Even in an Olympic year, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is the most important women’s race on the calendar. And for this third edition of the women’s stage race, the organizers have devised a route that should offer something for everyone, with the final winner most likely being the best climber who can hold her own in more classics-styled races as well.

Much different from the men’s race

Though in past years the TDFF avec Zwift has shadowed the men’s version of the race, this year it seems to have been completely divorced from the men’s Tour’s influence. For one thing, instead of starting on the heels of the men’s race as it has in the past, it is starting a full three weeks later. That’s more to do with the space the Olympics take on the calendar. 

Having the Olympics smack in the middle of the summer must have complicated the training plans for many women racers, especially those who plan on racing track as well as road. Last year’s Tour de France Femmes podium finisher Lotte Kopecky has even opted to race the Olympics and forgo the TDFF 2024, since she wants to shine on the track even more than she wants to challenge her own teammate for the yellow jersey this year. 

On the other hand, many riders who are simply racing on the road at the Olympics realize that if you have trained to aim to win a medal in Paris, you will likely be able to carry that good form through till the culmination of the women’s Tour at the top of Alpe d’Huez barely two weeks later. 

First Grand Départ outside of France

Though this is the first time that the Tour de France Femmes 2024 will start outside of France, it is not the first time that Rotterdam, the host city will have had the chance to hold the Grand Départ. The fact that Dutch riders have won the previous two TDFF events, and that several of the top contenders come from the Netherlands will mean that there should be quite a lot of local excitement for the event. The first two days and three stages will concentrate in the region around Rotterdam, The Hague, and Dordrecht. 

That’s right. After the 123 km sprinter’s stage 1 from Rotterdam to The Hague kicks off the Tour on August 12, we’ll be treated to a rare double stage day for August 13. The stage 2 from Dordrecht to Rotterdam in the morning will be just a smidge under 70 km long and pan flat. It will be another chance for the sprinters to play. 

The afternoon stage 3 will be a time trial around Rotterdam, but at only 6.3 km long it seems more like a misplaced prologue. Flat and racing along waterfronts for much of the route, this will be a stage for powerful riders. The rider wearing the yellow jersey will likely be a strong sprinter, and this is a great time trial course for a strong sprinter. So it is conceivable that the GC won’t receive the shake up that perhaps the organizers are hoping for. In any case, the distance is too short for any major time losses, unless a rider fails to negotiate some of the corners safely and ends up coming off the bike. 

A move to Belgium and classics-style racing

If the thought of a sprinter’s-dominated race isn’t your cup of tea, then stage 4 should perk up your interest since it offers an exciting mix of roads made famous by the Ardennes Classics. The 122 km stage from Valkenburg to Liège will take in some of the most famous regional climbs like the Cauberg, the Bemelerberg, the Côte de la Redoute, the Côte des Forges, and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons before finishing in Liège. The likely stage winner will have to be able to take on these short, sharp climbs and the accumulated fatigue, while still finishing off with a strong sprint should a small elite group come to the line together. 

Stage 5 from Bastogne in Belgium to Amnéville in France is another hilly affair with several short, steep côtes or climbs peppering the 152 km route. The Tour race book classifies this as a flat stage, but with over 2000 meters of climbing, it will likely be outside the reach of the types of sprinters who will be in contention for victory in the opening two stages. The winner will have to have good punchy climbing legs especially since the final kilometer drags uphill, starting out first at about 6% gradient before settling into a 4% slog to the line. 

Three mountain ranges in three days

Friday’s stage 6 will finally bring us to the mountain stages. It’ll be a three day weekend that will find the riders tackling some of the toughest peaks in the Vosges, Jura, and Alps. Starting in Remiremont in the Vosges and ultimately climbing towards Morteau, stage 6 passes through the beautiful Moselle river valley covering some roads familiar from the Tour du Doubs. There is a lot of climbing in this stage, which at 159.2 km could prove a prime opportunity for a strong breakaway. The main GC contenders will likely prefer to save their energy for the upcoming two stages, and so a crafty group of strong rouleurs and lithe climbers could steal the spoils for the day. The GC teams will have to be careful not to give too much time away, though, since whoever wins this stage could also be strong enough to hang with the best through the weekend, especially if she could earn herself a podium position. 

Stage 7 on Saturday starts at the foot of the Jura mountains, racing from Champagnole to Le Grand-Bornand in the Alps, which has long been a popular climbing feature in the men’s Tour de France. The stage is constantly up and down, and at 167 km long, it will be a huge test for the entire peloton. It would most certainly be considered the Queen stage if it weren’t for what is coming on Sunday.

Like the previous two editions, the final stage will showcase the strongest climbers and determine who will win the final yellow jersey of the race. Starting at Le Grand-Bornand the stage will finish at the top of Alpe d’Huez after having already scaled the col de Glandon. As the first time the Tour de France Femmes 2024 avec Zwift peloton will have raced up the most famous 21 switchbacks in French cycling, stage 8 will make history.

Who to watch for?

At the time of writing this Tour de France Femme 2024 preview, the official start list has still not appeared, so it’s difficult to be too thorough in picking riders who could potentially figure in the final standings. It is clear that defending champion Demi Vollering will be on the start line, as will teammate and powerhouse sprinter, Lorene Wiebes. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine these two and their #1 ranked SD Worx team dominating the race from start to finish, with Wiebes winning the first two or even three stages, with then Vollering taking over the yellow jersey in the Ardennes and holding it all the way up Alpe d’Huez. 

For the sake of excitement, let’s hope that’s not how it happens. Indeed, since the SD Worx team has been far from as dominating this year as they were in 2023, and will likely still be missing team talisman Marlen Reusser who is still working to return to competition after a crash and illness plagued 2024 campaign, there is hope that there will be a number of riders who can realistically contend for stage and even overall victory. 

Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini recently won the women’s Giro d’Italia, overcoming SD Worx’s Lotte Kopecky, who will skip the TDFF in favor of track racing at the Olympics. Longo Borghini is looking increasingly strong both climbing and tactically. She could be the rider most likely to challenge SD Worx’s dominance. 

Though not yet confirmed on the start list, Canyon-SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadoma has finished 3rd in the past two editions of the women’s Tour de France. She has been strong this season with a win at Fléche Wallonne in April, and top placings in most of the stage races she’s competed in. She recently won the mountain’s jersey at the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour, but the mountains she’ll face in France will make the eastern German climbs look like molehills.

French national champion Juliette Labous is set to start. She has long been an obvious talent, and in 2024 she has started to capitalize on her promise with top-5 finishes in every major stage race she’s entered this year. A podium in her home Tour would certainly be a highlight for the French favorite.

Eternal slayer Marianne Vos is also set to start. Though with the huge final weekend in the mountains, she is an unlikely overall candidate, she can be considered a big favorite for the stages taking place in the middle of the week and even will be able to keep the yellow jersey warm for whomever takes over the lead on the final two days. 

Conclusion – Watch Tour de France Femmes 2024

Without a more complete start list it’s hard to make any further ride predictions. What is easy to predict is that the racing will be unpredictable and frenetic from kilometer 0. The scenery will be beautiful and the winners will be worthy.

Be sure to tune in and see what racing looks like when it’s not dominated by one rider.

Be sure to also check our article on Tour de France 2024 - Preview & Predictions