With the Paris Olympics highway racing drawing to an in depth on Sunday after Kristen Faulkner’s solo win, consideration now turns to the subsequent main occasion of the season, the Tour de France Femmes.
The greatest race of the Women’s WorldTour 12 months begins in Rotterdam on Monday, August 12, and groups are starting preparations for the primary overseas Grand Départ.
DSM-Firmenich PostNL have grow to be one of many first groups to verify their seven-rider squads for the race, with Charlotte Kool aiming for dash stage victories and an try at taking the yellow jersey on residence floor within the Netherlands. Meanwhile, French rider Juliette Labous will probably be main the workforce’s GC cost following a top-five end final 12 months and on the Giro d’Italia Women final month.
“I’m actually excited for the beginning of the Tour de France within the Netherlands; it is actually particular,” Kool stated. “The first few phases are literally round the place my boyfriend is from, so I do know the roads very well there and stage three begins in Valkenburg which can also be tremendous near the workforce’s Keep Challenging Center in Sittard, so they’re additionally residence coaching roads for us.
“I feel the route is particular this 12 months, with a variety of alternatives for the workforce. We have some actual exhausting phases the place Juliette can go for it within the GC, however there are some flatter phases initially of the race the place we are going to go for it with me as finisher within the sprints.
Kool will probably be going through off towards SD Worx-Protime and their star sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who she was once the final lead-out rider for as teammates on DSM, within the early sprints as each ladies search glory because the race begins of their residence nation.
“For me personally this 12 months I will probably be happy if I do all the things to be the perfect model of myself on the Tour de France. Of course, we’re aiming to go for a stage win but it surely’s essential to attempt all the things we will and revel in it too.
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“With Juliette, we actually wish to try to purpose for one more prime end in GC once more, I’ve a variety of confidence and belief in her so we are going to totally assist her for these objectives. We have a extremely robust workforce that can provide our all every day. I’m simply actually excited to get began.”
Francesco Barale, Rachele Barbieri, Pfeiffer Georgi, Franziska Koch, and Becky Storrie spherical out the DSM-Firmenich PostNL squad for the Tour.
Liv-AlUla-Jayco have additionally confirmed their lineup for the race, with Mavi García main the lineup as she goals for a robust common classification problem following a sixth place on the Paris Olympics highway race.
After ending tenth on the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, she’ll as soon as once more be aiming for a excessive GC inserting on the highway to L’Alpe d’Huez.
“We have a really good Tour de France Femmes route this 12 months wherein the entire workforce will go together with a variety of want to do it nicely,” García stated. “We have a really full workforce for this race with riders that may do nicely on many days! There are a variety of classic-style phases, and because the days go by, will probably be very exhausting for everybody.
“This has been a really concentrated a part of the season’s targets for me with the Giro d’Italia and the Olympic Games this summer season and I’m hoping for a robust outcome on the Tour.”
Australian highway champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon will assist García, although the 25-year-old will probably be handed the liberty to hunt out stage wins on the week-long race.
Amber Pate, Caroline Andersson, Jeanne Korevaar, Quinty Ton, and Silke Smulders will be a part of the pair in France.
“When I did the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, it definitely felt like the most important race I’ve ever performed, simply because of the variety of spectators and media curiosity,” Roseman-Gannon stated. “It was a extremely unimaginable ambiance and I’m excited to return again this 12 months with two extra years of coaching and expertise.
“I feel now we have a brilliant robust and versatile workforce which fits the various terrain, and attributes required to carry out within the technical metropolis circuits of the Netherlands and the mountains of the French Alps.”