It’s a long way from Rotterdam to L’Alpe d’Huez, as the Women’s WorldTour peloton is going to discover for the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes. For the first time, the Tour Femmes starts outside its home country, but what better place than cycling-crazy Netherlands to make this landmark debut? It will then head for its denouement on the Dutch Mountain. Rotterdam to the Alpe may be a long way physically, but perhaps the start and finish of the 2024 Tour Femmes are not so far apart culturally.
Rouleur 130: Tour de France Femmes is devoted to the biggest race in women’s cycling. Rotterdam native and ex-pro Iris Slappendel gives us a guided Tour of the coolest spots in the city, while Illi Gardner, the Strava QOM holder on the Alpe, tells us about her unique approach to bagging fast times on the world’s hardest climbs. We have interviews with Tour protagonists Niamh Fisher-Black and Mavi García, as well as with Joane Somarriba, three-time winner of the Grande Boucle Féminine, the former equivalent of the Tour, and Fabiana Luperini, who won the Giro-Tour double three times consecutively in the mid-1990s.
The tagline of the Tour de France Femmes is ‘Watch the Femmes.’ To which we would add: ‘Read the magazine.’
WHAT’S IN THE MAG? ARTICLE SUMMARIES
The haves and have-nots, by Jeremy Whittle
Women’s cycling is bigger than it has ever been, with more and more money coming into the sport. But is the wealth that is concentrating at the top of the cycling pyramid leaving those further down the hierarchy fighting over crumbs?
Niamh Fisher-Black: home from home, by Rachel Jary
Niamh Fisher-Black is one of the most exciting talents in the Women’s WorldTour. She tells Rouleur about the challenges of moving halfway round the world to pursue a dream and why stability and performance each feed off each other.
Mavi García: just a number, by India Paine
Mavi García was a late starter in cycling, but she has emerged to become one of the greatest cyclists ever to come from her native Spain. She tells Rouleur why she is better than ever at 40, and how she is targeting all three Grand Tours in 2024.
This could be Rotterdam, by James Startt
Rotterdam will be the host city for the first ever foreign Grand Départ in the Tour de France Femmes. Who better than local ex-pro, media personality and clothing designer Iris Slappendel to take us around the most interesting sights and the coolest spots in this vibrant city?
Illi Gardner:…