When the route for the 2024 Tour de France Femmes was announced, the final weekend was billed as an Alpine double-header that was sure to deliver GC action on both days. With five categorised climbs along the 166.4 kilometre route and a finish atop Le Grand Bornand, stage seven looked like the perfect launchpad for a bid to take yellow. As it turned out, however, the looming prospect of the race’s centrepiece: a finish atop Alpe d’Huez was too daunting to risk wasting any energy.
As the final, tough, day of the race approaches, the general classification could change considerably. With two Hors Categorie ascents, the Col du Glandon and Alpe d’Huez, there is no room to hide on the unforgivingly steep slopes and fast descents.
“Tomorrow was on the back of a lot of people’s minds today as it is by far the heaviest day of the Tour,” said Niamh Fisher-Black of SD Worx-Protime. “Differences will be made whether that is by us or another team, there will be differences made on climbs like that and steep slopes like that. We are talking about minutes so it will be a big game tomorrow.”
Yellow jersey weaarer Kasia Niewiadoma has the task of defending her lead against Demi Vollering, the rider who came into this race as the favourite to win overall. The 29-year-old lost a minute and 58 seconds to Vollering on the Col du Tourmalet last year despite an impressive effort to gain time on the descent between the Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet but has been vocal about her improved climbing skills this season and says she is prepared.
“We did a recon of the stage in June. We know the whole stage very well,” she said. “There is a very long descent indeed. It's still quite a long way from the bottom of descent to the bottom of the climb. I’m very curious to see how the peloton will ride this very long Glandon climb that is also very challenging.”
“I focus on recovery and fuelling for tomorrow's last climb.The last climb will be a personal effort. I have to dig deep and long to arrive to the bottom of Alpe d’Huez feeling fresh so I can do my best.”
Just over one and a half minutes separates the top ten riders on GC but with tired legs in the bunch and two mammoth climbs to tackle the race is sure to have split up considerably by the time the riders reach even the bottom of Alpe d’Huez and certainly by the summit.
“The first climb will be quite steep so definitely we will need some helpers and we don’t need to ride so hard,” said Canyon//SRAM directeur sportif, Adam Szabo. “It will come down to who makes the race hard and having the biggest number of riders over the first climb and pacing the Alpe d’Huez, but it could also be that the first climb is so hard that there will be just a single rider coming down from the descent and going up Alpe d’Huez.”
The cumulative effect of the previous stages has taken its toll on many riders in the peloton from a mental as well as a physical standpoint. From the double day in Rotterdam to the mental strain of ensuring that individual riders and GC leaders stay out of trouble in the chaotic early stages, the two climbs on Sunday’s stage will expose anyone who has expended too much effort up to this point.
Lidl-Trek’s GC hopeful, Gaia Realini, has had the support of her more experienced teammates so far and showed that she is capable of climbing with the GC riders on today’s stage. Her teammate, Shirin van Anrooij, was there to support the Italian on Le Grand Bornand but is also feeling the effects of the previous stages.
“I think tomorrow will be even harder but I also think everyone was a bit tired after such a long day in the saddle,” she said. “I think it’s just been full gas racing every day actually and very long stages as well. I think also everyone is maybe just a bit scared of the stage from tomorrow because that’s going to be even longer and harder. I think tomorrow will for sure be one big explosion on maybe already the Glandon.”
Alpe d’Huez may be the headliner but the equally difficult Col du Glandon has almost flown under the radar. The 19.7km climb has the ability to split the peloton even before the riders make it to the bottom of the final climb. Aside from the terrain itself, one factor that teams will need to be vigilant of is the weather. Forecasts predict heavy rain and even thunderstorms in the area that could wreak havoc especially on the descent between the Glandon and Alpe d’Huez.
“Tomorrow is a completely different stage, an extremely hard day,”said Danny Stam, General Manager of SD Worx-Protime. “You will see who is strongest. The day is really hard with the Glandon and the Alpe d’Huez and the wind and weather is going to be bad so we are going to have a very hard day.”
