The Col du Tourmalet needs no introduction to cycling fans. The 17km Pyrenean climb that starts from the quiet, unremarkable mountain town of Sainte-Marie-de-Campan entered cycling folklore many years ago. Its green slopes are regularly visited by the men’s peloton, cyclo-sportive events and amateur riders out col bagging. Now the women’s peloton finally gets to add to that history.
Coming on the penultimate stage, and straight after the descent off the Col d’Aspin, the climb will loom large in the riders’ minds throughout the race. Some will want to gain time or stage wins ahead of it, some will be happy to wait until they hit its slopes to make their moves. Either way, its presence means the GC standings as they are when the race passes through Sainte-Marie-de-Campan can be turned on their head a little under an hour later.
But this is the Tour, and a stage win can change a rider’s career, even their life, and with only six stages before the Tourmalet’s GC showdown, and an individual time trial the day after, there will be plenty of riders keen to take their shot at glory as the race makes its way south-west from Clermont-Ferrand. Expect each stage to be raced like a one-day Classic, unfolding in its own unique way.
STAGE 1 FLAT
SUNDAY 23 JULY 123.8KM | FLAT
CLERMONT-FERRAND > CLERMONT-FERRAND
With just the one categorised climb, the opening stage of the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is the flattest of the whole
