{"id":205966,"date":"2026-07-31T10:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=205966"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:51:11","slug":"vollering-ferrand-prevot-co-favourites-to-win-the-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2026\/07\/31\/vollering-ferrand-prevot-co-favourites-to-win-the-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift\/","title":{"rendered":"Vollering, Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot Co-Favourites to Win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (TdFFaZ) is the longest and highest ever, with its 1,175 km route and elevation gain of 18,795 metres (compared to 17,240 last year). But in keeping with tradition, it has a new legendary climb as its centrepiece; this time it’s the \u201cGiant of Provence\u201d, Mont Ventoux.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The race<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The race spends the first two and a half days in Switzerland, with a lumpy stage 1 to a modest uphill finish that could suit a breakaway or a sprinter with decent climbing legs. The next two days are for bunch sprint finishes, leading to Tuesday’s spicy stage 4, a 21 <\/span>km<\/span> individual time trial that ends in Dijon, home of the eponymous mustard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 5 has 2,900 metr<\/span>es<\/span> of climbing and eight classified climbs, three of them Category 2s, with the longest one, the C\u00f4te de Cenves (9.6 <\/span>km<\/span> @ 4.5%), right after the start. But the action should explode on the slopes of the last one, the Mont Brouilly (3 <\/span>km<\/span> @ 7.7%). Brouilly is also the name of one of the better Beaujolais wines, which is made from the Gamay grapes that grow around the mountain’s base and on its slopes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 6 contains six categorised climbs and will almost certainly be won by a non-GC rider from a very competitive breakaway, because the GC <\/span>favourites<\/span> will be saving their legs for Friday’s stage 7 and the summit finish atop Mont Ventoux (15.7 <\/span>km<\/span> @ 7.7%). There’s lots of climbing on the stage so expect a small group of riders on the final climb, which will probably decide the TdFFaZ winner \u2013 because stage 8 is for sprinters and the four climbs of the Col d’<\/span> \u00c8ze (7.7 <\/span>km<\/span> @ 5.9% for the first three ascents and 6 <\/span>km<\/span> @ 7.6% for the final climb, from another approach) on the final stage are not selective enough to make for large gaps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will it be Vollering?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Demi Vollering (FDJ United\u2013Suez) has come back this year from last year’s TdFFaZ defeat by Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot by winning the Volta de la <\/span>Comunitat<\/span> Valenciana, the Giro d’Italia Women, Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge Femmes, La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne Femmes, the Tour of Flanders<\/span>,<\/span> and Omloop Nieuwsblad. That record reminds me of a certain Slovenian cyclist of the male persuasion who has just won the fifth Tour of his career. I think, like Tadej Poga\u010dar, she will win this Tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

She is strong, fast, highly motivated<\/span>,<\/span> and smart. She has always been the best woman cyclist, but has made some bad decisions, has had some bad luck and so had never really put fear into the hearts of her rivals as Poga\u010dar does. This year, though, she may have. And she has a great support team, with Franziska Koch, who never seems to tire, the brilliant 20-year-old French champion C\u00e9lia Gery, \u00c9vita Muzic<\/span>,<\/span> and Juliette Berthet. I like her chances.<\/span><\/p>\n

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