Human Powered Health Cycling is at the biggest bike race in the world, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, from July 26 through August 3.
From the rolling hills of Brittany through the flatlands of the country’s central region and culminating in an epic Alpine battle, the team is ready to make history as they chase the coveted Maillot Jaune in what could prove to be the toughest edition yet of the women’s Tour.
Now in its fourth year, the Tour de France Femmes takes pride of place on the calendar with all eyes across the globe fixed on the women’s peloton.
The parcours has something for every kind of athlete, and the team’s roster reflects that diversity. Tenth last year, Thalita de Jong lines up alongside 8th place Giro finisher Barbara Malcotti and Mona Mitterwallner, starting her debut Tour. They are joined by stage hunter Ruth Edwards, in-form Lily Williams, and domestique supremes Romy Kasper and Marit Raaijmakers for La Grande Boucle.
How to watch
USA
Peacock and NBC Sports
Stage 1 from 11 am ET / 10 am CT / 9 am MT / 8 am PT
Stage 2 from 6:45 am ET / 5:45 am CT / 4:45 am MT / 3:45 am PT
Stage 3 onwards from 9 am ET / 8 am CT / 7 am MT / 6 am PT
Canada
FloBikes
UK
TNT Sports/Discovery+
Stage 1 from 16:00 BST
Stage 2 from 11:45 BST
Stage 3 onwards from 14:00 BST
Europe
Eurosport/Discovery+
Stage 1 from 17:00 CET
Stage 2 from 12:45 CET
Stage 3 onwards from 15:00 CET
Thalita de Jong and compatriot Marit Raaijmakers recently recon’ed the crucial Alpine stages of the race. Recon like this is worth its weight in yellow, crucial for the GC battle and helpers like Raaijmakers to know the lay of the land.
“I can tell you it was super hard,” says de Jong. “But our recon was very relaxed. We had good hotels, the breakfast box next to the French breakfasts, lunch in the car from the supermarket, un baquette, poulet et rucola et Boursin! Perfect! For me, it was also good training days, and it was useful to see the roads, the climbs, the downhills, the new paved sections to judge the feeling in the corners. It will be a very hard final few days of the Tour.”
De Jong’s preparation has been hampered by injury and illness, and her lining up in Vannes is testament to her resilience. What de Jong can count on is the support of staff and teammates alike after a strong showing at the Giro d’Italia.
“Barbara showed in the Giro how strong she is, and the Tour will be another big opportunity for her,” she says. “With Ruth and Mona, we have two other good climbers who can show and help our leader in GC.”
De Jong has also noticed the development of the other athletes.
“Marit is growing this season,” she says. “I felt it on the training days. She will be valuable for the team in stage finals. Romy, our team captain, is there when we need her for positioning and protection. With her at the front of the bunch, she is really useful in a Grand Tour.”
Lily Williams heads into the Tour with a string of powerful performances under her belt.
“Lily is rocking,” says de Jong. “She has shown how strong she is and made huge strides this year. So on the first days, you have to look for Power Rocket Lily.”
This will be de Jong’s fourth Tour de France Femmes, having, like Kasper, raced every edition so far.
“Hopefully I can give 100% for the team,” she explains. “It is still a process that I am undergoing, so we have to see, day by day. I am super happy and grateful to be there with such a strong and motivated team. It is a big event with so many spectators, hard races, hard roads, and the suffering is so much higher than in other races. But it is so cool.”
Tour de France Femmes Stage by Stage
7/26 Stage 1 | Vannes – Plumelec (78.8 km) Hilly
It’s a short but punchy start to the Tour. After 47 km, the peloton enters the finishing circuit centered around the 1.8 km at 6% Côte de Cadoudal climb. Used many times in the men’s race, it’s a climb for fast-finishing puncheurs. Fireworks from day one.
7/27 Stage 2 | Brest – Quimper (110.4 km) Hilly
Another finish used in the men’s edition back in 2018, stage 2 is one rolling hill after another. An Ardennes-style finish in Brittany, the rollers will wear down the peloton, possibly shedding the sprinters before another rising finish in Quimper. As the adage goes, you won’t win the Tour on the two opening stages, but you may well lose it.
7/28 Stage 3 | La Gacilly – Angers (163.5 km) Flat
Stage 3 is the first of a red letter doubleheader for the sprinters. With one categorized climb on the route and a mostly flat day, it’s crucial in the battle for the green points jersey. A tight lefthander in the final kilometer means positioning is crucial.
7/29 Stage 4 | Saumur – Poitiers (130.7 km) Flat
Stage 4 may run the same playbook as the previous day with a flat stage culminating in a bunch sprint. There’s a 600-meter ramp to contend with two kilometers out, which could have an impact on the makeup of the sprint.
7/30 Stage 5 | Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (Futuroscope) – Guéret (165.8 km) Medium Mountains
The longest day of the Tour, stage 5 rises slowly throughout the 165.8 km to Guéret. The high point comes on the 2.7 km at 5.3% Le Maupuy climb. Topping out with less than ten kilometers of racing and with a time bonus sprint on its slopes, it’s the perfect launching pad for opportunists, a breakaway or a late assault on the yellow jersey.
7/31 Stage 6 | Clermont-Ferrand – Ambert (123.7 km) Medium Mountains
Now the Tour gets serious. The first real climbing test sees the peloton cross the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The 10.3 km Col du Beal will see the true contenders come to the fore before the Col du Chansert and a climb up to an intermediate sprint in Valcivières that comes 13 km from the finish. A brief plateau leads the race into the final descent to Ambert.
8/1 Stage 7 | Bourg-en-Bresse – Chambéry (159.7 km) High Mountains
August starts with a bang as we head to Chambéry in the shadow of Europe’s fourth highest mountain Mont Blanc. The Col du Granier is the big test here, and although it is officially 8.9 km long, there’s a sharp 3.8 km test just before and a dragging ten-kilometer lead-in. It will suit the pure climbers, but with a technical 18 km descent from its peak, yellow jersey chasers will have to prove they have the bike handling skills on the downhill as well as the strength uphill.
8/2 Stage 8 | Chambéry – Saint-François Longchamp (Col de la Madeleine) (111.9 km) High Mountains
Climbing from the off, stage 8 is the Queen stage and where the race will be won or lost. Two alpine tests lead the race to the foot of the legendary Col de la Madeleine. Steeped in Tour folklore, it will write a new chapter in cycling history with its use in the Tour de France Femmes. 18.9 km at 8% and rising to nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, it’s a brute of a mountain and will leave no prisoners.
8/3 Stage 9 | Praz-sur-Arly – Châtel Les Portes du Soleil (124.1 km) High Mountains
The Tour organizers have gone all in with the mountains this year. Every jersey will come down to the wire this year, not least the QOM classification. Two category one climbs and the hors catégorie (the Tours highest billing) Col de Joux-Plane are en route before a rising finish in Châtel. They’re uncategorized, but a ramp on the outskirts followed by a 2.2 km at 5.5% push to the line are the final hammer blows in this year’s incredible race.
