The 2022 Tour de France Femmes (officially Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift) was the first edition[2] of the Tour de France Femmes, which took place from 24 to 31 July 2022.[1] It was the 16th event in the 2022 UCI Women's World Tour and followed years of campaigning by the women's professional peloton for an equivalent race to the men's Tour de France.[3] The race drew large crowds and had substantial international media coverage, and was highly praised by the public, media, teams and riders.
2022 UCI Women's World Tour, race 16 of 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates | 24–31 July 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stages | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 1,033.6[1] km (642.2 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning time | 26 h 55 m 44 s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The race was won by Annemiek van Vleuten of Movistar Team. At the start of the race, van Vleuten suffered from a stomach infection, causing her to lose almost a minute to some of her rivals for the yellow jersey (French: maillot jaune). She was able to recover as the race reached the mountains. On stage seven, van Vleuten attacked on the first climb, before riding solo for the last 60 kilometres (37 mi) to win the stage by more than three minutes, moving into the yellow jersey in the process. She confirmed her victory by winning her second consecutive stage the next day, which finished atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles. Second place went to Demi Vollering of SD Worx, who finished second to van Vleuten on both mountain stages to consolidate her place in the general classification (GC). Vollering also took the polka-dot jersey as winner of the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification. Third place went to Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Canyon–SRAM, who put in a consistent performance during the first six stages and finished in the top five on both mountain stages.
Marianne Vos of Team Jumbo–Visma won the green jersey for points classification. She finished in the top five on each of the first six stages, taking two stage wins in the process, and held the yellow jersey from the second to sixth stages. Vos also won the super-combativity award. Shirin van Anrooij of Trek–Segafredo took the white jersey as the winner of the young riders classification, which was awarded to the best-placed GC rider under the age of 23. Canyon–SRAM won the team classification as the team with the lowest aggregate time among their three best-placed riders.
The 24 teams which participated in the race[4] were announced on 30 March 2022.[5] All 14 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited. They were joined by 10 UCI Women's Continental Teams: the three best 2021 UCI Women's Continental Teams (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling, Parkhotel Valkenburg and Valcar–Travel & Service) received an automatic invitation, and the other seven teams were selected by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the Tour. A total of 144 riders from 25 nationalities started the race, with The Netherlands having the largest contingent (20%).[4]
UCI Women's WorldTeams
UCI Women's Continental Teams
In October 2021, the route was announced by race director Marion Rousse.[6] It comprised eight consecutive days of racing, covering a total of 1,033 kilometres (642 mi). The race started with a stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, on the same day as the final stage of the men's tour. The route generally headed eastwards from Paris, including gravel sections in Champagne vineyards, stages in the Vosges mountains (including the longest, stage 5), and a summit finish at La Super Planche des Belles Filles.[6] The route was welcomed by the professional peloton, with riders praising the variety of stages.[7][8] Campaigners such as Kathryn Bertine also welcomed the route.[9] The overall length of the event was met with agreement, with some teams noting that they do not "yet have the staff or numbers ... for a three-week event."[10]
The route itself required a waiver from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), as Women's WorldTour races have a maximum stage length of 160 kilometres (99 mi) and a maximum race length of six days.[11] The restrictions were criticised by the professional peloton and campaigners as "sexist", as the UCI does not allow women to compete over identical distances as men.[12]
Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 July | Paris: Tour Eiffel to Champs-Élysées | 81.6 km (50.7 mi) | Flat stage | Lorena Wiebes (NED) | |
2 | 25 July | Meaux to Provins | 136.4 km (84.8 mi) | Hilly stage | Marianne Vos (NED) | |
3 | 26 July | Reims to Épernay | 133.6 km (83.0 mi) | Hilly stage | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) | |
4 | 27 July | Troyes to Bar-sur-Aube | 126.8 km (78.8 mi) | Medium-mountain stage | Marlen Reusser (SUI) | |
5 | 28 July | Bar-le-Duc to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges | 175.6 km (109.1 mi) | Flat stage | Lorena Wiebes (NED) | |
6 | 29 July | Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Rosheim | 129.2 km (80.3 mi) | Hilly stage | Marianne Vos (NED) | |
7 | 30 July | Sélestat to Le Markstein | 127.1 km (79.0 mi) | Mountain stage | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | |
8 | 31 July | Lure to La Super Planche des Belles Filles | 123.3 km (76.6 mi) | Mountain stage | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | |
Total | 1,033.6 km (642.2 mi) |
Annemiek van Vleuten, Elisa Longo Borghini, Ashleigh Moolman, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Marta Cavalli and Katarzyna Niewiadoma were all named as pre-race favourites for the general classification (GC),[13][14] with Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Balsamo tipped for the points classification.[14] The field of 144 was described as "packed with talent",[15] with the top 28 riders in the UCI rankings all taking part.[4]
Media coverage prior to the event was very positive,[16] calling the race a "historic moment for women's cycling"[17] and "game changing".[18] There was some criticism regarding the €250,000 prize fund (compared to the €2.2m prize fund for the men's race).[19] ASO noted that the prize fund was larger than men's races of similar length – such as the Critérium du Dauphiné.[19] Riders from The Cyclists' Alliance (a union representing the female peloton) stated that live TV coverage for races was their biggest priority, rather than prize money.[19][20]
Stage 1 of the tour took place on 24 July in Paris, with a start beneath the Eiffel Tower and eight laps around the Champs-Élysées (on the traditional circuit which concluded the men's tour later that day). In a sprint finish, Wiebes (Team DSM) outsprinted Marianne Vos (Jumbo–Visma) to take the first yellow jersey of the race, as well as the green jersey of the points classification.[21][22] Stage 2 to Provins was marred by multiple crashes in the final 30 kilometres (19 mi), with Cavalli (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) having to abandon the race as a result. Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) also came close to abandoning the race after suffering from a stomach infection and being unable to eat or drink. In the final, Vos outsprinted a small group to take the yellow and green jerseys.[23][24]
Stage 3 took place on rolling terrain, with a final loop into Épernay. On the Côte de Mutigny, seven riders contending for the general classification broke away from the peloton. On the final steep climb to the finish, Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) outsprinted the group to take the stage while Femke Gerritse (Parkhotel Valkenburg) took the lead in the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification.[25][26]
Stage 4 to Bar-sur-Aube was another hilly stage, its final half including four gravel sections. Multiple riders including Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM), Longo Borghini (Trek–Segafredo), Uttrup Ludwig and van Vleuten suffered punctures and other issues but most of them were able to rejoin the peloton and not lose time. Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) was hit by her own team car while chasing back after a mechanical, causing her to lose a minute and a half. With around 23 kilometres (14 mi) remaining, Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) attacked, riding solo to win the stage by nearly a minute and a half.[27][28]
Continuing east across France, stage 5 to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges was the longest of the Women's WorldTour calendar at 175.6 kilometres (109.1 mi). With around 45 kilometres (28 mi) left, a crash in the peloton took down several riders, with Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) having to abandon. In the final sprint, Wiebes overtook Balsamo and Vos to secure her second stage win. In the GC, Vos kept the yellow jersey, extending her advantage to 20 seconds due to bonuses.[29][30] Stage 6 to Rosheim was a hilly stage, with four categorised climbs and another climb with bonus seconds at the top. On the descent of the penultimate climb, a small group including Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) crashed on the descent, with everyone involved finishing the stage. The early breakaway was caught in the closing kilometres, with the stage win determined by a bunch sprint. Vos outsprinted Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and Kopecky to win her second stage of the race. In the GC, Vos extended her advantage due to the ten bonus seconds she gained for the stage win as the race headed towards the mountains.[31][32]
Stages 7 and 8 took place in the Vosges mountains in Grand Est, with five category 1 climbs over the two days, and two summit finishes.[6]
Stage 7 had 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) of vertical climbing including the Grand Ballon, and was considered as the queen stage of the race. On the first climb of the day, Vos was dropped, ensuring that the yellow jersey would change hands at the end of the day. Meanwhile, Wiebes abandoned the race, following her crash on stage 6.[33] On the Petit Bellon, with 86 kilometres (53 mi) remaining, van Vleuten broke away from the peloton with only Demi Vollering (SD Worx) able to match her pace. A chase group with most of the other GC contenders formed behind them. A kilometre (0.6 mi) from the top of the Col du Platzerwasel, the second climb of the day, van Vleuten accelerated ahead of Vollering. Van Vleuten extended her lead to almost four minutes by the final climb of the Grand Ballon. Van Vleuten lost some time to Vollering on the final plateau section, but nevertheless achieved an impressive stage win, 3 min 26 s ahead of Vollering, who took the polka-dot jersey as leader of the QoM. In the GC, van Vleuten took the yellow jersey, more than three minutes ahead of Vollering while Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) rounded out the podium at four and a half minutes down. Despite losing the yellow jersey, Vos continued to hold the green jersey.[34][35]
Stage 8 was the second mountain stage of the Tour, with three categorised climbs. The final climb to La Super Planche des Belles Filles was 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long with an average gradient of 8.7 percent, with the final kilometre featuring an extended gravel section with gradients as high as 24 percent. On the first climb, no break had been established and Vollering was able to take maximum points to extend her lead in the QoM classification. With 57 kilometres (35 mi) to go, van Vleuten suffered a mechanical and SD Worx and Trek–Segafredo increased the pace of the peloton. Van Vleuten rejoined the peloton at the foot of the second climb, the Ballon d'Alsace. On the climb, van Vleuten made four more bike changes but she quickly made it back to the peloton each time. On the final climb to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, van Vleuten attacked from the peloton with 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) remaining. She passed the remnants of the breakaway with Vollering in pursuit. Much like the previous day, a chase group of GC contenders formed behind them. Van Vleuten gradually extended her lead and won the stage and the Tour title. Vollering finished 30 seconds behind, confirming her win in the QoM classification.[36][37]
In the final general classification, van Vleuten (Movistar Team) won the Tour de France Femmes with an advantage over Vollering (SD Worx) of almost four minutes while Niewiadoma was third at more than six and a half minutes down. Vollering won the mountains classification while Vos (Team Jumbo–Visma) won the points classification and the super-combativity award. Shirin van Anrooij (Trek–Segafredo) won the young rider classification. The team classification was won by Canyon–SRAM as the team with the lowest aggregate time among their three best-placed riders.[36][37] Out of 144 starters, 109 finished the event.[38]
Worldwide media coverage praised the event,[39][40] with CNN calling the race a "rebirth",[41] Cycling Weekly stating that the race was a "huge step for the women's sport",[42] and L'Équipe stating that people came to see "the Tour de France without making the slightest distinction between men and women".[43] Race director Marion Rousse stated that "it's a proper Tour de France, with the caravan, the crowds, placards, flags"[44] and Le Tour Entier co-founder Kathryn Bertine called it a "wonderful edition".[45]
Riders also praised the event, with Niewiadoma noting it was one of the most difficult races that the women's peloton has taken part in,[46] and fourth-place overall Juliette Labous (Team DSM) explained that she was surprised by the large crowds, stating "I didn't expect this much, I knew there would be a lot of people but I didn't expect as much as this."[47]
Future improvements to the race were also discussed,[39] including increasing the riders in each team,[48] more days of racing (including an individual time trial and stages in the Alps or Pyrenees mountains),[48][49] and increased sponsorship.[50] It was also noted that work was still required to improve the competitive depth and "economic model" of the women's peloton,[50][48] with L'Équipe referencing the "enormous difference in level between the ... runners-up and the rest of the peloton".[51]
Stage | Winner | General classification |
Points classification |
Mountains classification |
Young rider classification |
Team classification |
Combativity award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lorena Wiebes | Lorena Wiebes | Lorena Wiebes[a] | Femke Markus | Maike van der Duin | Canyon–SRAM | Gladys Verhulst |
2 | Marianne Vos | Marianne Vos | Marianne Vos[b] | Maike van der Duin | |||
3 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig | Femke Gerritse | Julie De Wilde | Alena Amialiusik | |||
4 | Marlen Reusser | SD Worx | Marlen Reusser | ||||
5 | Lorena Wiebes | Victoire Berteau | |||||
6 | Marianne Vos | Julia Borgström | Marie Le Net | ||||
7 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Annemiek van Vleuten | Demi Vollering | Shirin van Anrooij | Canyon–SRAM | Annemiek van Vleuten | |
8 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Mavi García | |||||
Final | Annemiek van Vleuten | Marianne Vos | Demi Vollering | Shirin van Anrooij | Canyon–SRAM | Marianne Vos |
Legend | |||
---|---|---|---|
Denotes the leader of the General classification | Denotes the leader of the Mountains classification | ||
Denotes the leader of the Points classification | Denotes the leader of the Young rider (under 23) classification | ||
Denotes the leader of the Team classification | Denotes the winner of the Combativity award |
Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | Movistar Team | 26 h 55 min 44 s |
2 | Demi Vollering (NED) | SD Worx | + 3 min 48 s |
3 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | Canyon–SRAM | + 6 min 35 s |
4 | Juliette Labous (FRA) | Team DSM | + 7 min 28 s |
5 | Silvia Persico (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | + 8 min 00 s |
6 | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 8 min 26 s |
7 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 8 min 59 s |
8 | Évita Muzic (FRA) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 13 min 54 s |
9 | Veronica Ewers (USA) | EF Education–Tibco–SVB | + 15 min 05 s |
10 | Mavi García (ESP) | UAE Team ADQ | + 15 min 15 s |
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Marianne Vos (NED) | Team Jumbo–Visma | 272 |
2 | Lotte Kopecky (BEL) | SD Worx | 174 |
3 | Maria Giulia Confalonieri (ITA) | Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling | 127 |
4 | Silvia Persico (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | 106 |
5 | Demi Vollering (NED) | SD Worx | 104 |
6 | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | 104 |
7 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | Canyon–SRAM | 97 |
8 | Elisa Balsamo (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | 85 |
9 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | 77 |
10 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | Movistar Team | 76 |
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Demi Vollering (NED) | SD Worx | 42 |
2 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | Movistar Team | 38 |
3 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | Canyon–SRAM | 15 |
4 | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | 14 |
5 | Mavi García (ESP) | UAE Team ADQ | 11 |
6 | Pauliena Rooijakkers (NED) | Canyon–SRAM | 11 |
7 | Grace Brown (AUS) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | 10 |
8 | Femke Gerritse (NED) | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 9 |
9 | Silvia Persico (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | 8 |
10 | Juliette Labous (FRA) | Team DSM | 6 |
Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Shirin van Anrooij (NED) | Trek–Segafredo | 27 h 21 min 34 s |
2 | Mischa Bredewold (NED) | Parkhotel Valkenburg | + 5 min 41 s |
3 | Julia Borgström (SWE) | AG Insurance–NXTG | + 16 min 43 s |
4 | Vittoria Guazzini (ITA) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 23 min 48 s |
5 | Marie Le Net (FRA) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 27 min 35 s |
6 | Julie De Wilde (BEL) | Plantur–Pura | + 28 min 14 s |
7 | Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) | Team DSM | + 31 min 54 s |
8 | Magdeleine Vallieres (CAN) | EF Education–Tibco–SVB | + 38 min 29 s |
9 | Henrietta Christie (NZL) | Human Powered Health | + 35 min 14 s |
10 | Victoire Berteau (FRA) | Cofidis | + 38 min 54 s |
Rank | Team | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Canyon–SRAM | 81 h 27 min 09 s |
2 | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 14 min 19 s |
3 | Trek–Segafredo | + 24 min 34 s |
4 | SD Worx | + 32 min 09 s |
5 | Movistar Team | + 33 min 24 s |
6 | Team BikeExchange–Jayco | + 52 min 32 s |
7 | Team DSM | + 54 min 59 s |
8 | Team Jumbo–Visma | + 58 min 00 s |
9 | UAE Team ADQ | + 1 h 00 min 59 s |
10 | EF Education–Tibco–SVB | + 1 h 15 min 37 s |
Live television coverage was provided by France Télévisions in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union.[55][56] There was over 22 hours of live coverage over the 8 stages,[57] with some viewers requesting that live TV coverage be expanded to encompass the entire length of the stage.[58] The race was broadcast around the world, including on NBC's Peacock in the United States,[59] on Eurosport across Europe and by a variety of national broadcasters such as France 3, RTVE and SBS.[60]
Following the event, broadcasters reported high viewing figures, with a cumulative live audience of 23.2 million.[61][62] In France, France 3 reported an average of 2.25 million viewers over the eight stages (an 26% audience share), and a peak of 5.1 million watching the final part of stage 8 (a 45% audience share).[57][63] This is just under half the audience of the men's tour.[63] In the Netherlands, a 45% audience share was reported at peak times.[63] Eurosport reported a reach of over 14 million across Europe.[57] France Télévisions commented that the audience figures were a good surprise, and that they were "a very solid basis on which the world of cycling will be able to build".[64]
The 1st edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will kick off on Sunday, 24 July
More than 93,000 have signed a petition by the group, led by cyclist and writer Kathryn Bertine, World Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington, and cyclists Marianne Vos and Emma Pooley.
Some big names have praised the variety that the course will offer.
First, it's a huge victory; we finally have a Tour de France Femmes. We need to celebrate these eight days.
While there was initially criticism regarding the length of the event, the general consensus in the peloton appears to be that this is a good place to start, and that the women's WorldTour field does not yet have the staff or numbers to field teams for a 3-week event.
We need to pay attention to the underlying sexism: UCI and ASO still uphold the belief that women cannot complete the same distance as men, and are therefore regulated to shorter distances.
I think if you asked everyone in the peloton what's more important, the prize money or the TV coverage, I think most would say TV coverage.
the rebirth edition of the Tour de France Femmes
Huge crowds, excellent organisation, a good route and plenty of press attention, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a huge step for the women's sport
Le pari d'attirer l'attention sur cette nouvelle épreuve est réussi, le public a été fidèle au Tour de France femmes au-delà des prévisions. Les camping-caristes des trois semaines du Tour masculin ont poursuivi l'aventure durant ces sept journées supplémentaires, et ont rencontré un autre public venu voir passer le Tour de France sans faire la moindre distinction entre les hommes et les femmes.[The challenge of attracting attention to this new event was successful, the public was loyal to the Women's Tour de France beyond predictions. The campervans of the three weeks of the Men's Tour continued the adventure during these seven additional days, and met another public who had come to watch the Tour de France pass without making the slightest distinction between men and women.]
And even though it's the first year, it's a proper Tour de France, with the caravan, the crowds, placards, flags – it's great.
Fourth overall, DSM's Juliette Labous was France's top placed rider on GC and has been surprised by the reception. "I didn't expect this much, I knew there would be a lot of people but I didn't expect as much as this,"
S'il ne faut pas sous-estimer la performance d'Annemiek van Vleuten, on savait déjà que la Néerlandaise était au-dessus du lot. L'énorme différence de niveau entre le groupe réduit de ses dauphines et le reste du peloton n'a pas permis d'assister à de véritables passes d'armes.[While Annemiek van Vleuten's performance should not be underestimated, we already knew that the Dutchwoman was above the rest. The enormous difference in level between the small group of runners-up and the rest of the peloton did not allow us to witness any real battles.]
Some viewers have even called for coverage to be shown from kilometre zero like the men's race instead of picking up the action later in the stage.
«C'est une belle surprise d'audience», a indiqué à l'AFP Laurent-Eric Le Lay, directeur des sports de France Télévisions. «C'était un véritable test, et c'est une base très solide sur laquelle le monde du cyclisme va pouvoir construire».[It's a nice audience surprise," Laurent-Eric Le Lay, sports director of France Télévisions, told AFP. "It was a real test, and it is a very solid basis on which the world of cycling will be able to build.]