The new Olympic street race champion Kristen Faulkner has been confirmed to race within the upcoming Tour de France Femmes, which begins in Rotterdam on Monday. EF-Oatly-Cannondale introduced their workforce of seven riders on Wednesday, naming fellow Olympians Alison Jackson, Noemi Rüegg, and Kim Cadzow together with Lotta Henttala, Magdeleine Vallieres and Clara Edmond.
Faulkner will compete within the ladies’s Team Pursuit on Wednesday as her last occasion of the Paris Olympics earlier than returning her focus to her professional street workforce, which gained entry to the Tour de France Femmes as a wild card workforce this yr.
“The Olympic street race confirmed me that my type is de facto good, maybe the very best it is ever been,” Faulkner stated within the press launch.
“I’m excited to take that into the Tour de France Femmes and attempt to win some levels. I’ve gained levels on the Vuelta and Giro, so the Tour is one I nonetheless wish to cross off the record. I’m additionally excited to help my teammates. I’ve been so targeted on observe and Olympic preparations that I have never raced with my EF-Oatly-Cannondale teammates since June. I’m so excited to reunite with them. It’s been too lengthy.”
Faulkner has had unhealthy luck with the Tour de France Femmes, struggling two crashes within the opening levels in 2022 and never with the ability to race in 2023 after struggling a knee harm after being hit by a driver simply weeks earlier than the Tour.
Cadzow, 22, has had a robust season, inserting within the prime 10 total on the Tour de Suisse and Vuelta a España Femenina in addition to profitable the UCI 2.2 Trofeo Ponente in Rosa in March.
“My objective is to get caught into the racing,” Cadzow stated. “I wish to benefit from the expertise and help the workforce as finest as doable. I count on the workforce to supply some stellar performances. I’m trying ahead to attending to see what the environment on the Tour is like! It’s a pinnacle biking occasion so how can one not be a bit excited.”
Because of the Olympics, the Tour de France Femmes begins with three levels within the Netherlands together with a brief 6.3km particular person time trial on stage 3 earlier than shifting on to Belgium for a end in Liège.
Vallieres can be racing the Tour for the third time and is trying ahead to that fourth stage.
“It actually fits our workforce tremendous properly. It’s a bit much like Liège-Bastonge-Liège the place we did fairly properly with Kim within the breakaway. I believe this squad is tremendous robust. We have a number of riders who can do properly on this stage.”
The race lastly reaches France on stage 5 earlier than three of essentially the most troublesome levels in Tour de France Femmes historical past together with the large climb of Le Grand Bornand on stage 7 and the grand finale on l’Alpe d’Huez on the ultimate day.
“If we come collectively as a workforce, we are able to actually obtain one thing nice, not simply on this stage however on most levels. It can be tremendous particular to have the final stage on Alpe d’Huez, on such a particular and legendary climb. It’s going to be a particular Tour,” Vallieres stated.
“We’re searching for stage wins. I can’t wait to verify Alpe d’Huez off the bucket record,” stated Jackson, who makes her second look on the Grand Tour.
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes – together with breaking information and evaluation reported by our journalists on the bottom from each stage because it occurs and extra. Find out extra.
