26.07.2022 | Reading time - 9 min(s)

The Inaugural Tour de France Femmes

Posted in: Electric Bikes, Road Cycling, Women's Cycling

It is long overdue, but after years of hard work from pioneers in the women’s cycling world, we are very excited to have the inaugural Tour de France Femmes taking place this year!

We are three stages into the inaugural Tour de France Femmes – an eight-stage women's race which finishes on La Planche de Belle Filles on Sunday 31^st July. We thought it very much worth looking at a brief history of how the race came about and then talking about the exhilarating race that is unfolding right now in France.

History

In 2014, four ambassadors of the Women’s cycling world (Marianne Vos, Kathryn Bertine, Emma Pooley, and Chrissie Wellington) petitioned ASO, the organisers of Le Tour de France, to bring back the Women’s Tour de France after a 33-year hiatus. From this petition, a one-day race called Le Course was born (which the amazing Marianne Vos won). In the years since, La Course did feature some multi-stage rides, but there were claims ASO was not growing the event as fast as was promised. Fast forward to the present day and we finally have an eight-stage race that will showcase the excitement of women’s multi-stage cycle racing.

The 2022 Tour de France Femmes

Stage 1: Paris Eiffel Tower to Paris Champs-Élysées, 82km Flat Stage
Stage 2: Meaux to Provins, 135km Flat Stage
Stage 3: Reims to Épernay, 133km Hilly Stage
Stage 4: Troyes to Bar-sur-Aube, 126km Hilly Stage
Stage 5: Bar-le-Duc to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, 175km Flat Stage
Stage 6: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Rosheim, 128km Hilly Stage
Stage 7: Sélestat to Le Markstein, 127km Mountain Stage
Stage 8: Lure to Super Planche des Belles Filles, 123km Mountain Stage

The Tour de France Femmes began on Sunday 24^th July at the Eiffel Tower and finished at the famous Champs-Elysees and was won by Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes, who pipped Marianne Vos (you are going to see this name a lot) in a sprint finish. As an aside, if you have never seen a cycling race sprint finish, I would urge you to watch one – there is nothing more exciting in the sports world. The race finishes on the beautiful Planche de Belle Filles climb on Sunday 31^st July but expect the fireworks to start before that on the hilly route of stage six and the mountain stages of stages seven and eight.

Ones to watch

Marianne Vos

If you are looking for people to follow, you would do well to follow the inspirational and evergreen Marianne Vos, who won the first La Course eight years ago and now has won the second stage of this year's Tour Femmes and currently sits in the leader's Yellow Jersey. If she doesn’t manage to hold on to the Yellow Jersey, there is a very good chance she will pick up the Green sprinters' jersey.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

The way the stages are shaping up, this tour will likely be won by a pure climber due to the two mountain stages for the last two days. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig can certainly race up the mountains when she needs to, so I would keep a close eye on her, especially on days seven and eight.

Annemiek van Vleuten

Van Vleuten is an out-and-out winner and she has specifically targeted the Tour de France this year should be very worrying to the rest of the field. She is an incredible climber who will be looking at the mountains of stage seven and eight as an excellent opportunity to add the Tour de France Femmes to her long list of palmares (French for cycling achievements).

British interest

If you are looking for local interest, there are six British riders at the Tour this year – Pfeiffer Georgi, Anna Henderson, Elizabeth Holden, Nathalie Grinczer, Joscelin Lowden, and Hannah Barnes. Keep an eye out for a stage win from any of these exceptional riders.

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A post shared by Orla Chennaoui (@sportsorla)

Whether you know the riders or not, you can still enjoy the Tour! We would strongly urge you to watch and enjoy the team tactics, break aways, sprint finishes, and wars of attrition on the mountains and make up your mind for yourself who you follow or root for, because there are so many intricacies to cycle racing that there will always be something to keep you entertained.

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The Inaugural Tour de France Femmes

History

The 2022 Tour de France Femmes

Ones to watch

Marianne Vos

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

Annemiek van Vleuten

British interest

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