Well it is finally here! The highly anticipated Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift—the women’s Tour de France—kicks off this Sunday 24 July. As the men’s race concludes, the women will begin their eight-day battle around France.
Here is an overview of the event and what to expect so you are up to speed for the first stage.
The jerseys
As with the men’s tour, the biggest prize is the yellow jersey, which is awarded to the rider with the fastest cumulative time after the 8 stages.
Also on offer:
- The green jersey for the rider with most sprint points
- The polka dot jersey for the queen of the mountains
- The white jersey goes to the fastest female under 23 years old
The stages
Stage 1: Eiffel Tower to Champs-Élysées (82km)
Sunday 24 July, 9:30pm – 11:30pm AEST
- Type: Flat
Stage 2: Meaux to Provins (136km)
Monday 25 July, 10:30pm – 12:30am AEST
- Type: Flat
Stage 3: Reims to Épernay (134km)
Tuesday 26 July, 10.35pm - 12:30am AEST
- Type: Hilly
Stage 4: Troyes to Bar-Sur-Aube (127km)
Wednesday 27 July, 10:30pm – 12:30am AEST
- Type: Hilly
Stage 5: Bar-le-Duc to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (176km)
Thursday 28 July, 10:30pm – 12:30am AEST
- Type: Flat
Stage 6: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Rosheim (129km)
Friday 29 July, 10:25pm – 12:30am AEST
- Type: Hilly
Stage 7: Sélestat to Le Markstein (127km)
Saturday 30 July, 11:35pm – 1:30am AEST
- Type: Mountain
Stage 8: Lure to Super Planche des Belles Filles (123km)
Sunday 31 July, 11:30pm – 1:30am AEST
- Type: Mountain
Riders to watch
There will be a total of 144 riders taking part, across 24 teams. With the prospect of racing in the first Tour de Femmes and going down in history with a stage win (or even overall), the race is set to be hotly contested.
Given their current form, a few riders to keep an eye on include:
- Annamiek Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) – coming off amazing form at the Giro d’Italia Donne she’s the yellow jersey favourite
- Elisa Balsamo (Trek- Segafredo) – current world champion and incredibly strong sprinter
- Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx) – an all rounder who excels on punchy hills and may grab a stage win
The Aussies
There are 8 Aussie women listed to be at the start line, so keep your eyes peeled for.
- Nicole Frain (Parkhotel Valkenburg) – current Australian Women’s Road Race champion
- Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez-Fuuroscope) – current Australian Women’s Individual Time Trial champion
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Team BikeExchange – Jayco)
- Alexandra Manly (Team BikeExchange – Jayco)
- Amanda Spratt (Team BikeExchange – Jayco)
- Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
- Anya Louw (AG Insurance – NXTG Team)
- Rachel Neyland (Cofidis Women Team)
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Stay up-to-date
Catch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift live and free to air on SBS or at https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/topic/cycling
Daily updates and great content can be found at https://cyclingtips.com/