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Tour de France Femmes 2024: Route, how to watch and all you need to know
The Tour de France Femmes, returns on the 12th August 2024. The third edition comes after a successful launch of the new race in 2022.
In 2024, the race will begin abroad in The Netherlands. The parcours will see the riders travel down France via Belgium to the Alps where the race will conclude atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez.
The race begins later than normal this year due to the scheduling of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, taking place from 12th August 2024 to 18th August 2024.
The reigning champion is Dutchwoman Demi Vollering of SD Worx-Protime. Vollering will start as the favourite following a barnstorming Vuelta Femenina performance in May. This is also likely to be her last Grand Tour in SD Worx colours after rumours have circulated surrounding her future at the team. Other favourites will include the recent Giro d’Italia Women winner Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek, last year’s polka dot jersey Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon-SRAM and French hope Juliette Labous of DSM-Firmenich-PostNL.
At the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, four jerseys will be up for grabs. The yellow jersey will be the main prize for the GC, just like at the men’s Tour de France, and the green jersey and polka-dot jerseys are also the same as in the men’s Tour. However the white jersey for the best young rider is only open to riders under the age of 23 – unlike the men’s, which is under 25.
Tour de France Femmes 2024: Key information
Dates: Monday 12th August to Sunday 18th August
Grand Départ: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Finale: Alpe d’Huez, France
Total elevation gain: 10,700m
Total prize money: €250,000
UK television coverage: Eurosport, Discovery+
2023 winner: Demi Vollering (SD Worx)
Most overall wins: Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering (both one)
Most stage wins: Lorena Wiebes (three)
Tour de France Femmes 2024 route
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes will begin with three stages in the Netherlands, marking the first foreign Grand Départ in the race’s short history. In fact, half of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes will take place outside of France.
After a couple of flat days of racing in the Netherlands, the race will travel through the Ardennes with Stage 4’s ode to the late-April Classics. Once back on French soil, the race moves southwards with some lumpy intermediate profiles on Stages 5 and 6.
The race will finally reach the Alps for the first time in its history. Organisers have placed two mountain stages at the back end of the race, first at Le Grand Bornand, then at Alpe d’Huez. The 21 hairpins of the famed ‘Dutch mountain’ will round out the race – a very Dutch race this year – and the victor of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes will be declared.
Tour de France Femmes 2024: Stage-by-stage preview
Stage 1: Monday 12th August, Rotterdam – The Hague, 124km
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes begins with a road stage from Rotterdam to The Hague. The profile is as flat as they come. The altitude will barely surpass double digits above sea level during the day. The approach to the line in The Hague could be wind-stricken and echelon-prone however. To add to that the general stress of the opening stage will most likely add a shakiness to the peloton.
Sprinters such as Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool will relish the opportunity to sprint for the yellow jersey on home turf at the end of Stage 1.
Stage 2: Tuesday 13th August, Dordrecht – Rotterdam, 64km
Stages 2 and 3 will be raced on the same day. To begin with, the riders will race a 67km long road stage. The profile sees the riders head out from Dordrecht to Rotterdam, the epicentre of this Dutch Grand Départ.
Like Stage 1, the second stage is as flat as a Dutch pancake. The favourites will be the sprinters again. For them, this will be a crucial time to gain points in the green jersey classification.
Stage 3: Tuesday 13th August, Rotterdam – Rotterdam, 6.3km, ITT
Later that day, Stage 3 will require the teams to swap road bikes for time-trial bikes. This brief six-kilometre jaunt will be the only time-trial in the 2024 race.
The course is straightforward and – you guessed it – flat. The course will, however, pass over the iconic Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam before a final dash to the line in Rotterdam’s regenerated quays.
Stage 4: Wednesday 14th August, Valkenburg – Liège, 122km
Halfway through the race, things get more serious for the general classification. Crossing into Belgium for a mini Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège crossover, with eight climbs on Stage 4 that includes the Cauberg, Côte de la Redoute and the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons.
This medley of Ardennes staples will be very familiar to the puncheurs. The approach to the finish line will be very similar to that of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Stage 5: Thursday 15th August, Bastogne – Amnéville, 150km
Another nod to the Classics is given with Stage 5’s departure from Bastogne. From here, the race will pass through southern Belgium for 60km before crossing the border into France.
In total, there’s 2,000m of climbing on offer during Stage 5, culminating in a false flat sprint in Amnéville.
Stage 6: Friday 15th August, Remiremont – Morteau, 160km
Stage 6 is all about France’s untouched east. The stage begins in Remiremont, the hometown of double Olympic mountain bike champion Julien Absalon. Not long after the start of the stage, the race passes through Mélisey, the birthplace of Thibaut Pinot, as the race moves towards the hills.
The two climbs of La Roche du Prêtre (5.5km, 5.6%) and Côte des Fins (1.8km, 6.9%) come in the closing quarter of the stage. These climbs have the real potential to whittle down the group and create a key selection in the GC.
Stage 7: Saturday 16th August, Champagnole – Le Grand-Bornand, 167km
Stage 7 will take the riders into the Alps at last. At 167km, this will be the longest day in the saddle of this year’s Tour de France Femmes. The focal point will be the closing climb of the Montée de Chinaillon (7km at 5.1%), which peaks in the ski resort of Le Grand Bornand.
Le Grand Bornand has hosted women’s racing before, having played host to the Tour de France’s La Course in 2018.
Stage 8: Sunday 17th August, Le Grand-Bornand – Alpe d’Huez, 150km
The Tour de France Femmes will end with a bang this year. A final day through the Alps will push the riders up the Col du Glandon (19.7km at 7.2%), the highest point in the race, before heading up the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez.
The Alpe d’Huez is steeped in men’s Tour de France history. Champions from Fausto Coppi to Marco Pantani have won atop the famed mountain. 2024 will mark the first time that the women’s peloton will climb the Alpe in the Tour’s history.
Tour de France Femmes 2024: How to watch on live TV and streaming
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes will be available to watch on Eurosport 1 for those with the channel. You can also stream it on Discovery+ for £6.99 per month with the basic package, which includes cycling and all other Eurosport programmes.
It is being broadcast across 198 countries, but it’s not being shown in your country, you may be able to watch coverage using a VPN – Virtual Private Network – which allows users to mask their IP address and watch geo-blocked content, provided they don’t need to pay for a subscription. This is also helpful for watching paid-for coverage while travelling abroad in countries without access.
One such example is ExpressVPN, which is very well reviewed, helps users to find a way to watch cycling without having to pay for broadcasters services, and costs £5.36 per month, with three months free. Other options include NordVPN, Surfshark and Kapersky.
Tour de France Femmes official broadcasters
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Sports
Asia (excluding China and Japan): Eurosport Asia-Pacific
Australia: SBS
Belgium: RTBF, VRT
Canada: FloBikes
Central and South America: ESPN
Denmark: DKTV2
Europe: Eurosport
France: France TV Sport, France 24
Germany: One 1, Sportschau
Ireland: TG4
Japan: JSports
Netherlands: NOS
New Zealand: Sky Sport
Norway: TV2
Spain: Caracol, RCN, RTVE
Subsaharan Africa: Supersport
Switzerland: SRG-SSR
United States: CNBC, Peacock
Tour de France Femmes 2024 broadcast times
All times BST and subject to change by broadcasters
Stage 1: Monday 12th August
Discovery+: 11:00-15:00
Eurosport 1: 11:00-15:00
Stage 2: Tuesday 13th August
Discovery+: 08:30-11:00
Eurosport 1: 08:30-11:15
Stage 3: Tuesday 13th August
Discovery+: 14:30-17:15
Eurosport 1: 14:30-17:15
Stage 4: Wednesday 14th August
Discovery+: 12:30-15:30
Eurosport 1: 12:30-15:30
Stage 5: Thursday 15th August
Discovery+: 12:30-15:30
Eurosport 1: 12:30-15:30
Stage 6: Friday 16th August
Discovery+: 12:30-15:30
Eurosport 1: 12:30-15:30
Stage 7: Saturday 17th August
Discovery+: 12:00-15:15
Eurosport 1: 12:00-15:15
Stage 8: Sunday 18th August
Discovery+: 15:00-18:30
Eurosport 1: 15:00-17:30
Tour de France 2024 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
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