{"id":64243,"date":"2024-06-07T15:14:20","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T13:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=64243"},"modified":"2024-06-07T18:12:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T16:12:04","slug":"stages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/2024\/06\/07\/stages\/","title":{"rendered":"Stages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tour de France Femmes 2024
Stages<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Words <\/strong>John Whitney<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

01 Rotterdam \u2013<\/span> The Hague<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

12 August <\/strong>\/ <\/span>123km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Did you know? <\/strong>
Generous hosts<\/strong>
<\/span>Including the Tour de France, this will be the seventh time the Netherlands has hosted the Grand D\u00e9part <\/p>\n\n

Smart money <\/strong>
Going Dutch <\/strong><\/strong>
<\/span>Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) <\/em>to win her fourth Tour de France Femmes stage<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

The Paris Olympics, <\/strong>which takes place this summer during the dates that the Tour de France Femmes has taken place since its 2022 launch, has pushed the race back in the calendar by three weeks. With a Grand D\u00e9part in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam, this will be its first start outside France, and is a joint project with both The Hague and Dordrecht, which hosts the start of tomorrow\u2019s stage. The winners of both editions of the race so far, Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering, are Dutch \u2013 the country is the dominant powerhouse of the women\u2019s peloton, which made Netherlands the obvious choice. Coincidentally, it was Amsterdam, the capital up the road, that hosted the first Tour de France start outside of France, in 1954. <\/p>\n\n

In this part of the country, stage 1 is a characteristically flat affair from start to finish. It begins with a 40km loop that includes two trips through a new 950m tunnel beneath the River Scheur \u2013 the race will be its grand opening. \u201cThe riders will then find themselves in flat and wind-exposed terrain, the route running between tulip fields and through urban areas,\u201d says race director Marion Rousse. \u201cThe last five kilometres, which are wide and free of significant difficulties, will lead to a final straight on an avenue that\u2019s perfect for a bunch sprint.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n

    02 Dordrecht \u2013<\/span> Rotterdam<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

    13 August <\/strong>\/ 69.7km<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    Did you know? <\/strong>
    Reign of terror? <\/strong>
    <\/span>\u2018Tashkent Terror\u2019 Djamolidine Abdoujaparov won the sprint in the last split stage, the first of 9 stage wins <\/p>\n\n

    Smart money <\/strong>
    Kool \u2019n\u2019 the gang<\/strong><\/strong>
    <\/span>Charlotte Kool (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) <\/em>to finally get the sprint win she came so close to last year <\/span><\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n

    Today features something <\/strong>that the Tour de France used to do regularly but has not been seen in decades: a split stage. The morning sees the shortest of short sprint stages, across a hair under 70km where the profile again makes barely a ripple. We begin in the Netherlands\u2019 oldest city of Dordrecht, built on the water close to De Biesbosch National Park and the home town of 2021 world cyclo-cross champion Lucinda Brand. The route loops to the finish in Rotterdam, which is barely 30km away to the northwest. <\/p>\n\n

    Rotterdam cements its close relationship with the Tour de France, which has hosted both a Grand D\u00e9part of the men\u2019s race (in 2010, a prologue won by Fabian Cancellara) and a stage finish in 1973. Once over the finish line, the riders\u2019 warm-downs will be especially needed, with a pivotal time trial in the afternoon almost certainly precipitating a change in the yellow jersey. <\/p>\n\n

    \u201cWith two stages on the menu in a single day, the riders will be reviving a tradition abandoned by the Tour de France in 1991,\u201d says Rousse. \u201cThe morning brings this short but intense road stage, which will be subject to the vagaries of the wind and constant changes of direction, for a probable sprint finish on Boompjes, a wide avenue lined with skyscrapers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n

      03 Rotterdam \u2013<\/span> Rotterdam<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

      13 August <\/strong>\/ 6.3km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

      Did you know? <\/strong>
      Eyes on the prize<\/strong>
      <\/span>A total of \u20ac250,000 prize money is on offer at the race. At the Tour de France the men share \u20ac2.3 million <\/p>\n\n

      Smart money<\/strong>
      Dy hard<\/strong><\/strong>
      <\/span>Chloe Dygert (Canyon\/\/SRAM) to add to her enviable time trial victory collection over a distance she enjoys <\/span><\/p>\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n

      While the first <\/strong>two sprint stages offered time bonuses (10, 6 and 4 seconds for 1st, 2nd and 3rd), a rider winning both will find their yellow jersey under threat this afternoon, even in a time trial of just 6.3km (which is really more prologue length). Chlo\u00e9 Dygert, the Canyon\/\/SRAM rider who won both the World Championship time trial and, more pertinently, the 3km World Track Individual Pursuit in 2023, will fancy her chances of taking yellow, if selected. <\/p>\n\n

      The American didn\u2019t ride either of the previous editions of the race as she recovered from a terrible crash in the time trial of the 2020 Worlds. She\u2019s now back in fine fettle, and finishing second in the points classification competition at last year\u2019s Giro shows that she\u2019s ready for the world\u2019s biggest women\u2019s race. Marlen Reusser, winner of the time trial in last year\u2019s Tour de France Femmes and the European Championships TT, should also figure. <\/p>\n\n

      \u201cThis short and intense time trial should suit the most powerful of the riders,\u201d says Rousse. \u201cThe only slight rises on the course will be the two major bridges, \u00c9rasme and Guillaume. There are a few right-angled bends as the course passes the town hall and the maritime museum, but it\u2019s mainly on big boulevards and the winner could average close to 50km\/h.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

      • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
      • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n

        04 Valkenburg \u2013<\/span> Li\u00e8ge<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

        14 August <\/strong>\/ 122.7km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

        Did you know? <\/strong>
        Road trippers<\/strong>
        <\/span>The 2024 race visits three countries \u2013 the Netherlands, Belgium and France \u2013 and is the first time it\u2019s left the latter <\/p>\n\n

        Smart money <\/strong>
        Built to last<\/strong><\/strong>
        <\/span>Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) is built for this sort of terrain, as a Li\u00e8ge\u2013 Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge Femmes winner <\/span><\/p>\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n

        The flatlands of <\/strong>the Netherlands are behind us as the peloton moves to tougher terrain. If the profile of today\u2019s stage looks like something from the Ardennes Classics one-day races of the spring, it\u2019s because that\u2019s exactly what it is. This 122km route cherrypicks highlights from both the Netherlands Amstel Gold Race and Belgium\u2019s Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge. <\/p>\n\n

        \u201cCombining the difficulties of [both races] will make this stage very challenging,\u201d says Rousse. \u201cAt the finish on the Quai des Ardennes, the finale, tackled via Mont-Theux (2.8km at 5.6%), will have put the peloton to the test following the climbs of the C\u00f4te de la Redoute, C\u00f4te des Forges and C\u00f4te de la Roche-aux-Faucons.\u201d We begin in Valkenburg, where the 2012 Road World Championships finished. The peloton first tackles a trio of climbs -Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg (twice) and the Cauberg, which brings Amstel Gold to a climax. The race crosses the border into Belgium at around 43km and summits La Redoute at 88. From there the finish into Li\u00e8ge is the same as the one-day race in April \u2013 34km up and over climbs C\u00f4te des Forges and C\u00f4te de la Roche-aux-Faucons. All told the stage is 21km shorter than the Classic, but will be no easier, sandwiched as it is in the middle of the biggest stage race of the year. <\/p>\n\n

        • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
        • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n

          05 Bastogne \u2013<\/span> Amn\u00e9ville<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

          15 August <\/strong>\/ 152.5km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

          Did you know? <\/strong>
          Serial winner<\/strong>
          <\/span>Lizzie Deignan has 43 career wins to her name, including the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia in 2015 <\/p>\n\n

          Smart money<\/strong>
          Back to her best<\/strong><\/strong>
          Marianne Vos (Visma Lease a Bike) enjoyed a fruitful first half of the year and on current form will arrive in her best shape in years <\/span><\/p>\n\n

          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n

          Despite being characterised <\/strong>as a \u2018flat\u2019 stage in the race road book, with over 2,000 metres of elevation it\u2019s hardly in the same ballpark as the pancake-flat stages that opened the race in the Netherlands. Today starts in Bastogne, of Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge fame and where that women\u2019s Classic begins. While it might not be as hard on paper as yesterday, and there are certainly fewer punchy climbs in the middle to late kilometres to allow a more select group to get away, the finish into Amn\u00e9ville is uphill, setting up a grand finale. <\/p>\n\n

          If stage 4 hasn\u2019t gone her way, Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek), winner of Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge in 2020 and who has hoovered up Classics through her career, will have an eye on today. While she made her debut in the race last year, she was still working her way back to form after the birth of her second child so should arrive in better form this year. <\/p>\n\n

          \u201cThe very undulating route, featuring more than 2,000m of vertical gain and regular changes of direction, should produce a dynamic stage,\u201d says race director Marion Rousse. \u201cPunchy riders will relish this test, and especially the finish, which will be located in front of the Amn\u00e9ville thermal baths, at the top of a challenging final kilometre (a 6% gradient to start with, then between 3 and 4% up to the line).\u201d <\/p>\n\n

          • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
          • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            <\/p>\n\n

            06 Remiremont \u2013<\/span> Morteau<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

            16 August <\/strong>\/ 159.2km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

            Did you know? <\/strong>
            Dirty dozen<\/strong>
            <\/span>The prolific Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has won 12 world titles across five disciplines of cycle sport. Her only road title came in 2014 <\/p>\n\n

            Smart money<\/strong>
            Jules crowned<\/strong><\/strong>
            <\/span>Juliette Labous (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) <\/em>to delight her home crowd with her biggest win yet <\/span><\/p>\n\n

            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

            <\/p>\n\n

            We\u2019re into the <\/strong>mountains with the first of three stages fighting gravity. We begin in the Vosges mountains, although the race avoids any of the major climbs of the region. The race opens in the town of Remiremont, home to the UC Remiremont cycling club which counts among its members Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot, a world champion across road, cyclo-cross, gravel and cross-country mountain biking. The real challenges today come later in the stage, once we get into the Doubs region. <\/p>\n\n

            \u201cAfter leaving the picturesque setting of Remiremont and heading up the Moselle valley, the peloton will pass through the home town, Melisey, of Thibaut Pinot [recently retired men\u2019s pro], and then his birthplace, Lure,\u201d says Rousse. \u201cBeyond the magnificent Cirque de Consolation, the first test in the Jura massif, the route features two significant ramps heading into the finish (5.5km at 5.6% and 1.8km at 6.9%). Beyond the summit, which takes the riders beyond 1,000m altitude, there\u2019s a fast descent then a flatter run to the finish line in Morteau. <\/p>\n\n

            This watch-making town is also a cycling town, hosting the Tour de l\u2019Avenir and Tour de Doubs. The cycling club VC Morteau-Montbenoit has seen current pros such as Juliette Labous and George Bennett pass through its ranks. <\/p>\n\n

            • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
            • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              <\/p>\n\n

              07 Champagnole \u2013<\/span> Le Grand-Bornand<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

              17 August <\/strong>\/ 166.4km<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

              Did you know? <\/strong>
              Mountain madness<\/strong>
              <\/span>In just eight stages this year\u2019s Tour de France Femmes visits four mountain ranges: the Ardennes, Vosges, Jura and the Alps <\/p>\n\n

              Smart money<\/strong>
              Rider to beat<\/strong><\/strong>
              <\/span>Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-Protime), the defending champion, is a class above on this terrain <\/span><\/p>\n\n

              \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

              <\/p>\n\n

              Today begins in <\/strong>the thick of the Jura mountains in Champagnole before transitioning to the Alps by the finish \u2013 the first time that the Tour de France Femmes has visited the most famous mountain range in professional cycling. \u201cThe longest stage of this 2024 edition will begin with a number of smallish hurdles, plus the long haul up the Col de la Croix de la Serra (12km at 5.1%), from the Saint-Claude side,\u201d says Rousse. \u201cIt concludes with a new and steep finish at Chinaillon (7km, 5.1%), an authentic hamlet with traditional chalets on the flanks of the Col de la Colombi\u00e8re.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

              Le Grand-Bornand, a mountain town in the Haute-Savoie, has become a familiar staging post of the men\u2019s Tour de France this century, hosting six finishes, including the first, in 2018, of home favourite Julian Alaphilippe\u2019s six wins. The town can be approached from numerous directions, the toughest being off the summit of the testing Col de la Colombi\u00e8re to the northeast. From the south, the Col de la Croix Fry is marginally easier. Today\u2019s route adds a new Tour climb into the mix, Chinaillon. At 5.1% for 7km it looks simple on paper, though after 167km \u2013 pushing the limits for length of a Women\u2019s WorldTour race \u2013 it\u2019ll feel considerably harder as the race for the yellow jersey hots up. <\/p>\n\n

              • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
              • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                <\/p>\n\n

                \"\"
                The climb to the Alpe d’Huez ski resort is hallowed ground in professional cycling <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

                <\/p>\n\n

                08 Le Grand-Bornand \u2013<\/span> Alpe d\u2019Huez<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

                18 August <\/strong>\/ 149.9km <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

                Did you know? <\/strong>
                Riding high<\/strong>
                <\/span>The summit of the Col du Glandon at 1,924 metres is the highest point of the entire 2024 Tour de France Femmes <\/p>\n\n

                Smart money<\/strong>
                Yellow fever<\/strong><\/strong>
                <\/span>Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) <\/em>to seal the general classification by winning the stage <\/span><\/p>\n\n

                \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

                <\/p>\n\n

                \u201cA truly beautiful <\/strong>mountain stage with two big climbs: the highest point of this third edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift comes on the Col du Glandon (1,924m), which will be tackled via its hardest side (19.7km at 7.2%); then, for the grand finale, we have the mythical 21 hairpins of Alpe d\u2019Huez, where the 2024 champion is destined to emerge.\u201d Beautiful, for sure, but also rather torrid. On paper it\u2019s the toughest stage seen yet in the nascent Tour de France Femmes and, as Rousse says, the day that will likely decide the race. The difficulty begins at around the halfway mark of this long mountain stage, at the foot of the lesser-spotted Glandon. Once a regular of the Tour de France route, this long, wearing climb – popularised in the Marmotte gran fondohas not featured since 2015. <\/p>\n\n

                Over the other side following a long descent punctuated by short climbs, there\u2019s a chunky valley stretch before the fun begins on Alpe d\u2019Huez, a climb that\u2019s no stranger to the men\u2019s race. Climbed 32 times since 1952, its 8.1% over 13.8km is the most iconic stretch of road in professional cycling, made so as much by the boisterous fans that gather on it as the feats carved out by the riders. Hopefully similar scenes will be created here today, and its first appearance in the Tour de France Femmes isn\u2019t its last. <\/p>\n\n

                • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
                • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                  <\/p>\n\n

                  Photos <\/strong>Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Tour de France Femmes 2024Stages Words John Whitney 01 Rotterdam \u2013 The Hague 12 August \/ 123km Did you know? Generous hostsIncluding the Tour de France, this will be the seventh time the Netherlands has hosted the Grand D\u00e9part Smart money Going Dutch Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) to win her fourth Tour […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":64716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"120","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"120","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_120-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_120-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"Summer-2024","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"Summer-2024","purple_external_id":"Summer-2024-120-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"Summer-2024-120-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000116816||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000116816||","purple_android_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.420","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.420","purple_ios_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.420","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.420","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"d6ad2395-23ab-4326-a10d-940b8b948490","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-06-07T13:46:40Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"3be4cb06-9a4d-452e-92f6-d316527f516b","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-06-07T16:12:15Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AO-TLBppNRS6S9tMWUn9Raw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\""},"categories":[191],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"13","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa.jpg",1615,1450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa-300x269.jpg",300,269,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa-768x690.jpg",768,690,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa-1024x919.jpg",800,718,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa-1536x1379.jpg",1536,1379,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/05\/c4675a2f-cb2a-400c-ba47-46091f3372aa.jpg",1615,1450,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Tour de France Femmes 2024Stages Words John Whitney 01 Rotterdam \u2013 The Hague 12 August \/ 123km Did you know? Generous hostsIncluding the Tour de France, this will be the seventh time the Netherlands has hosted the Grand D\u00e9part Smart money Going Dutch Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) to win her fourth Tour…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64243"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64243"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65559,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64243\/revisions\/65559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}