Key events
Here is the route profile of stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift:
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Stage seven: Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, 160km
Here’s a look at today’s stage, Friday 1 August: Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, 159.7km, with the race director of the Tour de France Femmes, Marion Rousse:
From the magnificent monastery at Brou, the race will start on flat roads on the edge of the Dombes and the Ain plain. The riders will skim past the Glandieu waterfall before finding their pace checked by the Saint-Franc climb. After passing through Les Échelles and the Guiers Vif gorges, they will head for the Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%). The dive into the finish, located in front of the Chambéry Savoie Stadium, is likely to be fast and technical.
Preamble
After yesterday’s mountain stage, there’s a hilly parcours for the riders today, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy day for them. The fatigue is building and there are two more mountain days before the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift culminates in Châtel this Sunday. Stage seven also brings us the first day in the Alps of this year’s Tour de France Femmes.
Today’s stage will take the peloton over almost 160km of roads, with three categorised climbs loaded into the second half. After reaching the summit of the final climb, the Col du Granier (8.9km averaging 5.4%), those battling for the stage win will swoop down a fast and technical descent into Chambéry. GC contenders will want to position themselves well to either gain time or not lose it. Those that are particularly adept at descending, such as Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), may well also have their eye on the stage win. Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) are also riders that relish a fast, technical mountain descent. But don’t take your eyes off the maillot jaune, Kim Le Court Pienaar, who is looking particularly strong, not to mention her closely placed competitors, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez).
The rollout will begin at 1.30pm CET/12.30pm BST, so stick with us for live updates of the racing.
If you want to catch up on yesterday’s lively stage and Maëva Squiban’s (UAE Team ADQ) perfect attack, here is Jeremy Whittle’s report from Ambert:
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