Experienced Spanish rider Mavi García will spearhead Liv AlUla Jayco’s general classification goals at the much-anticipated Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift which commences on Monday 12th August. Australian champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon will be among the riders targeting stage victories for the team.
García has a strong record at the French race, having scored an impressive top-10 overall finish in the inaugural edition in 2022. She will arrive at the race in good form after a hard-fought top-10 at the Giro d’Italia Women in early July, and a solid ride in the road race at the current Olympic Games where she finished sixth.
Roseman-Gannon will be bringing the green and gold of Australia to the roads of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for her second appearance. Roseman-Gannon made her debut in 2022. The fast Aussie returns with eyes on potential stage wins after scoring her first WorldTour victory earlier this year.
Mavi García said of the upcoming Tour, “We have a very nice Tour de France Femmes route this year in which the whole team will go with a lot of desire to do it well. We have a very complete team for this race, with riders that can do well on many days! There are a lot of classic style stages and as the days go by, it will be very hard for everyone. This has been a very concentrated part of the season’s objectives for me, with the Giro d’Italia and the Olympic Games this summer and I’m hoping for a strong result at the Tour.”
As the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift continues to grow in popularity, the race branches out this year for its first foreign Grand Départ. Paris and Clermont-Ferrand hosted the past two editions. Rotterdam will now play host to the opening days of this year’s race.
The Dutch city will see three stages across two days, with the second day of action featuring a morning road stage followed by a short, fast time trial in the afternoon. Belgium will help the riders transition from the Netherlands and into France, welcoming the stage four finish in Liège, followed by the start of stage five.
The fifth stage brings the riders into France for a very tough three days of racing to the finish. The iconic Alpe d’Huez and its twenty-one hairpin bends will be the scene of the final showdown, ensuring the fight for the winner’s yellow jersey goes down to the wire.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon said, “When I did the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, it certainly felt like the biggest race I’ve ever done, just due to the number of spectators and media interest. It was a really incredible atmosphere and I’m excited to come back this year with two more years of training and experience. I think we have a super strong and versatile team, which suits the varied terrain and attributes required to perform in the technical city circuits of the Netherlands and the mountains of the French Alps.”
Backing up García and Roseman-Gannon at the seven-day race will be a well-rounded and complete roster of riders.
Silke Smulders shone at the Giro d’Italia Women last month and will once again play an important role in the hills and mountains. The rider from Sweden Caroline Andersson adds yet more firepower on the climbs in support of García.
On the flat and rolling stages, Liv AlUla Jayco will be able to look to the strength of Australian rider Amber Pate, plus the Dutch duo of Jeanne Korevaar and Quinty Ton to keep the team leaders safe, as well as hunting out potential stage win opportunities.
Megan Chard (Sport Director) said of the Tour de France Femmes test ahead of the team, “We are looking forward to heading to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this year that will be departing in the Netherlands and finishing on the famous Alpe d’Huez, which is an amazing development for Women’s Cycling to able to compete on such iconic roads. We will be looking at supporting Mavi with the best GC possible, in addition to looking for those stage opportunities.
It is an interesting edition of the race with the first three stages in the Netherlands that includes a split day before heading towards Belgium where we will see some Ardennes Classic-style racing and eventually the final days in France, which will have back-to-back mountain stages to finish the week. It will take a well-rounded rider to compete for the yellow jersey in this race with having so many different characteristics in the parcours, but we are excited for the challenge!”
Liv AlUla Jayco Team Line-up for the 2024 Tour de France Femmes:
Caroline Andersson (SWE)
Mavi García (ESP)
Jeanne Korevaar (NED)
Amber Pate (AUS)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Quinty Ton (NED)
Silke Smulders (NED)
