Tour de France Femmes – Three Things to Watch For

I’ve said it before, and I here I go again. It’s a weird season, mainly because the Olympics plopped themselves down right in the middle of the summer. That’s caused a compression of the women’s pro race calendar that means the Grand Tours are eight stages each, rather less than grand if you ask me, but I’m sure Olympic road race gold medalist Kristen Faulkner is not overly fussed about it.

With the Tour de France Femmes starting Monday, here are a few storylines worth following:

1. It’s Demi Vollering’s race to lose, or is it? Last year, Vollering was nigh unstoppable. This year, a few more riders have shoved their way into podium conversations, including the gold medalist, Faulkner, but also Kasia Niewiadoma, Ashleigh Moolman, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Elisa Longo-Borghini who just won the Giro, and a few other dark horses.
2. The call is coming from inside the house. Perhaps the biggest threat to Vollering retaining her TdF crown is her own teammate, Lotte Kopecky, current world number one. Conventional wisdom says Kopecky can’t climb well enough to win a Grand Tour. Recent performances suggest otherwise. It will be interesting to see how SD Worx team politics play out on the road, with Kopecky surely ambitious for more than the green jersey she’s already won, and even the burgeoning talent of Niamh Fisher-Black looking for opportunities to prove her mettle.
3. A course in two, distinct parts. The Grand Depart of this year’s race is in the Netherlands. In fact, the first three stages take place on the flat ground of the Dutch republic. That’s going to make for some fast racing, and that means nervous contenders, working hard not to lose any time before the transition to France. The race will be won or lost on the last two stages, both mountainous, with the final finish line atop Alpe d’Huez. How dramatic is that? I’ll tell you right now, I prefer it to the usual promenade down the Champs Elysees.

The summer is tapering to a fine point now. Many, many of these women have been racing at or near peak for a long stretch now, following the Giro and the Olympics. The winner may come down to who can save enough energy for that final push up Alpe d’Huez. I’ll be watching.