As in 2022 the big departure of the cycling race will be given the same day as the arrival of the male tour, but this time in Clermont-Ferrand, before going on for the Pyrenees.
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Marion Rousse, the director of the race, had warned: eight stages oblige, the Tour de France women would not refrain from placing her wheels far from Paris. The 2022 edition marking the great return of the female declination of the event after thirty years of absence, there was a question of symbolism. The female peloton had rushed under the Eiffel Tower, a few hours before the epilogue of the male version in the Light City, before heading in the East.
Now, make way for pragmatism. To guarantee a rich route, which corresponds to all the types of runners, the race will this time drive south, unveiled the organizers – Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) -, Thursday, October 27, during the official presentation of the course, At the Paris Congress Palace. On July 23, the big start will be given from Clermont-Ferrand, in Auvergne, before winning the Pyrenees. 2>
adjustments following the return of runners
In a video posted on the Instagram social network, on the eve of the presentation, the Dutch Annemiek Van Vleuten hoped that this second part would include beautiful climbs. The winner of the 2022 edition is answered with a rise in the emblematic Col du Tourmalet (Hautes-Pyrénées), during the 7
The organizers explain that they have carried out some adjustments for this Tour de France women, taking into account the returns of part of the peloton, which had expressed its exhaustion, especially after the climb of the Markstein (Haut-Rhin) , penultimate stage this summer.
Among the new features is also the introduction of an individual time trial. 22 kilometers long, it will close the 2023 edition, in Pau. The exercise was requested by the runners, including the Swiss Marlen Reusser, European champion in title of the specialty and victorious of the 4th stage of the 2022 Tour 2022 in Bar-sur-Aube, in the Champagne vine paths.
Marion Rousse continues to emphasize her ambition to make the Tour de France women a lasting event. To do this, media exposure remains the key. No question therefore, for the time being, to extend the race beyond eight stages.