Stars align in Paris

Key points:
• Three weeks ahead of the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the provisional list of starters features the top 25 riders in the UCI rankings.
• The Dutch stars (Van Vleuten, Vollering, Wiebes, Vos…) come in numbers but they’ll face rivals from all around the world, with Italy’s Balsamo and Cavalli, South Africa’s Moolman-Pasio, USA’s Faulkner…
• From Paris to La Super Planche des Belles Files, the crowds will be able to celebrate the French national champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot and her compatriots Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic, among other local heroes taking on the eight stages (July 24-31).

Racing is in full swing with the Tour de France, and a stellar peloton is about to get into action with the start of the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on July 24th, when their male counterparts reach Paris. The biggest stars of women cycling have circled the date on their calendar since last year’s announcement, with a route presentation seducing all types of riders: sprinters, climbers, GC contenders and stage hunters…

Marianne Vos is among the most versatile and talented cyclist ever, so it’s only natural to see her lead a strong Jumbo-Visma line-up as the Dutch icon pursues yellow glory to go along with her many rainbow triumphs (14 world Elite champion titles across road racing, cyclo-cross and track).
Deprived from Paris-Roubaix avec Zwift because of Covid-19, Vos returned to competition at the Dutch National championships and returned to success in the Giro d’Italia Donne, where she’s currently facing other contenders who will soon light fireworks on French roads. Among them, BikeExchange-Jayco’s Kristen Faulkner rose to the forefront this year in stage races (3rd of Itzulia, 2nd of the Tour de Suisse).

Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, set to become FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope on July 15) is another rising star this season and she’ll display her talents alongside Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, recently crowned Danish national champion, after a spring campaign hampered by illness.
From Italy, Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Balsamo is racking up more and more successes with the rainbow jersey on her shoulders. She spearheads the American powerhouse alongside her compatriot Elisa Longo Borghini, a recent winner of the Women’s Tour after her historic conquest in Roubaix this spring. They will also enjoy a strong Dutch support from Ellen van Dijk, the fresh holder of the Hour record. Her predecessor, Great Britain’s Joscelin Lowden, is also set to participate with Uno-X Pro Cycling Team.

Van Dijk and Vos are far from being the only representatives of the Dutch power in the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Leader of the UCI rankings and a winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes in April, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team Women) is on a mission after the announcement of her retirement in 2023. Pauliena Rooijakkers gets ready to lead Canyon//Sram Racing’s ambitions alongside Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma. And there will be six teams from the Netherlands taking on the road from Paris to La Super Blanche des Belles Filles.

Team DSM’s Lorena Wiebes will be a strong contender for the first Maillot Jaune and her French teammate Juliette Labous is getting ready for mountainous battles. Local crowds will also be able to cheer for the French National champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) and other young talents on the rise such as Evita Muzic (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope).

For a week, they will notably face the many stars of Team SD Worx: Lotte Kopecky, Demi Vollering, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio… The Dutch powerhouse has riders to chase victory on all terrains. But everyone wants to shine in the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

THE WEBSERIE
The webserie « Les Femmes Du Tour » tells the stories of these trailblazing champions. From Audrey Cordon-Ragot’s Brittany to the Netherlands of Marianne Vos, passing by Gerona (Spain), where Kasia Niewiadoma and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig live, meet the stars who dream of the first Maillot Jaune.

24 TEAMS, THE MAIN RIDERS
as of June 3rd

Australia
• Team BikeExchange-Jayco: Kristen Faulkner, Amanda Spratt

Belgium
• Plantur-Pura: Julie De Wilde, Yara Kastelijn, Christina Schweinberger, Sanne Can

France
• Arkéa Pro Cycling Team: Morgane Coston, Anaïs Morichon
• Cofidis Women Team: Clara Koppenburg, Martina Alzini
• FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope: Cecilie Ludwig, Marta Cavalli
• Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime: Séverine Eraud, Maeva Squiban
• St-Michel Auber 93: Simone Boilard, Coralie Demay

Germany
• Canyon//Sram Racing: Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Pauliena Rooijakkers
• Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team: Lisa Brennauer, Maria Giulia Confalonieri

Great Britain
• Le Col-Wahoo: Elizabeth Holden, Gladys Verhulst

Italy
• Valcar-Travel & Service: Chiara Consonni, Silvia Persico

The Netherlands
• AG Insurance-NXTG Team: Julia Borgström, Ally Wollaston
• Liv Racing Xstra: Sabrina Stultiens, Rachele Barbieri
• Parkhotel Valkenburg: Femke Markus, Femke Gerritse
• Team DSM: Lorena Wiebes, Juliette Labous
• Team Jumbo-Visma: Marianne Vos, Coryn Labecki-Rivera
• Team SD Worx: Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio

Norway
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: Joscelin Lowden, Susanne Andersen

Spain
• Movistar Team Women: Annemiek van Vleuten, Emma Norsgaard

Switzerland
• Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad: Tamara Dronova, Caroline Baur

UAE
• UAE Team ADQ: Mavi Garcia, Marta Bastianelli

The USA
• EF Education-Tibco-SVB: Veronica Ewers, Krista Doebel-Hickok
• Human Powered Health: Nina Buijsman, Antri Christoforou
• Trek-Segafredo: Elisa Balsamo, Elisa Longo Borghini, Ellen van Dijk

Find out more on the site of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift