Building on the success of the first edition, the Women’s Tour de France offers the Massif Central and the Pyrenees as the backdrop for a 2023 edition which is intended to confirm the growing interest in women’s cycling. Starting Sunday from Clermont-Ferrand and for eight days of racing, the queens of the bike will take the light over nearly 1,000 kilometers which promise a great fight between the Dutch favorites, the seasoned Annemiek van Vleuten (holder of the title) and Demi Vollering, her runner-up last year. Follow our live.
Clermont-Ferrand in the spotlight. The 1st stage of the Tour leaves from the Auvergne capital and also arrives in the city. A stage with a rather simple profile on paper, but with a potentially tricky finish. After a relatively flat course, the road rises in the Durtol coast (1.7 km at 7.2%), the summit of which is located 9.3 km from the finish.
Sprinters could be disabled. Still, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) seems to have the necessary legs for the last meters of this first stage. We will also have to watch the legend Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma). In the French clan, Juliette Labous (Team DSM-Firmenich) and Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) are not the fastest in the sprint. They have every interest in launching an attack in the last bump to finish in a small committee.
Van Vleuten big favorite of the Tour. The Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten, already victorious in the Vuelta and the Giro this year, will aim like last year for the treble at the Tour de France. She will face competition from the young guard led by her compatriot Demi Vollering.