The new women's cycling season will be characterised by two mega-events in France. At the Tour de France Femmes the mythical cycling summit for the first time Alpe d'Huezshortly before that, however, in Paris at 2024 Olympics for gold. This is particularly important for female cyclists. "An Olympic victory is just as important for men as it is for women. That's why it's a very big goal for some of our female athletes," says Dirk Baldinger from the German racing team Ceratizit-WNT-Pro Cycling.
Olympics only every four years
World champion and Tour runner-up Lotty Kopecky also prioritises the Olympics: "I like the Tour route, and the fact that it goes through Belgium is also very nice. On the other hand, the Tour is every year and the Olympic Games only take place every four years." Despite the possibility of some stars not starting, the importance of the Tour de France Femmes will not be jeopardised by the Olympics. "The Tour is the ultimate. It has an enormous reach. Just like the men's race, it towers above everything else and is the biggest brand in our sport," says sporting director Ronny Lauke from the Canyon//SRAM racing team.
As with the men, the women's World Tour race series begins with the Santos Tour Down Under in January. The race is a must for female riders from Australia in particular. The newly formed Liv-AlUla Jayco team will even be competing with only local riders. Defending champion Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) and three-time winner Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) have also confirmed their participation.
Women's cycling calendar 2024: Willunga Hill the first highlight
The highlight will be the Willunga Hill, which has characterised the men's race for many years. More and more high mountains are the trend anyway: the Giro d'Italia Women 2024organised for the first time by the men's organiser RCS, attracts with the ride to the log cabin, the Tour de France Femmes 2024 with the 21 hairpin bends to L'Alpe d'Huez. "As a racer, I didn't really care about the name of the mountain. They were all pretty hard and in the end the best came out on top. The only difference is that there are more people on the iconic mountains," comments Canyon//SRAM boss Ronny Lauke on the organisers' penchant for summit glamour.
Tour de France Femmes 2024: foreign start and half stages
Tour race director Marion Rousse is more euphoric. She calls the trip to L'Alpe d'Huez "a stage of Dantean dimensions". Another innovation is the first foreign start in Rotterdam. The two half stages on the second day are also unusual: a short and largely flat stage over 67 kilometres in the morning, followed by a time trial. "Although we are starting on a Monday, we wanted to keep eight stages," explains Rousse and predicts a "challenge for the riders due to the fatigue on this day". However, one or two of the participants will be travelling to the race already quite tired. Because before the Grand Depart on 12 August in Rotterdam, the Olympic Games in Paris are on the agenda with the road race on 4 August and the track competitions from 5 to 11 August.
The ascent to L'Alpe d'Huez will be a stage of Dantean dimensions! - Marion Rousse, Director TdFF
The proximity of the Olympics and Tour de France Femmes causes concern
The proximity of the two main events of the year is causing a headache for many of those involved, as those who want to take part in the track races have to manage their training load differently and compete in qualifying competitions. "As a road team, we take a step back and free up the riders. But in some races they also have to do something for the team," says Dirk Baldinger from Team Ceratizit-WNT, explaining the task. For him, this primarily concerns the Tokyo Olympic champion in the team pursuit Franziska Brauße, the two-time British Olympic track champion Katie Archibald and the three-time world champion Martina Fidanza from Italy.
"If they win a gold medal, that also reflects on the team," he hopes for win-win effects. One positive aspect is the increasing number of races in Germany. The traditional Tour of Thuringia (25-30 June) will be joined by the Grand Prix Stuttgart (15 September) and the Tour de Berlin feminin. The latter will be extended to three days (2-4 August). "The event was very well received. And because we want to make the travelling worthwhile for the teams, there are now three stages," says race director Claudiu Ciurea.
The fact that the final stage in Berlin takes place on the same day as the Olympic road race doesn't bother him: "We don't see this as a problem, but believe that there is positive attention for cycling at the moment and that this is reflected on the route." With traditional Berlin modesty, one could say: The Tour de Berlin feminin represents the perfect hinge between the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France Femmes. And it doesn't always have to be Blockhaus and L'Alpe d'Huez. The Grunewald hill "Willi" also has its fans.
