Increasingly tougher

The degree of difficulty of the climbs will increase over the eight days of the race. After a testing but not too tough a start on the first two stages, the road will start to rise, firstly in leaps and bounds towards Épernay, and then in the dust of the newly introduced “white roads”, on which the riders will play leapfrog through the Champagne vineyards heading for Bar-sur-Aube. After a sapping approach to the mountains between Bar-le-Duc and Rosheim with a welcome stop in between at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will reach the main climbs in the Vosges at the start of the final weekend, with an unprecedented and undoubtedly challenging trilogy comprising the Petit Ballon, Platzerwasel and Grand Ballon, before finishing on the Markstein. Then comes the most intense moment during a breathless finale, climbing towards Super Planche des Belles Filles after crossing the historic and mythical Ballon d’Alsace. There’s no respite for these ladies!

For the first time

LOCATION

This first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place in the East. It will cross 3 regions, Île-de-France, Grand Est and Bourgogne–Franche-Comté, and 11 departments.

TEAMS

22 trade teams with 6 riders each.

STAGES

There will be a total of 8 road stages, divided as follows:

• 4 flat stages
• 2 hilly stages
• 2 mountain stages with one summit finish at La super Planche des Belles Filles (stage 8)
• The 5th stage, Bar-le-Duc > Saint-Diédes-Vosges (175km), will be the longest of the race.

MOUNTAINS

There’s one mountain massif on the programme, the Vosges, which will feature during the final two stages. The race’s highest point will be the Grand Ballon (1,336m), which will be crossed during the 7th stage, Sélestat > Le Markstein.

WHITE ROADS

A striking feature of the run-in to Bar-sur-Aube on stage 4 will be the “white roads”, chalky tracks that wind through the vineyards. There will be a total of 12.9km of white road across 4 different sectors.

TELEVISION

A live broadcast for 2 hours each day on France Télévisions and on international channels.

PRIZE MONEY

A total of €250,000 will be awarded across the different stage, jersey and team competitions, including €50,000 to the winner of the final general classification.