The 2024 Tour de France Femmes starts this Monday, August 12. Here is the route and the favorites for this third edition.
The third edition of the Tour de France Femmes takes place from 12 to 18 August. The race marks a new chapter with its first Grand Départ from abroad, honouring the route of the men’s Tour in 1954. The world’s elite peloton will embrace the Dutch adventure, with a dynamic first stage leading to The Hague, followed by two captivating half-stages, including a 67km road race in the morning and a 6.3km individual time trial in the afternoon, highlighting the Erasmus Bridge and the vibrant heart of the city of Rotterdam.
After thrilling sprints in the Netherlands, the peloton will head to classic terrain reminiscent of the Amstel Gold Race and the Doyenne des Classiques. The final weekend throws the riders into a decisive Alpine battle, starting with a tough stage to Le Grand-Bornand and totaling 3,100 meters of elevation gain. The following day, the queen stage of 150 km will take them from the Col du Glandon to the legendary climb of Alpe d’Huez, which promises a fierce fight for the overall victory.
The route of the 2024 Women’s Tour de France
Stage 1: Rotterdam → The Hague (123 km)
Marion Rousse: After a 40 km loop and two passages in a long and brand new underwater tunnel, inaugurated for the occasion, the competitors will tackle flat sections, often exposed to the wind, between tulip fields and urban areas. The last five kilometers, wide and without traps, will lead to the straight line of an avenue conducive to a mass sprint.
2nd stage: Dordrecht → Rotterdam (67.9 km)
Marion Rousse: With two stages in a single day, the riders will revive a tradition abandoned since 1991 by the Tour de France. This morning road race, short but intense, will be subject to the vagaries of the wind and incessant changes of direction. For a probable sprint at the finish judged on Boompjes, a wide avenue lined with skyscrapers.
3rd stage (individual CLM): Rotterdam → Rotterdam (6.3 km)
Marion Rousse: This short and intense time trial should suit those who show off their power. Only the two big bridges, Érasme and Guillaume, will offer a slight relief and, despite a few right-angle turns, passing in front of the town hall and the maritime museum, along large boulevards, the winner could reach an average speed of almost 50 km/h.
4th stage: Valkenburg → Liège (122.7 km)
Marion Rousse: By combining the difficulties of the Amstel Gold Race (Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg twice, plus the Cauberg) and those of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the stage will be very testing. At the finish at the Quai des Ardennes, the finale, approached by the Mont-Theux (2.8 km at 5.6%), will have put the peloton to the test along the Redoute, Forges and Roche-aux-Faucons hills.
5th stage: Bastogne → Amnéville (152.5 km)
Marion Rousse: By combining the difficulties of the Amstel Gold Race (Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg twice, plus the Cauberg) and those of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the stage will be very testing. At the finish at the Quai des Ardennes, the finale, approached by the Mont-Theux (2.8 km at 5.6%), will have put the peloton to the test along the Redoute, Forges and Roche-aux-Faucons hills.
6th stage: Remiremont → Morteau (159.2 km)
Marion Rousse: From Remiremont and its cheerful setting, going up the Moselle valley, the peloton will cross the stronghold – Melisey – then the hometown – Lure – of Thibaut Pinot. After the magnificent cirque of Consolation, the first difficulty of the Jura massif, the course will then offer two launch ramps (5.5km at 5.6% then 1.8km at 6.9% on average) towards the finish.
7th stage: Champagnole → Le Grand-Bornand (166.4 km)
Marion Rousse: The longest stage of this 2024 edition will first be animated by a few small difficulties and, above all, the long Col de la Croix de la Serra (12km at 5.1%), right out of Saint-Claude. And will conclude with a unique and steep finish at Chinaillon (7km at 5.1%), an authentic hamlet that spreads its old chalets on the side of the Col de la Colombière.
8th stage: Le Grand-Bornand → Alpe d’Huez (149.9 km)
Marion Rousse: A truly beautiful mountain stage with two big climbs: the roof of this 3rd edition of the Tour de France Femmes with Zwift, the Col du Glandon (1,924m) on its hardest side (19.7 km at 7.2%); then, for the final finish, the legendary 21 hairpin bends of Alpe d’Huez, along which the profile of the 2024 winner will definitively emerge.
The favorites for the 2024 Tour de France Women:
Demi Vollering (SD Worx – Protime) ★★★★★
Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM Racing) ★★★
Riejanne Markus (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) ★★★
Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) ★★
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) ★★
Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) ★
Avoid Music (FDJ-Suez) ★
Credit: ASO / Thomas Maheux
