The route for the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift hits new heights with 956 kilometres and a grand finale in the Pyrenees with a mountaintop finish on the iconic Tourmalet on stage 7 and a final stage 8 time trial in Pau.
The eight days of racing will begin in the Massif Central on July 23, in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne region.
It is the second edition of the rebirth of the women’s Tour de France, after a successful return last year saw the race begin on the famed Champs-Élysées and at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles where Annemiek van Vleuten claimed the yellow jersey and the overall title.
The 2023 Tour de France Femmes is set to take place from July 23 to 30 and will take in a whole new area of France.
The Grand Départ will move away from the hustle and bustle of the Paris circuits – and out from under the men’s race – and begin in an all-new location in 2023.
“This route is different. We want to explore new regions and tackle other mountain ranges. There are some similarities, too, as we built this on a robust framework using the same key ingredients that made it a success last summer,” said Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme, together with Tour de France Femmes race director Marion Rousse on stage at the Palais des Congrès.
Rousse agreed with the route similarities and overall structure, stating that although the race will not begin in Paris on the same platform as the final stage 21 of the three-week men’s event, the route will continue in its new tradition of carrying on the Tour de France brand with the women’s race during a ‘fourth week’.
“The women will race eight stages from Sunday to Sunday and extend the drama for a fourth week with the same script focusing on the feats and failures of the champions, and the role of breakthrough characters against a magnificent backdrop. Like last year, there will be similarities between the two courses,” Rousse said.
Tour de France Femmes 2023 stages
Stage 1: Clermont-Ferrand to Clermont-Ferrand, 124km (flat)
The race will open for stage 1 on July 23 in Clermont-Ferrand for a 124km flat race with a decisive final that includes the Côte de Durtol (1.7km), a perfect launch-pad for attacks, located 9km before the finish in Clermont-Ferrand.
Stage 2: Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac, 148km (hilly)
The second day of racing on July 24…
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