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The Olympic flame may be extinguished on August 11, but the cycling action reignites on August 12 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with the start of the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
This biggest event on the women’s cycling calendar spans eight stages over seven days, taking riders from the Netherlands through Belgium and culminating in France atop the legendary Alpe d’Huez.
The peloton of 154 riders is filled with Olympians, national and world champions, living legends and the stars of tomorrow – all determined to showcase the best women’s cycling has to offer and challenge defending champion Demi Vollering (SD-Workx).
The racing will be broadcast in 190 countries worldwide, and you can learn how and when to tune in here. Be sure to also check out our preview for a comprehensive look at this year’s courses, contenders and key features.
As we gear up to bring you stories from this historic event in Rotterdam, here are some key facts and figures.
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in numbers
(Image credit: ASO / Tour de France Femmes)
1st – A year of firsts
– This year sees the event’s first foreign Grand Départ. The race starts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, then moves onto the Ardennes into Liège, Belgium, and finally into France.
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-The race also sees its first split stage. On day two of racing, the riders will tackle a short road race early in the day and a time trial in the afternoon.
– The race finishes atop the Alpe d’Huez, a classic climb in cycling that’s never been part of a women’s WorldTour race until now.
3rd Edition
This is the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. While the newness of a women’s Tour de France already seems to have worn off, prior to its momentous rebirth in 2022, it had been 33 years since we’d seen a woman don an official Tour de France yellow jersey.
4 Jerseys
There are four different jersey classifications. These are the races within the overall event. The yellow jersey for the overall winner. The green points jersey is for the rider who amasses the most sprint points at the finish and at the intermediate sprints. The white-and-red polka dot jersey for the best climbers. And the white jersey for the best young rider under the age of 23.
22 Teams
The race features 22 teams with 7 riders for a total of
154 Riders
The peloton is made up of 154 riders. While the start list has yet to be finalised, some standout riders include:
– At least 4 freshly crowned Olympic champions. Kristin Faulkner (EF -Oatly-Cannondale) won gold in the Olympic road race and was part of the golden Team Pursuit track team alongside Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) and Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), who’ll all race at the Tour. Australia’s Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) won a gold medal in the time trial and will be one to watch during the time trial on stage 3.
– At least 3 former or current world champions: While reigning road race world champion Lotte Kopecky will not be part of the race, the current world time trial champion, Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM), is scheduled to compete. Rainbows can also be found on jersey sleeves and neck collars, indicating former world champions. Among them are Marianne Vos (Visma – Lease a Bike) and Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek).
Bonus: Anna van der Breggen, a three-time world champion, will be present off the bike, serving as the Directeur Sportif of SD-Workx. Likewise, formidable sprinter Giorgia Bronzini, a two-time world champion on the road, will be acting as Director Sportif at Human Powered Health.
7 female Sports Directors
Of the 22 teams, 7 teams have female Sports Directors, including Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx), Ina Teutenberg (Trek-Segafredo), Jolien D’Hoore (AG Insurance NXTG), Alexandra Greenfield ( Uno-X), Carmen Small (EF – Oatly – Cannondale), Melanie Briot (Cofides), Giorgia Bronzini (Human Powered Health)
8 Stages
This year’s event features 8 diverse stages across 7 days. The race consists of:
– 3 flat stages
– 2 hilly stages
– 2 mountain stages
– 1 individual time trial
949.7 kilometres
During the seven days of racing, the riders will complete 949.7 kilometres / 590 miles across three countries.
13,566m of elevation
– The race features 27 climbs for a total of 13,566m / 44,507 feet of elevation gain.
– The 2024 edition traverses four mountain ranges: the Ardennes, Vosges, Jura and Alps.
166.4 kilometres
At 166.4 km / 103.4 miles, stage 7 features the longest course of the event
1,924 metres
Highest point of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: 1,924m (6312feet) Col du Glandon on Stage 8
€250,000
The race features a total of €250,000 in prize money, including €50,000 for the overall winner. While among the biggest prize purses on the women’s calendar, this pales in comparison to the men’s Tour de France prize money, which sees the winner take home €500,000, and the prize purse totals a whopping €2.5 million.
190 countries
The race will be broadcast across five continents and 190 countries, offering 22.2 hours of live broadcasting over the week. In 2023, nearly 20 million viewers tuned in for the race in France alone.
Learn how to watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift from your country here.
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