With the Paris Olympics highway racing drawing to a detailed on Sunday after Kristen Faulkner’s solo win, consideration now turns to the following main occasion of the season, the Tour de France Femmes.
The largest race of the Ladies’s WorldTour yr begins in Rotterdam on Monday, August 12, and groups are starting preparations for the primary international Grand Départ.
DSM-Firmenich PostNL have grow to be one of many first groups to substantiate their seven-rider squads for the race, with Charlotte Kool aiming for dash stage victories and an try at taking the yellow jersey on house floor within the Netherlands. In the meantime, French rider Juliette Labous can be main the group’s GC cost following a top-five end final yr and on the Giro d’Italia Ladies final month.
“I am actually excited for the beginning of the Tour de France within the Netherlands; it is actually particular,” Kool mentioned. “The primary few levels are literally round the place my boyfriend is from, so I do know the roads very well there and stage three begins in Valkenburg which can also be tremendous near the group’s Maintain Difficult Middle in Sittard, so they’re additionally house coaching roads for us.
“I believe the route is particular this yr, with a number of alternatives for the group. We’ve got some actual laborious levels the place Juliette can go for it within the GC, however there are some flatter levels at first of the race the place we’ll go for it with me as finisher within the sprints.
Kool can be dealing with off in opposition to SD Worx-Protime and their star sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who she was the final lead-out rider for as teammates on DSM, within the early sprints as each girls search glory because the race begins of their house nation.
“For me personally this yr I can be glad if I do the whole lot to be the perfect model of myself on the Tour de France. After all, we’re aiming to go for a stage win but it surely’s essential to attempt the whole lot we are able to and luxuriate in it too.
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“With Juliette, we actually wish to attempt to intention for an additional high end in GC once more, I’ve a number of confidence and belief in her so we’ll absolutely help her for these targets. We’ve got a extremely robust group that may give our all every day. I am simply actually excited to get began.”
Francesco Barale, Rachele Barbieri, Pfeiffer Georgi, Franziska Koch, and Becky Storrie spherical out the DSM-Firmenich PostNL squad for the Tour.
Liv-AlUla-Jayco have additionally confirmed their lineup for the race, with Mavi García main the lineup as she goals for a powerful common classification problem following a sixth place on the Paris Olympics highway race.
After ending tenth on the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, she’ll as soon as once more be aiming for a excessive GC putting on the highway to L’Alpe d’Huez.
“We’ve got a really good Tour de France Femmes route this yr during which the entire group will go along with a number of need to do it properly,” García mentioned. “We’ve got a really full group for this race with riders that may do properly on many days! There are a number of classic-style levels, and because the days go by, it will likely be very laborious for everybody.
“This has been a really concentrated a part of the season’s goals for me with the Giro d’Italia and the Olympic Video games this summer season and I am hoping for a powerful end result on the Tour.”
Australian highway champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon will help García, although the 25-year-old can be handed the liberty to hunt out stage wins on the week-long race.
Amber Pate, Caroline Andersson, Jeanne Korevaar, Quinty Ton, and Silke Smulders will be part of the pair in France.
“After I did the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, it definitely felt like the most important race I’ve ever accomplished, simply because of the variety of spectators and media curiosity,” Roseman-Gannon mentioned. “It was a extremely unimaginable environment and I am excited to come back again this yr with two extra years of coaching and expertise.
“I believe we now have a brilliant robust and versatile group which fits the numerous terrain, and attributes required to carry out within the technical metropolis circuits of the Netherlands and the mountains of the French Alps.”
