With 27 nationalities on the entry list, the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will bring together 154 riders, comprising 22 teams of 7 riders from all around the world. Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig… the stars of 2022 return. This time they will face new champions like Charlotte Kool. Stars such as Elizabeth Deignan and Coryn Labecki are also expected at the start after missing the 2022 edition.
From Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) to Mavi Garcia (Liv Teqfind), with Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich) and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), all the riders who finished in the top 10 of the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift are gearing up for new July battles. The fans will also be able to cheer for the five stage winners of the first edition: van Vleuten, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) and Marlen Reusser (SD Worx). Demi Vollering (SD Worx) is aiming for the top of the general classification after winning the polka dot jersey last year. Fan favourites such as French champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) and Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) will also be back in action.
Among the stars who are about to discover the 2023 edition, Elizabeth Deignan holds the most impressive record. The British star, who won the first edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, gave birth in the fall of 2022 and has returned to once again become an essential part of the Lidl-Trek team. She will rub shoulders with two new « Oranje » aces: sprint star Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich) and puncher Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez), an esports world champion on top of her successes on the road. New American stars are also expected at the start in Clermont-Ferrand: Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma) has a stellar record and former junior world champion Megan Jastrab (dsm-firmenich) will show her talents. A very consistent rider all season long, Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) has earned the opportunity to line up with her “blue-white-red” jersey as the ITT French champion. Watch out for up-and-coming champs, like Germany’s Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//Sram), 5th in La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es.
There are 27 nationalities from 5 continents among the 154 riders on the entry list. Like last year, the « Oranje » stars make for the biggest crew, with 29 Dutch riders, ahead of the 22 French and the 19 Italians. Made up of three trailblazers last year, the Canadian contingent could double in size, with six riders registered, including the winner of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift 2023, Alison Jackson. The first participations of riders from Finland (Lotta Henttala), Japan (Eri Yonamine), Trinidad (Teniel Campbell) and Ireland (Megan Armitage) are also on the cards.
The Tour peloton will contain the many colourful distinctive jerseys of national, continental and world champions, who will be able to show their stripes in the road stages as well as in the Pau time trial. The defending winner, world champion Annemiek van Vleuten, will aim to swap her rainbow jersey for the Yellow of the Tour, after having won the Roja in La Vuelta and the Rosa in the Giro this year. European champions Lorena Wiebes (road race) and Marlen Reusser (time trial) will combine their strengths within the SD Worx collective. They will come up against the recent Asian time trial champion, Olga Zabelinskaya. There should also be 13 national road race champions (Vollering, Georgi, Lippert, Andersen, Garcia…) and 14 time trial champs (Markus, Kerbaol, Brown, Norsgaard, Rissveds…).
The Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift promises to be an exciting and action-packed spectacle that will showcase women’s cycling at its best. Follow the action from this Sunday 23rd July when the best female cyclists in the world will roll out from Clermont-Ferrand.
