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Pro Log: Tour de France Femmes adds ninth stage, Derek Gee’s Dauphiné delight, SD Worx’s Tour of Britain slip-up
Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. There’s been so much racing recently, with the legendary Marianne Vos adding to her extensive palmarès after winning Stage 2 and the overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
Primož Roglič geared up for the Tour de France with a strong performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné, taking two stage victories and the overall. There was drama on Stage 5 however, with a mass crash on wet roads causing the race to be neutralised.
The Tour de Suisse, meanwhile, got underway on Sunday, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis – I know, I can only picture him at Europcar too) sprinted to victory on Stage 2 while Yves Lampaert (Soudal-QuickStep) leads the overall standings after victory in the opening time-trial. The Giro Next Gen has also started, with Soudal-QuickStep Devo Team rider Paul Magnier currently leading the general classification.
2025 Tour de France Femmes to grow to nine stages
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) June 10, 2024
A Grand Départ from Vannes before crossing the Finistère the next day, the #TDFF2025 will then return to Morbihan for the 3rd stage and a total of 9 stages on the menu for the 2025 edition!
Un Grand Départ de Vannes avant de traverser le Finistère le lendemain, le… pic.twitter.com/MnM6AjK8wU
A Grand Départ from Vannes before crossing the Finistère the next day, the 
The Tour de France Femmes will grow from eight to nine stages at the 2025 race. The news was announced alongside confirmation that Brittany will host next year’s Grand Départ, with Stage 1 heading from Vannes to Plumelec, Stage 2 from Brest to Quimper and Stage 3 departing from La Gacilly.
The extra stage is another step in the right direction for the women’s sport, which has been growing steadily for several years now. As it stands, the nine-stage Tour de France Femmes will be the longest stage race for the women’s peloton. It has taken over from the Giro d’Italia Donne, which was once ten days in length but has now been reduced to eight stages for the 2024 edition.
Derek Gee impresses at Critérium du Dauphiné
Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) impressed at the Critérium du Dauphiné, finishing in third overall at the eight-day race. He attacked the leading group of favourites in the final few hundred metres on Stage 3 to take his first WorldTour win and the leader’s jersey. The Canadian time-trial national champion then came home in sixth place on the Stage 4 ITT behind Remco Evenepoel before finishing in the top five on the final three staegs.
26-year-old Gee proved an exciting rider to watch at the 2023 Giro d’Italia – prompting social media users to rename it the ‘Gee-ro d’Italia’ – as he consistently lit up the breakaway, leading to a flurry of second place finishes. While a Grand Tour podium may be unlikely for 2024, his potential as a stage race contender is something to keep an eye on.
Tour of Britain Women proves fruitful for SD Worx-Protime… until final stage
SD Worx Disasterclass
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 9, 2024
The team that's dominated the Women's Tour of Britain miscommunicate and are pipped on the line by the Australian Champ Ruby Roseman-Gannon#cycling #roadcycling #womenscycling pic.twitter.com/rVswL5hfWx
SD Worx-Protime had fun at the Tour of Britain Women last week, but it wasn’t without drama.
A strong group of contenders formed in the run-in to the Stage 1 finish in Llandudno and SD Worx’s World Champion Lotte Kopecky narrowly avoided being beaten by a fast-finishing Letizia Paternoster (Liv-Jayco-AlUla). In true Kopecky and SD Worx fashion, she won back-to-back stages, outsprinting Great Britain’s Anna Henderson the following day in Wrexham.
Kopecky’s teammate Lorena Wiebes put on a show in Warrington to win Stage 3, showing off her powerful sprint that won her all three stages of the RideLondon Classique. The team was all set to complete a clean sweep of this British leg of the season, but the final stage was to be their undoing.
Kopecky led the pack in the final straight but sat up in an attempt to gift the win to teammate Christine Majerus. However, it’s not over until it’s over. Majerus finished her effort and raised an arm just before the line and Australian road race and criterium champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon of Liv-AlUla-Jayco spoiled the party, slipping through the middle of the bunch and passing Wiebes, Kopecky and Majerus to get her first WorldTour victory in Leigh..
It was spectacular viewing. Kopecky still won overall though, with Henderson second and Majerus third.
See you next week.
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