‘The hardest edition yet’ – A sense that anything can happen at this year’s Tour de France Femmes reigns as Vannes Grand Départ nears

Walking into Vannes the splendour of this location for Le Grand Départ of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift reveals itself with every step through its winding streets lined with tightly-packed mediaeval timber buildings. The spires of the grand cathedrals punctuate the skyline when you peer up but there is no forgetting amid the grandeur of the setting that a bike race is about to unfold, not when a giant yellow jersey stands out on the elegant town hall, a huge yellow banner is affixed to the ramparts constructed around the town and the harbourside hosts the prominent countdown clock, which will soon hit zero.

This is no ordinary location to start a race, but one fit to set the scene for a fairytale, which is perhaps fitting for an edition of the race that also looks set to deliver an extraordinary battle that, for one rider, will lead to a dream outcome.