Following Marianne Vos's triumph at the summit of Cadoudal on Saturday, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will feature another classic finish on Sunday.
Rue de Stang Bihan (1km at 4.8%) in Quimper, is the next challenge for the Tour peloton in the cycling hotbed of Brittany. It was here that Peter Sagan won the fifth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint in 2018.
Another bunch finish seems likely, but beforehand there will be the chance for some explosive racing, given the four climbs featuring in the 110.4 km parcours of this second stage. The climbs of Menez Quelerc'h (Cat 3, 3km at 6.2%) and Locronan (Cat 4, 0.8km at 8.9%) are iconic in the great history of Finistère cycling, but seem a little far from the finish to see a real battle take place there.
This could well start on the climb of the Chemin de Trohéir (Cat 4, 1.1km at 5.7%), which will be tackled twice, the last time 4.7 km from the finish, the riders completing a final loop of 26 km. Three km after the first crossing of the line, a Bonus Point will award 6", 4" and 2" to the first three riders.
The gaps generated during the first stage could indeed push some to be more offensive. Elisa Longo Borghini (+1'02") and Lotte Kopecky (+1'14") are notably more than a minute behind Marianne Vos, while Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, impressive in Cadoudal and having come very close to victory (third), is at the top of the hierarchy of riders targeting the overall victory.
The Frenchwoman has a 4" margin over Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) and 7" over Demi Vollering (FDJ - Suez), who may want to set the record straight on this second day of racing, as she did last year by unexpectedly winning the Rotterdam time trial. Local star Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) will be particularly motivated as she sets off from her hometown of Brest.
