Eight challenging stages await the peloton as they roll out of Clermont-Ferrand this coming Sunday, with Team dsm-firmenich thrilled to reveal their seven-rider squad to take on one of the biggest races on the Women’s cycling calendar.
Coming into the race full of confidence after a recent second on GC at the Giro d’Italia Donne and multiple stage wins at the Baloise Ladies Tour, the Team dsm-firmenich squad will aim to once again be at the forefront of the race. The selected riders will be hunting for stage wins and eyeing the best possible GC result as a team.
The opening stage in Clermont-Ferrand could see a mix of riders fighting it out for the stage win and to wear that prestigious yellow jersey; with the puncheurs, strong sprinters and potentially even GC riders eyeing glory. A mixed bag of terrain follows on the proceeding days, with the puncheurs and climbers most likely fighting it out on stage two and four. The sprinters will get their chance on stage three. Continuing their way southwest through France, a potential breakaway will find stage five to their liking, while the sprinters get one last chance the following day. The GC battle will be decided on the final weekend, firstly with an epic summit finish on the famous Col du Tourmalet, followed by a long 22-kilometre time trial around Pau, which will give those who are strong against the clock one last chance to move up the rankings.
Team dsm-firmenich coach Kelvin Dekker said of his team selection, “We’ve been preparing for the Tour really well. We had some meetings as a group to look at the parcours and talk about the possibilities there. We go with a healthy ambition for basically every stage. We have Charlotte as our finisher for the sprints and there are a few chances there, depending on how the race is ridden. Alongside that, we have the big goal of GC with Juliette as our finisher. We don’t really look at a result beforehand, but instead we want to do everything right that we can and create our own opportunities every day. There are up to four sprint stage chances, depending on the racing, where we will have Charlotte as our finisher. Then there are two in-between stages where we will look for possibilities with some attacking racing like we have already showed this season. That’s then followed by one big mountain stage and one time trial; those last two stages are where the GC will be shaped. I think we’re coming out of the Giro with a very good feeling and the same at the Baloise Ladies Tour too. We have a team that’s in a good flow now going into the Tour, and we will do our best to keep that up at the Tour.”
Line-up
Léa Curinier (FRA)
Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR)
Megan Jastrab (USA)
Charlotte Kool (NED)
Juliette Labous (FRA)
Esmée Peperkamp (NED)
Elise Uijen (NED)
