The Can’t Miss Stages of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes
The routes of the 2024 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift were announced in Paris last week and after spending more time examining the route map and stage profiles we’re more excited than ever for next year’s events. We can’t help but give some credit–even this early in the game–to ASO, the Tour organizers, because France has delivered them a pretty big hoop to jump through next summer.
You see, Paris is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics from July 26th through August 11th, 2024 which creates a logistical nightmare for the Tour’s organizers. So they’ve adjusted in two important ways: first, by moving the date of the women’s Tour back three weeks, so instead of starting on the last day of the men’s Tour as it usually does, the women will now start their Tour three weeks after the men–on Monday, August 12th, 2024. This is a good thing, because it means the women’s Tour won’t have to compete with the Olympics for viewers.
Secondly, the 2024 Tour de France Femmes will begin in the Netherlands and then wind its way through Belgium before entering France on Thursday. This is the first time that the latest iteration of the women’s Tour de France starts outside of France, and it lessens the chances of any logistical headaches as the Games are put to bed. It’s also a nod to the recent dominance of Dutch and Belgian riders, one that gives their home fans a chance to cheer for their Tour de France Femmes heroes on home roads. Sounds like a win-win!
Overall there are only eight stages in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, so there’s really no excuse to miss any of them. But if you must prioritize between work, family, and watching the Tour, here are the four we don’t think you’ll want to miss.
Stage 3 (ITT) - Rotterdam to Rotterdam (6.3km) - Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Once upon a time it was a regular occurrence, but the Tour de France hasn’t forced riders to complete two stages in one day since 1991. But the 2024 Tour de France Femmes brings back the double-stage, with Stages 2 and 3 taking place on Tuesday, August 13th.
Stage 2 is a flat, morning road stage that should end in a sprint. But Stage 3 brings this year’s only individual time trial on a 6.3km course through downtown Rotterdam. The route is flat and technical, which means we should see an exciting battle to win the stage–and perhaps a new rider wearing the yellow jersey. It could also cause some chaos: downtown time trials can be dicey, especially when it rains.
Stage 4 - Valkenburg to Liège (122km) - Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Stage 4 is one of the most interesting–and potentially explosive–of this year’s Tour de France Femmes with a route that combines the best and most challenging features of two of spring Classics: the Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The day begins in Valkenburg, home to the finish of the Amstel Gold Race, and heads south–but not before taking the riders around a loop containing four of the climbs that form the finale of the Dutch Classic. The stage then heads into Belgium, where the riders will tackle four climbs in the Belgian Ardennes, including three of the hardest climbs from the final half of Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
This will be an explosive stage from start to finish, and one that could shape the outcome of the Tour. The Netherlands’ Demi Vollering (SD Worx)–the Tour’s defending champion–swept the Ardennes Classics in 2023, winning both the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. This is the perfect opportunity for her to lay the foundation of another Tour-winning performance.
Stage 6 - Remiremont to Morteau (160km) - Friday, August 16, 2024
After a punchy Stage 5 from Bastogne to Amnéville, Stage 6 is the first to start in France. Beginning in Remiremont, the first half of the stage is flat to undulating, but the second half of the 160km-stage brings the riders into the Jura mountains of northeastern France, home to the recently-retired, Thibaut Pinot, one of the most “French” French climbers of the last decade.
It’s here where things get crazy with four categorized climbs and not a flat road to be seen inside the final 80km of the stage. This is perhaps one of the trickiest stages of the race: with the Alps looming on Stages 7 and 8, a gutsy rider could spring an ambush, launching themselves up the General Classification just in time for the weekend’s high-altitude showdown.
Stage 8 - Le Grand Bornand to Alpe d’Huez (150km) - Sunday, August 18, 2024
The 2023 Tour de France Femmes ended in the Pyrenees, so to spread the love around, the organizers are sending the 2024 edition to the Alps–and they’ve left no climb unturned with back-to-back summit finishes on Stages 7 and 8.
Frankly, they’re both worth your viewing time, but if you have to pick one, definitely go for Sunday’s Stage 8. Beginning in Le Grand Bornand–where the previous stage finished–the route covers 150km with three categorized climbs and 3,900m of elevation gain.
Much of that comes from the day’s two the hors categorie (“beyond category”) ascents: the Col du Glandon, a monster of a climb that’s 19.7km long with an average gradient of 7.2 percent; followed by a summit finish on Alpe d’Huez, which is shorter at “just” 13.8km, but steeper with an average gradient of 8.1 percent.
The “Alpe” (as it’s known to many fans) is without a doubt one of the most famous climbs in cycling, thanks in part to its 21-hairpin turns, each of which is named after a rider who has won a stage at the climb’s summit. The climb was used twice in the Grande Boucle Féminine–one of the predecessors of the Tour de France Femmes–with Dutchwoman Leontien Van Moorsel taking back-to-back victories in 1992 and 1993. Vollering will hope to replicate her compatriot’s success, perhaps taking home her second overall victory in the process.
You Might Also Like
