The opening stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a 123km route starting in Rotterdam and finishing on the North Sea coast in The Hague. It’s the first time the race has started outside France and the strong Dutch contingent in the peloton features contenders for the opening stage win and the overall GC victory.
The stage commences with a 40km loop that features two trips through a long and recently constructed tunnel under the River Scheur, with the tunnel to be formally opened for this celebratory occasion. The riders will then find themselves on flat and wind-exposed terrain, as the route passes through tulip fields and urban areas, where the ‘Oranje’ fans will be out in force. Crosswinds leading to echelons could be a possibility, though the forecast does not suggest that the wind speed will be disruptively high.
Hot weather (with predicted temperatures of 30°C) and the numerous changes of direction along the route will test the robustness and alertness of the peloton, whilst there will surely be plenty of nervous energy amongst the 153 riders participating. The last five kilometres, which are wide and free of significant difficulties, lead to a final straight on an avenue ideal for a bunch sprint.
In this scenario the likes of Dutch trio Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) and Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) are expected to be amongst the main contenders for the win, fighting for the cherished Yellow Jersey on home roads.
Local star Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx - Protime) is the hot favourite for another GC triumph having taken the win in 2023. Unfortunately, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) is finally not on the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift start list due to injuries sustained in a recent training crash.
Vollering expects Longo Borghini’s teammate Gaia Realini to be a strong overall challenger, along with Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Evita Muzic (FDJ - SUEZ), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Niewiadoma’s colleague Neve Bradbury. The task for all those GC favourites’ teams is to keep them safe and in contention on what promises to be an intriguing opening day of racing.
