The first women's Tour de France
In recent years, women's cycling has been growing fast, but the most important race of all, the Tour de France, did not have a women's race to match the men's. Finally, ASO, organizer of the men's Tour de France among other races, has decided to present the first women's Tour de France of the 21st century, after some attempts in the 80s and 90s. The whole cycling world was waiting for it, and of course, the best cyclists in the world are not going to miss the appointment.
Route
8 stages make up the route of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, of which 4 (stages 1, 2, 5, and 6) are flat and will presumably be decided in a bunch sprint. Stages 3 and 4 have hilly profiles, and especially stage 4 could be decisive for the race outcome, as the combination of gravel sectors and short climbs could leave some of the favorites out of the fight for the yellow jersey. Finally, the mountain is reserved for the final weekend: on Saturday the race reaches the ski resort of Le Markstein, in a stage that includes the ascents of the Col du Petit Ballon (9.4 km at 8%), the Col du Platzerwasel (7.1 km at 8.3%) and the Col du Grand Ballon (13.9 km at 6.6%). Finally, the race ends on Sunday at the famous Super Planche des Belles Filles (7 km at 8.6%), where the first winner of the Tour de France Femmes of the 21st century will be crowned.
Favorites
Giro d'Italia Donne winner Annemiek Van Vleuten (1200) is the big favorite for the general classification, although she will find strong opposition in the SD Worx women Demi Vollering (1200) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (1000). Elisa Longo Borghini (1200), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (1000), Mavi García (800), Liane Lippert (800), Juliette Labous (800), Pauline Rooijakkers (600), Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (1000), Marta Cavalli (800), Elise Chabbey (1000) or Amanda Spratt (400) are also GC contenders.
For sprints, Lorena Wiebes (1200), Lotte Kopecky (1000), Emma Norsgaard (1000), Elisa Balsamo (1000), Marianne Vos (1000) and Marta Bastianelli (800) are among the fastest roders on the start list.