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Stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes live - 07/30/2023

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Tour de France Femmes: Van Vleuten survives final stage to win inaugural race – as it happened

Annemiek van Vleuten survived multiple attacks and bike changes on stage eight to claim a historic Tour de France Femmes win

• 31 Jul 2022 Annemiek van Vleuten wins stage eight, and the 2022 Tour de France Femmes!
• 31 Jul 2022 Preamble

Thank you for reading our coverage of this year’s Tour de France Femmes , and thank you to all of you who got in touch via email or Twitter.

It was heartening to see the appetite for women’s cycling, both from fans out on the road and the many of you who have tuned in to read our live blogs, reports and more. It was a long wait for a proper multi-stage women’s Tour de France , 33 years, but this race looks well set to go from strength to strength.

Now, there is a football match of quite some significance happening at Wembley: join Sarah Rendell for minute-by-minute coverage of England v Germany in the Euro 2022 final right here:

Congratulations to all the riders who finished a gruelling race – and indeed congratulations to all of those who didn’t. Everyone played their part. It was a fantastic performance from Silvia Persico, third on today’s stage, and fifth in GC.

3rd place for Silvia Persico in #tdff last stage 😍 Second podium in this Grande Boucle, sixth top 10 in eight stages, fifth place in GC and best italian athlete of the peloton. So proud of you 😍😍😍😍😍 — Valcar - Travel & Service (@valcar_ts) July 31, 2022

Huge congratulations too to Vollering, Niewiadoma and Labous for finishing second, third and fourth respectively in GC. Vollering was pictured after today’s stage seemingly in tears – perhaps illustrating the sheer amount of effort she put in to try and reel in Van Vleuten today.

Jeremy Whittle reports:

The top five on stage 8:

1) Van Vleuten (Movistar) 3hr 37min 23sec 2) Vollering (SD Worx) +30secs 3) Persico (Valcar Travel & Service) +1min 43secs 4) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 52secs 5) Labous (Team DSM) +1min 56secs

The final top five in GC:

1) Van Vleuten (Movistar) 25hr 55min 44sec 2) Vollering (SD Worx) +3min 48secs 3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +6min 35secs 4) Labous (Team DSM) +7min 28secs 5) Persico (Valcar Travel & Service) +8min

Van Vleuten speaks: “That’s actually a dream that comes true. Winning in yellow on the top ... wow. And it was not an easy stage. It was not an easy week. It’s been a super-big rollercoaster for me, and even today it was not easy. To finish here, solo, it’s the best way.

“I’m super proud to be the first winner of the Tour de France for the women when it’s back on the calendar, in this new version ... wow, I hope it’s a big start, and we can build this event to a bigger event for the women ... I think it’s a milestone to win this first one.

“I think it now can all sink in, and I can finally enjoy it. Yesterday was an unbelievable day but I still wanted to keep the focus ... and now I can finally ... YES! ... go only ice cream and pizza tonight, and celebrate with this team ... tonight I can celebrate without thinking abouut tomorrow.”

The Tour de France Femmes official Twitter chips in with a Van Vleuten video:

🏆 💛 🏆 🇳🇱 @AvVleuten 👑 #TDFF #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/g2bYeLdYRx — Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 31, 2022

The camera motorbike that was following Van Vleuten toppled over in the closing metres of the race. That may demonstrate how steep that final bit of the climb is.

Hopefully some reaction coming up from Van Vleuten, among others.

Movistar’s social media team, needless to say, have been busy preparing the victory graphic for Twitter:

💛🐐 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄. 🐐💛 @AvVleuten again #MiekItHappen with resounding success atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles as she wins @LeTourFemmes - our 8th Tour de France victory. Incredibly proud of the whole Movistar Team! 🥹🏆 #TDFF | #RodamosJuntos | @Telefonica pic.twitter.com/uFaPlzjk2L — Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) July 31, 2022

Van Vleuten had a massive lead in the GC after yesterday but that was far from a straightforward day. She had four or five bike changes after some mechanical problems and a puncture, and was attacked left, right and centre by rival teams who chose to try and test her rather than admit defeat in the overall race. At one point she had to take it on herself to chase back into contact with the peloton. But she got the job done, and had the strength to accelerate away on the final climb to seal a dominant stage win, and overall win.

Ludwig , who won stage three, makes it to the top. Garcia, who did so much to animate the race, is next to finish.

Persico and Niewiadoma are engaged in a huge battle for third place on the stage ... and Persico takes it!

Annemiek van Vleuten wins stage eight, and the 2022 Tour de France Femmes!

Her rivals simply had no answer. An outstanding al-round performance from the Dutchwoman. Vollering comes home second, and seals second in GC.

500m to go: The severity of the gradients on the upper slopes is quite hard to appreciate on the TV. Anyway, safe to say that the legs of every rider will be screaming in pain ...

Van Vleuten grinds her way up the final few hundred metres of the race!

1km to go: Vollering fights on behind. Niewiadoma powers on behind that. But we are not going to see any movement in the podium places.

1.5km to go: Utter dominance, again, from Van Vleuten. The gap between her and Vollering is now 32secs. She is rounding off this race in style.

She will be joining Lorena Wiebes and Marianne Vos in winning two stages of this eight-stage race.

The fans are packed along each side of the road, and they are urging Van Vleuten on to glory. It’s nailed on now.

3.3km to go: Vollering of SD Worx, sporting the polka-dot jersey, is doing everything she can to try and close the gap to the incredibly strong Van Vleuten of Movistar, but it seems of little use. In fact the gap grows to 25secs.

At this rate we are not going to see any change in the top three in the GC. Van Vleuten, Vollering and then Niewiadoma will be the order of the top three. Niewiadoma said before the race she was aiming for the podium, so it’s looking likely to be mission accomplished.

4km to go: Van Vleuten now has nearly 20secs on Vollering. Behind them, Niewiadoma is in a group with Labous, Ludwig, Longo Borghini and Persico, among others.

This is another dominant day from Van Vleuten, and she is climbing towards her second stage win of the race and the yellow jersey. It’s 33 years since the women’s peloton had a Tour de France , and Van Vleuten’s name is going to be on top of the standings this evening.

5km to go: Vollering now tries to bridge across to Van Vleuten. Van Vleuten gets out of the saddle and accelerates again ... she does have time to have a look back over her shoulder to see if anyone is in contact. Vollering has her rival in sight but the gap is growing.

5.5km to go: Scratch that. Garcia comes back, and over the top of Rooijakkers, and she is out front on her own ... but Van Vleuten pumps past her at the front! The yellow jersey, after a stressful day of bike changes and managing attacks from her rivals, leads the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes .

6km to go: Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon/SRAM) has attacked out of the breakaway. She puts in a damaging effort that creates a gap to the rest. Mavi Garcia gives chase, but is visibly struggling to find the power to get back.

6.5km to go: A video here via Le Tour data on Twitter that details the final climb –

The final ascent of the day, and in fact @LeTourFemmes , is La Super Planche des Belles Filles. It should be familiar from Stage 7 of @LeTour where @TamauPogi won in the #MaillotJaune 💛 Will it be victory for the Yellow Jersey today after the 7km, 8.7% climb? #TDFF #TDFFdata pic.twitter.com/LJVO51U0Yf — letourdata (@letourdata) July 31, 2022

8km to go: The breakaway powers towards the foot of the climb, but Trek-Segafredo are doing work to close the gap, and it’s fallen to 38secs.

The group behind consists of 13 riders, according to the live tracker, with Van Vleuten, Vollering, Labous and Longo Borghini all in there.

12km to go: We have less than 5km to race until the foot of the final climb, or at least the official starting point, as the road has already kicked up. Garcia and Brown exchange words at the head of the breakaway group, Brown taking it up at the front.

This final climb will be all about who has managed to conserve the most energy over what has been a punishing week-long race. The escape group has an advantage of a minute, which I reckon is not going to be enough to allow them to fight it out for the stage win with no interference from the chasing pack.

14km to go: García again tries to up the pace at the front of the race, hoping to forge a decisive advantage before the final climb.

We are definitely going to see a big scrap on the final climb, certainly for podium places. Niewiadoma does have a decent cushion of 51secs on the fourth-placed rider, Labous of Team DSM, however.

17km to go: Out on the road, Manon Lloyd gives an informative update from the final climb for Eurosport. She says that some teams have placed not one but two spare bikes in the closing stages of final climb – those will be set up with different gearing that is more suited to the punishing gradients of the higher parts of La Super Planches de Belles Filles. “It’s going to be savage,” Lloyd says.

21km to go: Now, Van Vleuten is pictured riding along serenely on a flat section and having a chat with a rider from a rival team. She suddenly looks far more relaxed with the situation. Does she go for the stage win to underline her dominance, or will she sit back and let others fight it out? I reckon the latter, because she said before today’s stage that yellow is the priority and she is not planning to ‘put on a show’.

She certainly had to toil to get back to the main bunch after those bike problems, though.

22km to go: García attacks from the front group, seeking to make it a more selective bunch of riders by the time they hit the final climb. But her move is reeled in by the other nine riders.

23km to go: The surviving 10 riders in the break:

Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) Paula Patiño (Movistar Team) Elise Chabbey (Canyon/SRAM) Liane Lippert (Team DSM) Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma) Yara Kastelijn (Plantur-Pura) Coralie Demay (St-Michel Auber93) Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-SRAM) Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) Grace Brown (FDJ Suez Futuroscope)

27km to go: The group of favourites speeds down the descent, and Van Vleuten is distanced, but only by a couple of seconds. This isn’t going to be nearly enough to make any kind of dent in the Dutchwomen’s overall lead. That said, her rivals are certainly making her work today.

31km to go: Marianne Vos of Jumbo-Visma, in the green jersey, is back in the fourth group on the road. The world champion Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) is also there, which according to the live tracker includes 11 riders. They are over four minutes down on the leaders and about 3min 30secs behind Van Vleuten’s group.

32km to go: Six groups on the road, the last of which is just summiting the Ballon d’Alsace climb now.

33km to go: The riders can start thinking about the final climb, “La Super Planche des Belles Filles”: It’s 7km long, with an average gradient of 8.7%, but it kicks up to 24% in places. As if that wasn’t hard enough, the “Super” bit is the gravel road at the top ...

38km to go: The breakaway – now 10 riders – crests the climb of Ballon d’Alsace. Van Vleuten and the group of favourites are 1min 15secs behind. Santesteban and Christoforou are between those two groups, 38secs behind.

It’s going to take something spectacular for Van Vleuten to be denied here – she is within 40km of overall victory and has over three minutes’ advantage in GC.

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Tour de France Femmes 2023 preview: Full schedule and how to watch live women's Grand Tour cycling action

Reigning champion Annemiek van Vleuten is targeting another Tour de France Femmes crown, as the second modern edition of the stage race takes place on 23 July to 30 July. Here is all you need to know before the start in Clermont-Ferrand.

The second edition of the most prestigious stage race on the women’s cycling calendar is billed as being the biggest yet. Tour de France Femmes 2023 is offering a diverse route starting in the highland region of Massif Central and finishing at the foot of the Pyrenees in Pau.

The big question before this year’s race has been whether anyone can challenge defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten , who is also an Olympic gold and silver medallist and four-time world champion.

The 40-year-old Dutchwoman has already claimed La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d’Italia Donne this season, and victory in the Tour de France Femmes would complete the set of 2023 women's Grand Tour race wins.

22 teams will be at the start line to battle over 8 stages, not just for the yellow leader’s jersey, but also the green points classification jersey, the polka-dot jersey for leader of the mountain classification and the white jersey for the best young rider under 23 years of age.

Read on to find everything you need to know about the Tour de France Femmes 2023.

• How to qualify for road cycling at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Tour de France Femmes 2023 route

Tour de France Femmes 2023 consists of eight stages with a total of 956 kilometres of racing. The peloton starts with a fairly flat stage around Clermont-Ferrand, and from the second hilly stage, the riders slowly move towards the southwest of France.

A mix of flat and hilly stages follow until the seventh stage, where the big battle among the GC favourites will be fought on the mountainous route to the iconic Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees.

The race will conclude with a 22 kilometres individual time trial around Pau.

Day-by-day route of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes stages

• Sunday 23 July: Stage 1 - Clermont-Ferrand - Clermont-Ferrand (124 km)
• Monday 24 July: Stage 2 - Clermont-Ferrand - Mauriac (152 km)
• Tuesday 25 July: Stage 3 - Collonges-la-Rouge - Montignac-Lascaux (147.2 km)
• Wednesday 26 July: Stage 4 - Cahors - Rodez (177.5 km)
• Thursday 27 July: Stage 5 - Onet-le-Château - Albi (126.1 km)
• Friday 28 July: Stage 6 - Albi - Blagnac (122.1 km)
• Saturday 29 July: Stage 7 - Lannemezan - Col du Tourmalet (89.8 km)
• Sunday 30 July: Stage 8 - Pau - Pau (22.6 km individual time trial)

Riders to watch at the Tour de France Femmes 2023

Two-time road race world champion Annemiek van Vleuten is the big favourite for the Tour de France Femmes 2023. In the Giro d’Italia Donne that finished earlier this month, the Olympic time trial champion claimed three stages and won the general classification by almost four minutes to Juliette Labous of France in second place.

The Movistar rider is in the middle of her last season before retiring, but after having claimed both the overall in the Giro d’Italia Donne and La Vuelta Femenina, the defending champion has proved that she isn't finished yet.

Last year, van Vleuten clinched the yellow jersey by taking the last two stages of the Tour de France Femmes. 3 minutes and 48 seconds was the gap to second place Demi Vollering .

The second placed rider from last year’s edition could also be the biggest threat for van Vleuten this year. Vollering completed the Ardennes hat-trick of one-day races earlier this season, winning the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.

The 26-year-old SD Worx rider is currently leading the UCI World Rankings, as she has secured an incredible 13 victories already this season, and the Dutch road race champion has taken a big step up since last year’s second place at this race.

At the La Vuelta Femenina, Vollering looked like she was about to be crowned the overall winner, but van Vleuten capitalized on a toilet break and gained more than a minute on the penultimate stage to ultimately win the race.

By the looks of this season’s results, we can hope to see a breathtaking Dutch battle between van Vleuten and Vollering.

Other riders, who potentially can fight for the overall victory are Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy, Juliette Labous of France, and Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland.

In the battle for the green jersey, the European road race champion Lorena Wiebes will be the woman to beat. The Dutchwoman has a strong team to support her in SD Worx.

Her 24-year-old compatriot Charlotte Kool of dsm-firmenich has showed earlier this season that she has the top speed to beat Wiebes in a bunch sprint.

Last year’s winner of the green jersey and arguably the greatest female cyclist of all time, Marianne Vos , also needs to be mentioned among the contenders for the points classification.

As the general classification riders will most likely battle it out on the decisive mountain stage to Col du Tourmalet, they will also be the favourites to claim the polka dot jersey after the final stage in Pau.

How to watch the 2023 Tour de France Femmes live

The Tour de France Femmes 2023 will be shown live in numerous countries. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Various European countries - Eurosport and GCN
• Belgium - RTBF and VRT
• Denmark - TV2
• France - France 3
• Ireland - TG4
• Netherlands - NOS
• Norway - TV2
• Spain - RTVE
• Switzerland - SRG-SSR
• Canada - FloBikes
• South America - ESPN
• United States - NBC Sports and Peacock

Asia Pacific

• Australia - SBS
• China - Zhibo TV
• Japan - J Sports
• New Zealand - Sky Sport
• South-East Asia - Global Cycling Network

Middle East and Africa

• The Middle East and North Africa - BeIN Sports, SSC and GCN
• Subsaharan Africa - Supersport

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Tour de France Femmes

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Tour de France Femmes 2024: News & Route Preview

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, and route details for the tour de france femmes 2024. get all the updates on the highly anticipated women's cycling event..

The Tour de France is the most well-known cycling race in the world. Winning the overall yellow jersey – and sometimes even just a stage – of the prestigious event is enough to cement your status as one of the best in the sport. After decades of being practically ignored by race organizers, the women’s peloton not only have their own version of the race, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but are also proving why they deserve the spotlight as well. 

Tour de France Femmes 2024 in numbers:

• Total distance: 946.3km 
• Total distance climbed: 10,700m 
• 3 countries visited: Netherlands, Belgium, and France. 
• 4 mountain ranges: the Ardennes, Vosges, Jura. and Alps. 
• 2 summit finishes 
• 3 sprint finishes 
• 1 time trial 

When is the Tour de France Femmes 2024?

The 2024 Tour de France Femmes has its first Grand Depart when the race begins in Rotterdam Aug. 12, shortly after the completion of the Paris Summer Olympics. The first three days of the race will wind its way through the Netherlands, before transitioning into Belgium, then France on the fourth day. The third edition of the race will end Aug. 18 with a thrilling summit finish atop the iconic Alpe d'Huez.

Tour de France Femmes History

Although this is only the third year the Tour de France Femmes has officially existed, women racers have competed in a version of the Tour de France since the 1950’s.   

After a one-off women’s race in 1955, it would be nearly 30 years until a female-led Tour de France race was held. Beginning in 1984, the Tour de France Féminin ran around the same time as the men’s race, albeit with fewer and somewhat shorter stages. That race lasted until 1989. For the next two years, two other women’s stage races blazed through France, although under different names, such as the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale and Tour Cycliste Féminin, and without a direct connection to the men’s race.   

In 2014, the La Course, a one- or two-day event held in conjunction with the men’s race by the Tour de France organizers, began. The race brought a much-deserved spotlight back to the women’s peloton, but teams and fans alike believed the race didn’t really show off what the competitors were capable of, as the stages weren’t difficult enough. La Course lasted until 2021, when it was replaced by the current iteration of the race, the Tour de France Femmes.   

The first Tour de France Femmes was held in 2022, directly after the men’s race, with eight stages of intense racing. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) won that first edition enroute to sweeping all three women’s Grand Tour stage races and the women’s world road race title that same year. Truly one of the most dominant seasons in cycling history.   

In 2023, van Vleuten would finish fourth, while the 2022 runner-up Demi Vollering (SD Worx) ascended one step up the podium. Vollering made her mark on the race during a dominant performance up the feared Col du Tourmalet. Kasia Niewiadoma ( Canyon-SRAM ) won the polka-dot Queen of the Mountains jersey while placing third overall for the second year in a row and riding a variety of Canyon road bikes . Find out which Canyon road bikes our pro riders ride during their races . 

Canyon/SRAM bikes 

Who are the main 2024 Tour de France Femmes contenders?

Last year’s winner Vollering will be back in 2024, looking to defend her yellow jersey, while Niewiadoma looks to finally move up to the top step of the podium this August. 

Vollering’s teammate Lotte Kopecky, last year’s second-place finisher, green jersey winner, and current road-race world champion, could aim for overall victory this year as well. Will we see an internal team struggle like the Jumbo-Visma dysfunction at the 2023 Vuelta? 

Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich) will be looking to be the first French winner of a Tour de France (men or women) since Bernard Hinault. Multiple-time world champion Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) is always a threat whenever she pins on a race number and could contend again for the green jersey she won in 2022. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ) will be aiming for stage wins and podium spots. 

The Tour de France Femmes Route

The balanced route gives the sprinters, climbers, and puncheurs each their moment in the spotlight. At the end of the three weeks, we'll finally find out the winners of the prized Tour de France Femmes jerseys – yellow for the overall winner, polka-dot for queen of the mountains classifications winner, green for the winner of the points classification, and white, won by the best-placed rider under the age of 23 in the general classification. 

This 77-mile, pancake-flat route will give one talented sprinter her chance to wear the yellow jersey during the early stages. It’s highly unlikely a breakaway will succeed on this stage or the main contenders will want to risk getting involved in what promises to be a mad dash for the finish. 

Riders will be doing double duty on this stage, racing two stages. The first is a flat, 41-mile route that returns riders to Rotterdam. Strong winds could be a factor, but this promises to be another spotlight for the green-jersey contenders. 

The second of two stages on this day, this 4-mile time trial won’t be long enough for any of the true diesel-powered specialists like Canyon-sponsored Chloe Dygert to put any real time on the field, but could shuffle the deck a bit at the top of the standings. 

This 76-mile stage brings the peloton into Belgium, traversing some of roads used in the famed Classics races and including eight categorised ascents. The hilly terrain will increase the chances of a successful breakaway or solo escape. The short, but steep, climbs will make this one of the more lively stages of this year’s Tour. 

• Bemelerberg (twice), 1.3km long with an average gradient of 4.9% 
• Cauberg, 0.7km long with an average gradient of 8% 
• Geulhemmerberg, 1.1km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 
• Mont-Theux, 2.8km long with an average gradient of 5.6% 
• Côte de la Redoute, 1.6km long with an average gradient of 9.4% 
• Côte des Forges, 1.3km long with an average gradient of 7.8% 
• Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, 1.3km long with an average gradient of 11% 

A mostly flat, 93-mile route that brings race into France. While riders must contend with five short climbs, none of them should be difficult enough to create any significant gaps. The uphill lead-in to the Amnéville finish will be interesting. Will the main contenders watch as a puncheur grabs the stage win or will they attempt to assert control over the race before the peloton enters the mountains? 

• Côte de Hotte, 1.2km long with an average gradient of 7.9% 
• Côte de Saint-Pancre, 1.5km long with an average gradient of 3.9% 
• Côte de Fermont, 1.5km long with an average gradient of 4.6% 
• Côte de Briey, 1.1km long with an average gradient of 4.4% 
• Côte de Montois-la-Montagne, 1.7km long with an average gradient of 6% 

Four categorized climbs over the second half of the 100-mile stage should animate the day’s racing. 

• Col du Mont de Fourche, 3.2km long with an average gradient of 5.9% 
• Col de Ferriere, 2.6km long with an average gradient of 4.7% 
• Côte de Laviron, 5.7km long with an average gradient of 4.1% 
• La Roche du Pretre, 5.5km long with an average gradient of 5.6% 
• Côte des Fins, 1.8km long with an average gradient of 6.9% 

The peloton finally arrives in the mountains for this 103-mile stage. Competitors won’t have time for a refreshing sparkling beverage on the 12km (7.5-mile) climb up the Col de la Croix la Sierra, as they rocket toward the day’s denouement. The last 30km (18 miles) of the route is essentially all uphill, climbing nearly 700m to the 1,285m Le Grand-Bornand finish. 

• Col de la Croix la Sierra, 12km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 
• Côte de Bois d'Ariod, 2.4km long with an average gradient of 4.6% 
• Côte de Cercier, 4km long with an average gradient of 4.9% 
• Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, 5.4km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 
• Montée du Chinaillon, 7km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 

It all comes down to this 93-mile stage. After the relatively short Col de Tamié climb and descent, the peloton has a relatively flat 50km (32-mile) pedal before the day’s fireworks begin at the foot of the monstrous, 1,924m Col du Glandon, the highest point of this year’s Tour. Expect the main contenders’ teams to begin duking it out here, hoping to score a knockout blow before the iconic 1,850m Alpe d'Huez climb and finish. 

• Col de Tamié, 9.5km long with an average gradient of 4% 
• Col du Glandon, 19.7km long with an average gradient of 7.2% 
• Alpe d'Huez, 13.8km long with an average gradient of 8.1% 

Expectations leading to the race?

This year’s Tour comes directly on the heels of the 2024 Olympics, held in Paris. After falling short of a gold medal, many athletes will be looking for solace in a yellow jersey, which means the competition should be intense. 

Canyon riders to watch

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), will be gunning for the yellow jersey again this year after finishing on the podium the last two years. Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM), who won a Zwift Academy challenge to earn her professional contract in 2020, will also be looking to add to her palmarès and could be wearing the white jersey at the race end. Current world time-trial champion Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) may also participate. 

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France Femmes

There’s no better way to experience the 2024 Tour de France Femmes than attending the race live. But for those of us who can’t afford to take more than a week off work to attend a bike race and drink exquisite French wine, these networks will be broadcasting the stage race, either through daily highlights or start-to-finish coverage. 

• Eurosport (Europe) 
• NBC Sports (USA) 
• SBS (Australia) 

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Robert Annis

Robert Annis is an award-winning outdoor-travel journalist. As an experienced writer and sport enthusiast he writes content that is inspiring with focus on road biking. You might have read Robert's articles in Bicycling, National Geographic, Outside, Travel + Leisure, Inside Hook, AARP, Midwest Living, Sierra, Hemispheres, Departures, Lonely Planet, Afar, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, RV Magazine, and Hidden Compass.

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Lotte Kopecky Won’t Be Racing the Tour de France Femmes

The Paris-Roubaix winner will prioritize Olympic medals instead, with the Omnium event wrapping just a day before the Tour begins.

Last year at the Tour , Kopecky wore the yellow jersey before teammate Demi Vollering took it over on the Col du Tourmalet. Thanks to an impressive performance in the opening stage, Kopecky spent six stages in yellow. She attacked with about 10 km left and crossed the finish line 41 seconds ahead of the rest of the peloton. Kopecky ended up the overall runner-up.

This year, the Belgian will be going all-in at the velodrome, where she hopes to win the first Olympic medals of her career. Trying to transition immediately from track racing to the Tour would just be too much. “The Omnium ends Sunday afternoon, the Tour starts Monday morning. That is almost unfeasible to do that in a good way,” said sporting manager Danny Stam, according to Sporza .

“Combining those two events would also be a very difficult task mentally. If you were to take Olympic gold, it’s too short a day to start the next morning in the Tour. She can now fully focus on the Games,” Stam added.

GCN reported that Kopecky has “high hopes both on the road and track at the Olympics, where she will look to convert her successes from the World Championships into Olympic gold. The 28-year-old is a multiple world champion on the track across the Madison, Elimination, and Points race disciplines.”

So far, Kopecky’s best Olympic result was fourth place in the road race at the Tokyo Games.

Even though fans will be disappointed not to see Kopecky racing the Tour de France Femmes, there will still be plenty of action to watch. The World Champion will be racing the Tour of Britain Women in June before returning to the Giro d’Italia Women in July. And then, of course, the Olympics in Paris, which run from July 26 to August 11.

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Lotte Kopecky to skip Tour de France Femmes, focus on Olympic Games - 'Almost impossible to do properly'

Updated 25/04/2024 at 08:06 GMT

SD Worx have now confirmed that Belgian superstar Lotte Kopecky will not be participating at the Tour de France Femmes this year. Instead, the world champion will turn her attention fully to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where she will hope to win gold for her country. Before that, the 28-year-old will race at the Ford RideLondon Classique and the Giro d'Italia.

Highlights: Brown sprints to victory after off-road scare

Kopecky eyes Giro but Tour de France participation unclear in Olympic year

10/04/2024 at 21:34

• Wiebes signs contract extension with Team SD Worx-Protime until 2028
• 'I was quite emotional' – Pogacar dedicates win to fiancée's late mother
• Brown upsets Longo Borghini and Vollering to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Stage 1 highlights: SD Worx one-two as Kopecky soars into yellow

Kopecky reveals unusual reason behind first Paris-Roubaix Femmes crown

06/04/2024 at 17:11

‘She’s the best’ – Blythe hails ‘unbelievable’ Kopecky after UAE Tour victory

11/02/2024 at 15:44

‘We will see the best option’ – Kopecky unsure over Tour de France Femmes participation

26/10/2023 at 10:09

Tour de France Femmes 2024

Latest news from the race.

EF Education-Cannondale one of five Tour de France Femmes wildcards

Wiebes, Vollering aiming for Tour de France Femmes repeat on home soil

Lotte Kopecky to skip Tour de France Femmes after Olympics, SD Worx confirm

2024 Tour de France Femmes Information

The route for the 2024 Tour de France Femmes  was officially presented in Paris on October 25 by race director Marion Rousse. 

The third edition of the modern incarnation of the women's Tour de France will be held after the Paris Olympic Games with eight stages across seven days between Monday, August 12 and Sunday, August 18.

Organisers offer a total of 946.3km of racing that includes three flat stages for the sprinters, one individual time trial, two hilly stages, two mountain stages and a crowning conclusion atop the iconic Alpe d'Huez.

Cyclingnews will have live coverage of all eight stages of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, along with race reports, galleries, results, and exclusive features and news.

2024 Tour de France Femmes Route

The route for the 2024 Tour de France Femmes includes a Grand Départ in the Netherlands from August 12 to August 14, and takes place in host cities Rotterdam, The Hague, Dordrecht, and Valkenburg.

The route then crosses into the Ardennes Classics iconic cities of Liège and Bastogne before entering France and travelling into the Alps for two final mountain stages in Le Grand Bornand and Alpe d'Huez.

• Stage 1: Rotterdam to The Hague, 124km
• Stage 2: Dordrecht to Rotterdam, 67km
• Stage 3: Rotterdam to Rotterdam, 6.3km
• Stage 4: Valkenburg to Liège, 122km
• Stage 5: Bastogne to Amnéville, 150km
• Stage 6: Remiremont to Morteau, 160km
• Stage 7: Champagnole to Le Grand-Bornand, 167km
• Stage 8: Le Grand-Bornand to Alpe d'Huez, 150km

2024 Tour de France Femmes Schedule

2024 tour de france femmes contenders.

Defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx) is likely to return to the 2024 Tour de France Femmes to try and win a second consecutive overall title after securing the yellow jersey in the 2023 edition.

Annemiek van Vleuten , the winner of the 2022 Tour de France Femmes and fourth in 2023, has retired from professional cycling after a sparkling 16-year career and so will not be competing in the third edition of the event.

Two-time podium finisher Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), gravel world champion, will line up as one of the main contenders for the overall title.

Road race world champion Lotte Kopecky (also SD Worx) won the opening stage last year and wore the yellow jersey for six days, climbed with the best to the summit of the Col du Tourmalet, and then stormed to third place in the time trial in Pau. She closed out the eight-day race by winning the green points jersey and taking second overall behind her teammate Vollering. She will be one to watch in the 2024 edition of the Tour de France Femmes.

Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich) was the top French rider in last year's Tour de France Femmes, and other riders to watch will be Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ).

Tour de France Femmes History

• You’ve come a long way, baby - Vital statistics show sea change in women’s cycling
• Marianne Martin: Remembering the magic of the 1984 women's Tour de France
• La Grande Boucle, La Course and the return of the women's Tour de France

Cyclingnews  has assembled a full list of champions dating back to the first version in 1955 and the original women's Tour de France stage race held from 1984-1989 to the modern Tour de France Femmes.

The women's peloton raced their  first official launch of the women's Tour de France  until  1984 won by American Marianne Martin . It was an 18-day race held simultaneously as the men's event and along much of the same but shortened routes with shared finish lines. The Société du Tour de France, which later became part of ASO in 1992, managed both men's and women's events. 

The women's Tour de France ended in 1989, and while ASO went on to organise women's one-day races like La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, La Course, and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes (in 2021), the women's peloton had not been included as part of the official Tour de France for the past 30 years.

Other women's stage races in France, not run by ASO, took place, including the Tour Cycliste Féminin, which had started in 1992, and the re-named Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale, until it came to an end in 2009. 

La Course by La Tour de France was then created in 2014 following a petition to ASO calling for a women's Tour de France. Le Tour Entier's petition was led by Kathryn Bertine, Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley and Chrissie Wellington and secured 97,307 signatures. The event was held across various platforms, from a one-day to a multi-day event between 2014 and 2021. 

Champions included  Marianne Vos ,  Anna van der Breggen  and  Chloe Hosking  in the first three editions from 2014 to 2016.  Annemiek van Vleuten  won in 2017 and 2018, followed by Vos in 2019,  Lizzie Deignan  in 2020 and  Demi Vollering  in 2021.

Despite its controversy, La Course had become one of the most showcased events in the Women's WorldTour, and although the wait was longer than anyone anticipated, it finally became the stepping stone to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Tour de France men's race director Christian Prudhomme made a  long-awaited confirmation  that Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) would launch a women's  Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022  with Marion Rousse as the event's race director.

Zwift announced that it would become the title sponsor of the  Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift  on a five-year deal through 2026.

The first edition of the rebirth of the 2022 Tour de France Femmes was an eight-day race that began on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in conjunction with the final stage 21 of the men's Tour de France and ended on La Super Planche des Belles Filles, where  Annemiek van Vleuten  (Movistar) was crowned the overall champion.

The 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route hit new heights with 956 kilometres and a grand finale in the Pyrenees with a mountaintop finish on the iconic Tourmalet on stage 7 and a final stage 8 time trial in Pau, with Demi Vollering winning the overall title.

The 2024 Tour de France Femmes will showcase back-to-back summit finishes at Le Grand Bornand and Alpe d'Huez where the overall champion will be crowned.

• Tour de France Femmes past winners
• Tour de France Femmes 2024 route

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Lotte Kopecky to skip Tour de France Femmes after Olympics, SD Worx confirm

SD Worx manager Danny Stam confirmed that World Champion Lotte Kopecky will not take part in the Tour de France Femmes this year.

Kopecky was unsure whether she could race the Tour this year because the Olympic Games in Paris finish one day before the Tour de France Femmes Grand Départ in Rotterdam. Winning a medal at the Olympic Games is one of Kopecky's top priorities this season.

"The omnium ends on Sunday afternoon, the Tour starts on Monday morning. It is almost impossible to do that properly," Stam told Sporza .

"Combining those two events would also be a very difficult task mentally."

Kopecky won the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2023 and held the maillot jaune until the penultimate stage to the Col du Tourmalet when she lost touch on the final climb and the overall lead passed to teammate Demi Vollering.

At the Tour de France route presentation, Kopecky said she wanted to race the Tour because it has two stages that run on Belgian roads - stage 3 uses part of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège course and stage 4 departs from Bastogne.

"When I see the course, I definitely want to ride. The fact that it goes through Belgium is also a very nice thing. On the other hand, the Tour is every year while the Olympic Games are only once every four years. There are also very nice goals coming up after the Tour, so it is very unclear at the moment," said Kopecky.

"The switch from track to road is not a problem in itself, that is not my biggest fear. The Tour in itself is simply very tough and after such an omnium you have not only been physically very deep, but also mentally."

Kopecky put an emphasis on the Spring Classics this year knowing the decision on whether to race the Tour or not would come after. She won Strade Bianche, Nokere Koerse and Paris-Roubaix this year as well as the UAE Tour Women in February.

Her schedule includes the Tour of Britain Women (6-9 June) and Giro d'Italia Women (7-14 July) before the Olympics in Paris. She will set her sights on the World Championships in Zurich in the latter part of the season.

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Tour de France

Tour de france stage 1: the hilliest-ever opening stage of the tour, a dramatic opener to this year's tour with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters. will the bunch fragment like last year.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Stage 1 — Saturday, June 29 Florence-Rimini Distance: 206km (128 miles) Profile: Medium mountain stage

Stage 1: A daunting opener

Last year’s first stage was said by some to be amongst the hardest Tour openers ever; one year later, the organizers have decided to follow the same template.

Indeed they have ramped up the difficulty, with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters, some 500 meters more than last time around. The stage will not so much shake off the cobwebs as evaporate them. Starting in Florence as part of the first-ever Italian Grand Depart in history, the riders will have 30 mainly flat kilometers before the first of seven categorized climbs rear up.

The Col de Valico Tre Faggi is the highest on the stage, peaking at 930 meters altitude after 12.5km of climbing. A breakaway is almost certain to form here and, passing over the subsequent climbs of the Côte des Forche, the Côte de Carnaio and the Colle de Barbotto, should be able to further pad their advantage.

The pendulum may well swing the other way over the three climbs located in the final 50 kms. The last of these, the Côte de Saint-Marino, is followed by 25 downhill and flat roads to the finish in Rimini. Much will depend on how the favorites ride the stage but if the big names and their teams go all in, a very difficult first day is in store.

The stage finish is a poignant location for Italian cycling. The 1998 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani died in Rimini in 2004, with this year’s Tour taking place 20 years after that tragic event.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “It’s rare for the Tour de France to start with more than 3,600 meters of climbing — in fact it’s never happened before! — and it’s also the first time that the race has visited the home city of Gino Bartali.

“The succession of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna are likely to be the setting for an immediate and testing confrontation between the contenders for the title, particularly the climb into San Marino (7.1km at 4.8 percent), where the race will add a 13th name to its catalogue of foreign visits.”

80 ans du droit de vote des femmes : "Un long parcours depuis la Révolution française"

Le 21 avril 1944, alors que la Seconde Guerre mondiale n'est pas terminée, une ordonnance du gouvernement provisoire du général de Gaulle à Alger accorde le droit de vote aux femmes. Une décision historique prise après plus d'un siècle de lutte intense. 

Publié le : 21/04/2024 - 07:32

"Le Comité français de la libération nationale ordonne que les femmes sont électrices et éligibles dans les mêmes conditions que les hommes". C’est par ces mots rédigés par le Gouvernement provisoire de la République française que les femmes obtenaient enfin le droit de vote le 21 avril 1944. Cet article, rédigé il y a 80 ans dans le cadre d’une ordonnance portant sur l’organisation des pouvoirs publics après la Libération , marquait l’aboutissement d’un long combat pour les droits civiques des femmes en France.

Le droit de vote accordé aux femmes est revendiqué dès 1791, quand Olympe de Gouges réclame, dans sa "Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne", l’égalité des droits. Un homme des Lumières, le philosophe Nicolas de Condorcet, se prononce aussi en sa faveur dans son essai "Sur l’admission des femmes au droit de cité", publié en 1790. Mais l’exclusion des femmes du droit de vote est maintenue par la Constitution de 1791, puis par un vote de la Convention nationale en 1793 – quelques mois avant l'exécution d'Olympe de Gouges, guillotinée.

"Les aspirations de certaines femmes à cette époque-là n’étaient pas perçues comme quelque chose de sérieux", explique Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic , docteure en histoire à l’Université de Caen Normandie. "Les divisions n’étaient pas pensées en termes de sexes, mais de catégories sociales. La Révolution a été un grand laboratoire politique où des choses ont été tentées, mais il n’y a pas eu vraiment de continuité", précise cette spécialiste du vote des femmes en France.

"Cela fait beaucoup rire"

Quelques décennies plus tard, en 1848, le suffrage universel est instauré, mais il est toujours réservé aux hommes. "Le vote était encore très lié à une représentation familiale dans laquelle l’homme est pensé comme le chef de famille. Envisager de donner une voix aux femmes, c’était donner une autre voix au père. On ne pensait pas que la femme pouvait voter différemment", indique l’autrice de "La Marche des citoyennes" (éd. du Cerf).

Malgré cette fin de non-recevoir, le journal féministe "La Voix des femmes", doublé d'une association éponyme combattant la mise à l’écart des femmes dans le domaine politique, encourage à l’époque la candidature de George Sand, qui publie des articles politiques, aux élections législatives. Mais la célèbre écrivaine s'y oppose : pour elle, la priorité doit être portée sur l’émancipation privée des femmes et l’égalité civile.

D’autres femmes décident de s’engager. En 1849, Jeanne Deroin, une ouvrière née à Paris, mène campagne et tente de se présenter aux législatives car selon elle, "la cause du peuple et la cause des femmes sont intimement liées". Son combat devient public, mais sa candidature n’est pas acceptée. "Cela fait beaucoup rire. Il y a énormément de caricatures qui parlent d’inversion du rôle des femmes, qui veulent devenir des hommes ", raconte Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic. Cet engagement n’est pas sans risque. Jeanne Deroin est arrêtée et fait de la prison. Après sa détention, craignant d’être de nouveau dans le viseur des autorités, elle s’exile en Angleterre où cette pionnière du vote des femmes continue de militer.

La libération de la parole féministe

Dans les années 1870, la guerre franco-prussienne, puis les événements de la Commune écornent l’image du mouvement féministe, comme l’explique l’historienne : "Il y a beaucoup de troubles dans la société française. On crée le mythe de la 'pétroleuse', notamment autour de figures comme Louise Michel, pour en faire des boucs émissaires de la crise. C’est une manière de dire : ‘Regardez ce qui arrive quand des femmes s’occupent de politique. Il faut revenir plutôt à des formes traditionnelles de la famille’".

Mais la fin du Second Empire permet aussi la libération d’une certaine parole féministe. En 1876, Hubertine Auclert, une journaliste et écrivaine, commence à militer et devient peu à peu une figure publique importante et originale, selon Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic. "Elle fonde une association et un journal. Elle fait aussi de l’activisme en intervenant dans les mairies, par exemple lors des mariages, pour mettre en garde les femmes contre le Code civil. Elle s'exprime également dans des grands rendez-vous politiques. Elle refuse aussi de se faire recenser ou de payer ses impôts puisqu’elle ne compte pas en tant que femme".

Mais la mémoire collective a surtout retenu, à la fin du XIX e et au début du XX e siècles, l’action des suffragettes britanniques, alors que les figures françaises ont été peu à peu oubliées. "Au Royaume-Uni, les suffragettes ont utilisé des méthodes, très radicales à la limite du terrorisme, comme lacérer des tableaux dans des musées, mettre de l’acide dans des boîtes aux lettres ou encore poser des bombes. Elles ont aussi eu un rapport très brutal avec la police, qui les harcelait. On a donc gardé en tête ce mouvement car il était fort et spectaculaire, même s’il n’a pas représenté l’intégralité de ce qu’il s’est passé chez les Britanniques", estime l'universitaire.

Au lendemain de la Première Guerre mondiale , des changements s’opèrent un peu partout en Europe. Au Royaume-Uni, la "loi de 1918 sur la représentation populaire" – "Representation of the People Act 1918" – instaure le suffrage universel pour les hommes et le suffrage censitaire pour les femmes âgées de plus de 30 ans.

En France, la continuité politique n’apporte aucune modification au statut des femmes même si, en 1919, les députés votent en faveur du suffrage féminin. Pendant des années, le Sénat, traditionnellement plus conservateur que la Chambre des députés, bloque cette réforme : "Les opposants au vote des femmes affirmaient alors qu’ils voulaient préserver la République de tous les soubresauts possibles. Selon eux, intégrer ce nouveau corps électoral était trop dangereux", relate Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic.

Pour autant, l’immobilisme du Sénat ne freine pas les initiatives des féministes. Dans les années 1920, des villes organisent des élections pour des conseillères municipales officieuses, tandis que le Parti communiste présente des femmes en position éligible aux élections municipales. Quelques années plus tard, en 1936, Léon Blum, à la tête du Front populaire, nomme pour sa part trois femmes sous-secrétaires d’État : Suzanne Lacore, Irène Joliot-Curie et Cécile Brunschvicg.

"Le fruit de l’évolution importante de la société"

Il faut attendre la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale pour que tout s’accélère. Alors que le conflit n’est pas encore terminé, l’Assemblée consultative provisoire d’Alger, capitale de la France libre, commence à débattre en janvier 1944 de la future organisation des pouvoirs publics en France. Le délégué communiste Fernand Grenier pose alors la question du vote des femmes. Les tensions et les réticences se font toujours sentir. Pour preuve, le projet d’ordonnance comporte encore le 24 mars la seule mention : "Les femmes sont éligibles". Ce n’est qu’après le vote d’un amendement défendu par Fernand Grenier que le terme "électrices" est ajouté, pour arriver au texte final du 21 avril.

L’action de ce délégué communiste n’est pas passée à la postérité. Pour beaucoup, le droit de vote des femmes a été octroyé par le général de Gaulle , chef de la France libre, en remerciement de leurs actions au sein de la Résistance. "Ce n’est pas si simple", tempère Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic. "Il n’y avait pas de demandes des femmes résistantes à ce sujet, et de Gaulle ne l’a pas fait tout seul. Il a signé une ordonnance qui était le fruit de l’évolution importante de la société et de la politique depuis une centaine d’années. En le mettant en avant, on invisibilise toutes les femmes qui ont milité".

La date du 21 avril 1944 constitue un tournant, mais pour l’historienne, c’est véritablement le 29 avril 1945 qui est resté dans les mémoires. Ce jour-là, dans une France libérée, les citoyennes votent pour la toute première fois, lors de municipales : "Il y a des femmes qui attendaient avec impatience ce droit et d’autres qui, sans avoir milité, l’ont accueilli avec beaucoup de respect et d’émotion. Nous avons peut-être oublié aujourd’hui la chance que constitue le fait de pouvoir voter. Cela a été un long parcours depuis la Révolution française".

Quatre-vingts ans après, les choses ont considérablement évolué, mais la vigilance est encore de mise, selon Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic, sur la place des femmes en politique : "La participation des femmes au vote est aujourd’hui sensiblement la même que celles des hommes. Il y a aussi eu énormément de textes de loi ces dernières années pour augmenter leur représentation. Nous avons eu récemment une femme Première ministre avec Élisabeth Borne et Yaël Braun-Pivet est devenue la première présidente de l’Assemblée nationale. Mais il faut toujours faire attention. Nous avons un gouvernement qui paraît paritaire, mais dont tous les ministères régaliens sont occupés par des hommes. Il y a encore des progrès à faire".

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