Tour de France Femmes 2024: Dutch excitement as Visma prepares for home soil start

Riejanne Markus, a key rider for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, has expressed her excitement about the stages taking place in the Netherlands. “That is really super special,” she says, reflecting on the rare opportunity for the race to begin in her home country. Markus, whose partner hails from Dordrecht, looks forward to the support from family and friends. “The whole family will come to watch, along with many friends. It’s very cool that the race is so close to home for once, and it’s also the biggest race of the year.”

Markus’s preparation has gone smoothly, and she feels ready for the challenge ahead. “I’ve been able to train well and then had a good race in Poland. After that, I was able to fine-tune things during a new training block. The approach to the Tour de France Femmes is more intense this year than ever before, in my opinion. Initially, this intensity also came from the team. That is, of course, incredibly motivating.”

Vos aiming for stage wins

Marianne Vos, the Olympic silver medallist, is set to start her third Tour de France Femmes and is equally thrilled about the Dutch start. “Now that the start is in the Netherlands, it feels a bit different than usual. I’m very curious about the atmosphere in the Netherlands,” she says, recognising the added pressure and excitement for Dutch riders and teams. “The Tour is the biggest race there is, so you always do everything to appear in the best possible shape.”

Vos has her sights set on stage wins during the Tour. “I’m going to try to go for a stage win again,” she confirms. “There are certainly stages where we have marked opportunities as a team, but if chances arise anywhere, we will certainly go for it.”

Team goals and overall ambitions

Team Visma’s sports director, Jan Boven, has outlined the team’s ambitions for the race. “After a good classification in the Vuelta a España, we want to achieve that again in the Tour de France Femmes. Riejanne is our designated rider for this. Demi Vollering is the absolute top favourite for the overall victory, but as far as I’m concerned, there are many contenders for the places behind her,” Boven explains.

Markus is aiming for a strong overall performance, hoping to break into the top ten for the first time. “I haven’t finished in the top ten in the Tour yet. I hope to achieve that this year. I’ve secretly circled the time trial on day two in red. It’s a very nice course that should suit me well.”

Boven also highlights the importance of the final stage, which concludes on Alpe d’Huez, a climb familiar to cycling fans around the world. “With such a magical start in the Netherlands, this Tour had to end in a mythical place. That is certainly the case with Alpe d’Huez. The start is in the Netherlands, and the finish on a Dutch mountain. This should give cycling in the Netherlands a boost again.”

Markus, who recently trained on the iconic climb, shares her hopes for the final stage. “That was with my sister during a training camp. It’s a beautiful mountain. I hope to secure a top ten overall classification for the first time in my life that day.”