The 2024 Tour de France Femmes promises an exhilarating conclusion with the penultimate stage leading directly into a gruelling final day. The riders will face a 150-kilometre challenge culminating at the iconic Alpe d’Huez.
Stage 7 will have already shaken up the general classification, but the final stage could change everything. Starting from Le Grand-Bornand, where the previous stage finished, the peloton will first tackle the Col de Tamié (9.5 km at 4.0%). This is merely a warm-up for the Col du Glandon (19.7 km at 7.2%), a climb renowned for its steep gradient, especially the final kilometre at nearly 9%.
After reaching the summit of the Glandon at the 83 km mark, the riders will get a brief respite before facing the ultimate challenge: Alpe d’Huez. Known for its 21 hairpin bends, this 13.8 km climb at an average gradient of 8% is legendary, often painted in orange to honour Dutch cycling fans.
Historical Significance
The Alpe d’Huez has a storied history in cycling. The last winner on the Col du Glandon was Gino Mäder during the final stage of the 2018 Tour de l’Avenir. The climb has been part of the Tour de France twelve times, marking it as a heavyweight challenge.
The winner of this stage joins illustrious names like Geraint Thomas, Thibaut Pinot, and Marco Pantani. Dutch cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel also claimed victory twice here in the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale in the early 1990s.
Favourites to Watch
Demi Vollering stands out as the favourite, having shown her climbing strength previously. However, Kasia Niewiadoma, the second-best climber in the peloton, will be a significant threat. The gap between them is 1:15, making Vollering’s task arduous but not impossible. Some speculate that an early attack on the Glandon could be a strategy, but a decisive move on Alpe d’Huez seems more likely.
Other contenders include Évita Muzic, who alongside Juliette Labous, hopes to achieve what Jeannie Longo couldn’t: a French victory on Alpe d’Huez. Gaia Realini might also play a significant role, given her climbing capabilities, despite a challenging start. Gaia Realini will always be in the mix on a big climb like this too. It’s similar for Pauliena Rooijakkers who has lost less time than many GC rivals this week.
The cyclocross talents also add spice to the mix. Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij will be eyeing the white jersey, while Thalita de Jong could surprise.
Teams and Other Notables
Justine Ghekiere has shown it’s possible for someone other than Vollering or Niewiadoma to win a mountain stage. Could her success inspire a compatriot like Lotte Claes? The Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, with riders such as Maeva Squiban and Valentina Cavallar, is performing well and could spring a surprise as a pure climber. Other names to watch include Sarah Gigante (just hanging around outside the top 15), Mareille Meijering (15th in GC), Mavi García (21st in GC and likely to move up), and last year’s white jersey winner Cédrine Kerbaol who sits 3rd in GC at the moment.
