The perfect route thus far? The Tour de France Femmes holds out the promise of shock and the chance that the yellow jersey might change a number of occasions alongside the best way, together with the ultimate day in Good.
Copying the boys’s pattern for profitable international begins Stage 1 begins in Lausanne, Switzerland on 1 August, the Swiss nationwide vacation. Count on crowds and impeccable tarmac, and if the solar is shining, knock-out views earlier than an uphill end. The end is two-thirds of the climb used when the boys visited in 2022 and Wout van Aert beat Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogačar and extra selective than the stats counsel, suppose a staircase with steep ramps with flat sections in between, greater than adequate to thwart Lorena Wiebes.
Stage 2 might out of the Tour de Romandie and certainly the ultimate 50km are the identical as the ladies’s Romandie stage to Geneva. This course has its climbs the primary ones might see dropped riders already however a dash on the shore of Lake Léman seems to be possible particularly given there are few different probabilities.
Stage 3 takes the Tour to France through the Col de la Faucille, a go that may declare to have impressed artwork from literature to portray through the likes of Ruskin, Wordsworth, Spyri and Rousseau however often as a result of they tackled it the opposite means, driving a horse and cart over the ridge to out of the blue go away woodland behind and discover the land drop away earlier than them to offer a view of Lake Léman and the Alps past. The riders do it the onerous means with this climb that’s Alpine in model after which enter the Jura woodland on the house roads of Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic. It’s a flat end with an enormous street to Poligny and already the final likelihood for a dash end
Stage 4 is a 21km time trial on the wine roads of Gevrey Chambertin however all completely different to the boys’s TT right here in 2024. The climb to Marsannay-la-Côte has its hairpins nevertheless it’s a large street and a gradual climb, most likely adequate to remain in an aero tuck earlier than the end in Dijon. The likes of Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering have to be relieved to see this because it offers them a bonus over the pure climbers.
Stage 5 is greater than a hilly day with 2,850m of vertical acquire in 140km and in case you’re ever within the space with a motorbike and time to spare then this route is an effective factor to repeat. Word how there are too many mountain passes alongside the best way to offer factors away. More often than not the gradients are what the Italians name pedalabile, “pedalable” however Mont Brouilly awaits earlier than the end with components that may be as fast to stroll as to trip.
Stage 6 is one other mid-mountain day with 2,650m of vertical acquire within the Ardèche with its rasping roads and if somebody can get within the breakaway for 2 days operating then they’ve received likelihood to construct up a lead within the mountains competitors.
Stage 7 seems to be all in regards to the Mont Ventoux summit end however the day has 3,565m of vertical acquire that means greater than the half the climbing occurs on the best way. The problem could possibly be compounded if the wind will get up. The summit end wants little introduction nevertheless it’s the primary time the ladies deal with it, ticking off all the good climbs having performed the Tourmalet, Alpe d’Huez and final yr the Madeleine and Joux-Aircraft. All of it helps weave the ladies’s model into the shared legends.
Stage 8 seems to be like a transition stage out of Paris-Good with the beginning in Sisteron. It’s potential to design a a lot more durable route that geese and dives across the Var valley within the second half however there’s been sufficient climbing already. The pure sprinteuses will nonetheless discover this tough given the 2 late climbs on the method to Good together with the Col de la Baisse above Colomars.
Stage 9 and extra borrowed roads from Paris-Good and all the higher for it. For the boys the ultimate day has settled down a bit because the roads are acquainted and there’s a settled strategy to race the stage however for the ladies this isn’t the case. Plus the “Corniche Cliffhanger” of March is abbreviated with laps between good and Eze. The ultimate time up goes through the stinging Chemin des Vinaigriers earlier than the glam end on the Good sea entrance.
SummaryThe hardest and most full Tour de France Femmes thus far? The climbing complete of 18,795m is a document for the reprised race and there’s a good time trial and a serious summit end. This is able to be simpler to argue if there was a second Alpine-style stage between Mont Ventoux and Good however that will imply spicing up Stage 8 and probably watering down Stage 9. The yellow jersey is prone to change shoulders a number of occasions alongside the best way and there’s each likelihood it does so on the ultimate day which might be simply what the organisers need.
