:40, just 2.9 seconds down on Henderson. 

Cordon-Ragot has flown past Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) on the course. 

Skalniak-Sójka nearly goes the wrong way in one of the final corners in the Polish national champion's kit, but she's still finished strong into provisional eighth place. 

Reusser looks magnificent on the TT bike in her European Champion's kit and with her custom TT handlebar extensions (skis). 

Lucinda Brand comes very close to Guazzini's time just nine seconds off the lead, but the Italian holds on and stays in the hot seat. 

New Zealand national TT champ Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) on her way to a solid provisional 14th place. 

Brown is spinning at a very fast cadence up the climb in her smallest gear, which is allowing her to stay in her TT position. 

Cordon-Ragot is flying on the course, she takes the lead at the intermediate time check by three seconds on Henderson. 

Brown smashes that intermediate time check with a rapid 17:05. She's got the best time there by 28 seconds, but Reusser is coming. 

With the race kicking off on the course between the TT specialists, the favourites are about to start soon. We're into our last 20 starters now. 

10KM TO GO FOR REUSSER

Reusser goes into a resounding lead the intermediate time check, a further 27 seconds ahead of even Brown. She's absolutely motoring on the course back towards Pau. She's even having to wave team cars out the way because she's going so much faster than the rider ahead of her. 

The next big favourite to start will be Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma), the Dutch national TT champion who smoked both Vollering and Van Vleuten at the nationals just last month.  

Coralie Demay (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) is also going well and was fourth at the intermediate time check behind only Reusser, Brown and Cordon-Ragot.

Cédrine Kerbaol is about to start in the white jersey. She leads by two minutes ahead of Wyllie in that classification and should be fine to hold onto it given she is also the French national TT champion. 

Cordon-Ragot goes third fastest at the finish after a great ride, with Brown and Reusser and closing in on the line in Pau. 

Brown goes fastest and ends Guazzini's long stint in the hot seat. It's a 29:55 for the Australian national champ at an average speed of 45km/h. She went 40 seconds quicker than the u23 TT World Champion. 

Reusser enters the final kilometre and she's looking set to destroy the leading time and get into the hot seat. 

Reusser absolutely demolishes Brown's great time with an incredible 29:15. That will take some serious beating and she now leads the TT by 40 seconds. 46km/h average speed, rapid to say the least. 

We're into the final 10 riders set to start now. 

Reusser smashing the course in Pau. 

Final warm up for Niewiadoma in the polka-dot jersey. 

⚪️🔴⚪️ @KNiewiadoma warming up 💪#TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/0hyiXqsyAm July 30, 2023

Wonderful reception from the French crowd for Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich) as she rolls off the start ramp. 

Kopecky sets off in her pursuit of the podium. She starts the day 45 seconds behind Niewiadoma in second overall and seven behind Van Vleuten in third. Can she move back into the top three? 

Markus crosses the intermediate check in third, 30 seconds back on Reusser. 

Van Vleuten rolls off the start ramp. Twice she's been TT World Whampion and she's the current Olympic Time Trial champion. She would've wanted to win the overall, but with that out of reach she's surely going to empty the tank in pursuit of the stage win in this her final Tour de France Femmes stage before retirement at the end of the season. 

Can Niewiadoma hold onto second overall? She's got a 38-second lead over Van Vleuten and 45 over Kopecky on GC, but both will be desperate to knock her off the podium. 

ALL RIDERS HAVE STARTED

Vollering sets off in the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes. All she has to do is make it round this 22.6km course in good time and safely to confirm her overall victory of the Tour. 

Here's Reusser holding her magnificent TT position all the way to the line in Pau. 

🇪🇺Marlen Reusser had ambitions to win, she certainly did everything in her power to claim a second #TDFF stage win! 🇪🇺 Marlen Reusser a fait le maximum pour remporter une deuxième victoire d'étape sur le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift ! #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift pic.twitter.com/dsbIBavNBq July 30, 2023

Van Vleuten getting into her work on the final stage of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. 

Labous is going well so for and crosses the intermediate time check in fourth, 40 seconds down on Reusser. 

Kerbaol comes home safely and will leave the Tour de France Femmes with the white jersey after an incredible eight days racing. She'll have a long future in the women's pro peloton. 

Markus finishes third after a great effort behind Reusser and Brown, 30 seconds off the time of the European Champion. 

No one will challenge Niewiadoma's lead in the mountains classification with no QOM points available on stage 8, but can she hold onto her second place in the overall? 

Moolman crosses the intermediate point 52 seconds behind Labous. The French rider started the day 1:01 behind the South African, so it should be very tight in the battle for fifth at the line. 

Kopecky comes through the intermediate check in provisional third, 30 seconds down on Reusser. 

Here's Vollering rolling off the start ramp, looking resplendent in yellow. 

💛The final rider has started! @demivollering has one mission : To keep the Yellow Jersey 💛La dernière coureuse s'est élancé ! @demivollering a une mission : garder le @MaillotjauneLCL #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift pic.twitter.com/FAtygLlYZQ July 30, 2023

Van Vleuten is almost 30 seconds down on Kopecky at the intermediate time check. The podium positions are shifting. 

Niewiadoma is going incredibly well on the climb and she's gone through the time check in fifth, 31 seconds down on Reusser, but importantly only 1 second down on Kopecky. The second half of the course doesn't suit her as much, but she's started very strongly. 

Vollering goes second fastest at the intermediate time check, 12 seconds down on her teammate Reusser. 

Labous is roared on in the final kilometre after putting in a fantastic time trial performance. She goes fourth fastest at the finish in Pau and may move up into fifth overall if Moolman is unable to get closer to her time.

Kopecky continues her assault of this course and she's overtaken Moolman in the final 2km. She's virtually on the podium as things stand on the road. 

It's second place provisionally on the stage for Kopecky after smashing the final climb. She has been amazing this whole Tour de France and looks as though she's going to move onto the podium with another top five finish on a stage. 

Labous passes Moolman into fifth overall! What a finishing ride from the French rider. 

it's not the finish Van Vleuten would've dreamt of at this Tour de France as she's about to fall off the podium and into fourth. Kopecky has smashed this final time trial and Van Vleuten with it. It's 12th on the stage for the legendary Dutch rider. 

All of the Movistar team are there to support their leader as she crosses the line after a disappointing final weekend at the Tour. 

Niewiadoma is coming to then line now with the pain all over her face. It's going to be incredibly close with Kopecky all the way to the line for second overall. 

Here comes Vollering!

STAGE FINISH

Demi Vollering wins the 2023 Tour de France Femmes with second place on the final stage.

Marlen Reusser wins stage 8 after a time trial masterclass in Pau!

SD Worx once again proving that they are by far and away the best team in the world. 

It seems as if Niewiadoma has unfortunately for her, fell to third overall on GC by a matter of a few tenths/hundredths of a second. 

Here's what Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) had to say after winning the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2023:

"If we can win everything, I can't believe it such great work for SD Worx. That's not my dream, but for the team it is."

"I worked all week for my leaders, so I'm quite tired. I'm really happy with this result."

"I targeted this time trial, but I had also targeted different things so I'm super happy that I managed to win today."

"To be honest, I'm a little bit in disbelief almost. We knew we were strong coming here, we had a very strong shape, but that we could finish it off that way yeah, it's crazy."

Here's what a disappointed Van Vleuten said after not feeling herself on the final stage:

"Of course I'm disappointed that I was not good the last two days. Yeah I was in the battle and I gave it my all. I didn't make any mistake that I can think was not smart or that I did something wrong so I do not know what happened. I was obviously not myself so that's a bit sad in your last Tour de France."

"Yesterday evening I already felt like I would be sick this morning. I was not really sick I didn't really have a higher temperature so I felt like I would give it a go but I knew already that it was yesterday, how I was riding on the Tourmalet, I think people that watch more women's cycling will know that is not my level I can normally have."

"Huge disappointment for myself, for my own performance, but not the team performance that make super nice that we can share the win of Liane [Lippert and Emma [Norsgaard]."

A delighted Demi Vollering spoke after the stage in disbelief at the achievement she added to her already incredible season:

"I think I still, again, cannot believe it."

"Of course I worked hard, but its just not only working hard, it's believing in it and I don't know its so much together and in then you have a dream and you work really hard for it, but also you need to keep yourself a bit calm and find a good balance in your life also, how you do it and keep going and find a relaxed way to do all this."

"I think this year I fell really comfortable or good in what I'm doing and together with Anna van der Breggen, she makes my trainings and yeah I feel like everything comes together and it's just an amazing season for me."

"Actually I was this morning super super relaxed and this made me a bit nervous because I was so relax that I was like 'oo I need to wake up' because you also need to haver those nerves for a time trial, otherwise it's not good. If you have those nerves you can dig deep and it makes you sharp."

Full stage results from the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes, won by Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) in emphatic fashion, with her two teammates, Vollering and Kopecky rounding out the podium on the stage. 

Reusser's victory was SD Worx's fourth of this Tour de France Femmes. They've long been the best team in women's cycling and with the yellow jersey, green jersey and those four victories through four different riders, I think that title will long stick with them.

Yara Kastelijn's (Fenix-Deceunick) incredible week of racing was finished off with the super-combativity prize which she brings home with her stage win. She'll be very prominent at the top level of women's raving for the next few years. What a week of racing for Fenix-Deceuninck. 

The four jersey winners at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. From L-R: Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) in white as the best young rider, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in the polka-dot jersey as the Queen of the Mountains, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) in yellow as the overall race winner and her teammate Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in green as the points classification winner. 

The final podium of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), race winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM). 

Confirmation that Kopecky moved up to second overall in GC by a matter 21 hundredths of a second. This was the fifth stage she podiumed in this Tour de France and all those bonus seconds have added up to a fantastic runners-up position in the overall race that no one would've predicted before the Tour started. 

Make sure you read Lyne Lamoureux's full stage report from the final day of racing at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. There's a gallery of the stage alongside it with a full summary of how the final time trial played out and all the GC implications. 

Demi Vollering wins the Tour de France Femmes 2023

Demi Vollering, winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. What a rider, what a season and she's still only 26. The best rider in the world without doubt. 

It's been a pleasure bringing you all of Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour de France Femmes, but that wraps things up for an incredible eight days racing. It doesn't stop there though with the World Championships kicking off next week, so stay tuned for full coverage of all the biggest races there. 

In the meantime keep an eye out for both Kirsten Frattini and Lukas Knöfler's work coming out of the Tour de France Femmes in France as they will bring you the latest news and interviews in reaction to the final stage from Pau. 

Vive le Tour!

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Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Lotte Kopecky reveals key role played by team-mates in victory - 'Tried to make me laugh'

Published 06/04/2024 at 17:11 GMT

It was a first Paris-Roubaix Femmes triumph for Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), as she added another title to her bulging palmares. The Belgian had said this was the main goal of her season, and she delivered when it mattered on the brutal parcours in Northern France, edging out Lidl-Trek's Elisa Balsamo and Britain's Pfeiffer Georgi in a frantic sprint.

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