Tour de France Femmes 2023: Eight-stage race to begin in Auvergne, tackle Tourmalet and finish with time trial
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ByEurosport
Updated 27/10/2022 at 16:10 GMT
The route for the Tour de France Femmes has been announced. The eight-stage race will cover 956km, beginning in Massif Central in the city of Clermont-Ferrand - capital of the Auvergne region - and from there the race will head south to the Pyrenees with a summit finish on the Tourmalet on Stage 7 before a time trial in Pau on the final stage. The race will run from July 23 to July 30.
‘Didn’t eat for two days!’ - Van Vleuten produces 'performance of a lifetime'
The route for the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has been revealed at a presentation in Paris.
Like the inaugural race in 2022, the second edition of the showpiece women’s event will cover eight stages and take place from Sunday July 23rd to Sunday July 30.
Stretching 956km, the race will begin in Clermont-Ferrand, heading south to the Pyrenees - taking on the Tourmalet - and ending in Pau.
The race will feature four flat stages, two hilly stages, one mountain finish - with a summit finish on the Tourmalet - and finish with an individual time trial.
Stage 4 - from Cahors to Rodez - will be the race's longest at 177km.
Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten of Movistar was the winner of an eventful race in 2022, taking two stage wins in the process.
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) took the points classification, while Demi Vollering (SD Worx) was Queen of the Mountains.
"This route is different. We want to explore new regions and tackle other mountain ranges," said Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme
"There are some similarities, too, as we built this on a robust framework using the same key ingredients that made it a success last summer."
Defending champion Van Vleuten admits she would have liked to see “more mountain finishes” as she embarks on her final season as a professional cyclist.
“There will be some options for me, for sure,” Van Vleuten told Eurosport. “I’m happy to see the concept they offer, it’s a very strong concept which they can build from the future, not for me as it will be my last Tour de France.
“I’m happy to see the Tourmalet. I would have loved more mountain finishes. For me I only have one day where I can make the difference.
“The other days I need to be super attentive because they are not easy days so that helps me. If I have some hard days before, it will be favour [me].”
| Date | Stage | Start - Finish | Distance |
| July 23 | Stage 1 | Clermont-Ferrand to Clermont-Ferrand | 124km |
| July 24 | Stage 2 | Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac | 148km |
| July 25 | Stage 3 | Collonges-La-Rouge to Montignac-Lascaux | 147km |
| July 26 | Stage 4 | Cahors to Rodez | 177km |
| July 27 | Stage 5 | Onet-Le-Château to Albi | 126km |
| July 28 | Stage 6 | Albi to Blagnac | 122km |
| July 29 | Stage 7 | Lannemezan to Tourmalet Bagnères-de-Bigorre | 90km |
| July 30 | Stage 8 | Pau to Pau | 22km |
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Stream the 2023 Tour de France Femmes live and on-demand on discovery+.
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