The course for the 2023 Tour de France Femmes has been revealed so now the attention turns to just which riders are likely to fare best in the eight-day race as it winds its way from the Massif Central, south to the Col du Tourmalet and onto a finishing time trial in Pau.
The 2022 event, which signalled the return of women’s Tour de France after decades of absence, was to an extent treading into unknown territory. The challenging mountainous stage race of the Giro d’Italia Donne may have long been on the calendar but a stage-race for yellow bought a whole different level of attention, prestige and – with that – pressure to perform. It became the clear focal point of so many top riders’ seasons and that intensity of competition isn’t likely to change one bit in the year ahead.
In 2023, the performances of 2022 are there to serve as a guide but of course the different a new season, team circumstances and course – particularly with the introduction of the lofty heights of the legendary Pyrenean climb of the Tourmalet as well as a time trial – will all have an influence.
It is early days, with the race still nearly nine months away, but it is time to take a first pass at just which riders could well be preparing for a serious pursuit of yellow in 2023 now that they know what awaits them on the road from Clermont-Ferrand to Pau from July 23 to 30.
Annemiek van Vleuten
Annemiek van Vleuten lived up to every expectation as the favourite for the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, winning the overall title after two remarkable back-to-back stages in the Vosges atop Le Markstein and La Super Planche des Belles Filles.
The new route of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes gives the impression that the race could be a more open affair, for other riders to contest the yellow jersey. The addition of a summit finish at Col du Tourmalet and an individual time trial, however, means that the final two stages will, once again, be well-suited to the defending champion.
It was a sparkling season for Van Vleuten, who also won the Giro d’ Italia Donne, Challenge by La Vuelta and the World Championships, and she will undoubtedly want to make the most of the final year ahead of a pending retirement at the end of 2023.
Van Vleuten will have a stronger Movistar team to support this target, with the likes of Sarah Gigante and Liane Lippert possibly starting this event, too. Movistar has shown that they support Van Vleuten’s decision to…
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