Tour de France Femmes 2023: Yellow jersey guide and ratings - Can Demi Vollering stop Annemiek van Vleuten?

Updated 22/07/2023 at 10:00 GMT

It's here. Annemiek van Vleuten arrives at the Tour de France Femmes looking to sign off a legendary career with a second yellow jersey, but Demi Vollering is determined to claim her spot as the sport's next star. With a strong SD Worx team behind her, could Vollering upset the Grand Tour Queen? The battle for yellow promises serious excitement… One question remains: who will triumph?

'We will beat some a***s there' - Vollering and SD Worx gunning for Tour de France Femmes glory

The eyes of cycling fans across the world turn to France once more for the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes.

After travelling around Spain and Italy so far this summer, the peloton now moves to Clermont-Ferrand to begin the eight stages of this year’s Tour with a 124km relatively flat stage before taking on Cote de Durtol.

The 2023 edition of the Tour includes four flat stages, two hilly, one mountain and a final day time trial. Covering a total distance of 956km including six categorised climbs over the eight stages, fans will be treated to another fierce battle for the maillot jaune.

Simac Ladies Tour

'What an emotional moment' - Van Vleuten ends career on home soil

00:01:24

10/09/2023 at 19:39

The first few stages will play into the hands of the sprinters, while the last few days before the time trial will be key in shaking up the general classification. The Col du Tourmalet gives the peloton a taste of Pyrenees on the penultimate stage and is likely to perforate the bunch, causing a split between the pure climbers and the sprinters.

Here's what we can look forward to in the race for the maillot jaune...

The favourites

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) clinched the first yellow jersey in over 30 years in empathic fashion last summer. Some of her standout moments included her Super Planche de Belles Filles ascent on the final day which saw her power away to a solo stage and Tour win in yellow.

While early form in one-day races earlier this season was somewhat uncharacteristic for the Dutch star, the recent retention of both her Vuelta and Giro titles makes it impossible to ignore the threat she poses when it comes to stage races.

Illness at the start of last year’s Tour left some doubting her ability to remain in the race but as ever for Van Vleuten, adversity was merely a small bump in the road to greatness. On Stage 7 she rode solo for over 60km to earn a lead of 3'26" on Demi Vollering (SD Worx), and with it took the yellow jersey from Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).

Highlights: Van Vleuten tames Super Planche to seal Tour de France Femmes win

A second solo victory came on the final day with a performance for the ages from Van Vleuten up La Super Planche de Belles Filles.

Her recent Grand Tour success has again shown that she’s a force to be reckoned with, particularly when it comes to well-timed GC efforts. Despite not winning a stage at La Vuelta, she did everything in her power to secure the maillot rojo. She then went on to take the overall victory at Giro Donne and goes into the Tour as a firm favourite.

She’ll likely be eyeing up the Col du Tourmalet on the penultimate day as a key moment to gain time before the time trial. Knowing Van Vleuten, we may see yet another characteristic long-range solo attack as the stages progress.

Demi Vollering (SD Worx)

Perhaps Van Vleuten’s fiercest competition this year, Vollering has already had a stand-out season. In one-day races, she has been largely unstoppable and was crowned queen of the Ardennes Classics with wins at Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. So far this season, she has amassed 13 wins and has been a regular figure on the podium in second place when she’s not been victorious.

As Van Vlueten’s retirement looms nearer, now could be the perfect time for Vollering to launch an attack and assert her dominance as the next big star, all the while halting the world champion’s search for a Grand Tour triple-double in her final season.

Second in the general classification at the Tour in 2022 and at La Vuelta earlier this year, both behind Dutch team-mate Van Vleuten, Vollering will be eager to make the top step of the podium her own. Additional second-place finishes in the green jersey and Queen of the Mountains in Spain strengthen her ability as a triple threat across the peloton.

Demi Vollering

Image credit: Getty Images

As newly crowned Dutch road race champion, Vollering will be proudly sporting her national jersey stripes, but no doubt will be itching to swiftly replace them with a yellow, green or polka dot jersey.

Based on recent form, the gap between Vollering and Van Vleuten could be far narrower than last year’s 3”48, and we could be in for a real treat in the battle for yellow.

With an equally omnipresent and formidable SD Worx team of Mischa Bredewold, Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes, Marlen Reusser, Christine Majerus, and Elena Cecchini around her, Vollering will be well-placed to target the general classification and some stage wins along the way.

Podium pushers

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step)

Despite Van Vlueten and Vollering being outright favourites for the yellow jersey, others in the peloton should not be overlooked when previewing the GC hopes.

South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio is also a strong climber and her eagerness to race in another Tour de France after her debut last year saw her delay her retirement, and this year she has extended her contract with AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step.

Last year as part of SD Worx she supported Vollering, however, this year’s tour sees her named as leader for her new team. With team-mates Justine Ghekiere, Maaike Boogaard, Mireia Benito, Romy Kasper, Julia Borgstrom and Lotta Henttala to guide her, she’ll be well supported to target a podium place.

As Van Vlueten eyes up the hills, Moolman-Pasio will be in hot pursuit and is one of few riders to have gotten the better of the World Champion on climbs in recent years.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio

Image credit: Imago

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing)

Canyon//SRAM’s Niewiadoma is a frequent name in the top 10. If she uses her climbing strength to her advantage, we may see her move further up the rankings and potentially onto the podium. She’ll need to gain as much time as possible on the hills before the time trial in order to secure a strong place in the GC rankings.

‘Wooooah’ – Niewiadoma nearly hits car ‘at really dangerous point’ in race

Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez)

Marta Cavalli will also have her sights set on Tourmalet when Stage 7 rolls around. She is a well-established climber who could use the hillier stages to her advantage, as will team-mate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.

Uttrup Ludwig won Stage 3 of last year’s Tour. Cavalli’s Tour was far less successful, as she suffered a nasty crash on Stage 2 which affected her into this season. After taking some vital time to recover, she’ll be raring to go for this year’s Tour and will provide strong competition on the climbs.

Marta Cavalli alla presentazione del Tour de France Femmes 2022

Image credit: Eurosport

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

While last year saw a Dutch clean sweep at the Tour, this year Lidl-Trek’s hopes come in the form of three Italians, two Australians, one Brit, and one Dutch rider.

Italian Elisa Longo Borghini provided strong competition for Van Vleuten in the Giro a few weeks ago, but a crash on Stage 5 saw a premature exit from the race for the Italian. If fully recovered, she is another to keep a close eye on for the general classification.

The strength and depth of the Lidl-Trek squad comprising of Lizzie Deignan, Ilaria Sanguineti, Lauretta Hanson, Amanda Spratt, Lucinda Brand, and Elisa Balsamo will be prominent in the peloton and could also all be ones to watch for stage wins.

Elisa Longo Borghini, Giro Donne 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

A chance for France - Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich)

After a fourth-place finish last year, Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich) will be one of France’s strongest GC hopes for the Tour.

She finished second in the GC at the Giro only a few weeks ago, and with an exciting line-up of Charlotte Kool, Megan Jastrab, Pfeiffer Georgi, Léa Curinier, Esmée Peperkamp, and Elise Uijen alongside her, she could be in for another place on a Grand Tour podium.

Juliette Labous sur le Giro Donne 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

Dutch domination in France?

Last year, Dutch riders dominated the Tour and won six out of the eight stages and all four of the jerseys. While Van Vleuten won the GC battle to take the yellow, Vos topped the points rankings to secure the jersey, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) was crowned queen of the mountains, and Trek-Segafredo’s Shirin van Anrooij took the white young rider jersey.

With all four returning for a second tour, plus the likes of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), Charlotte Kool (dsm–firmenich), Floortje Mackaij (Movistar) and Riejanne Markus (Jumbo–Visma) to name a few, it would hardly be surprising if we saw a similar fate evolve this year.