On Thursday, ASO revealed the route for the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a bold and challenging parcours that its organisers hope “will make a concerted push for the summits of women’s cycling”.
The basic format remains the same – the competition is still eight days, coming just after the men’s race – but the race looks very different from its 2022 edition, taking in a completely new region of France, bigger climbs, and new disciplines.
It may be only in its second edition, but growth seems to be what ASO are aiming for, building on the foundations laid in 2022.
After the success of the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, ASO could have stuck to the formula for 2023, designing the race in a way they know will work. For an organisation that was arguably too slow and cautious in growing La Course, sticking to the Champs-Élysées circuit for several years, it perhaps wouldn’t have been surprising to see a similar approach to the first editions of the Tour de France Femmes, but Thursday’s announcement put to bed those concerns.
Moving away from Paris for the first stage, the race is already establishing itself as an event in its own right. The start in Clermont Ferrand is intended to keep the race connected to but not constrained by the men’s race, and the move from Paris has freed up ASO and Race Director Marion Rousse to go further afield in France and design a varied, challenging and exciting route.
New summits and new challenges
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Literally and figuratively, the 2023 route has a focus on taking the women’s peloton to new heights and tackle new challenges. After being focused in the Vosges mountains in 2022, next year’s edition will head to the Massif Central and the Pyrénées.
The jewel in the crown of Thursday’s route announcement was the confirmation that the Tourmalet will host a summit finish on the penultimate day of the 2023 Tour. Not only will the Tour de France Femmes finish at over 2,000 metres for the first time, but it’s also an important moment symbolically to have the women’s race feature a classic Pyrenean Tour de France climb in only its second edition.
A few things that featured in the 2022 route are gone – there’s no gravel or significant non-tarmac portions and no visit to Paris – but some of the gaps from the inaugural edition have been filled. Most…
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