Key events
75km to go: The peloton seem to be sticking together for the moment. There has been an update on Benito from her team: she is conscious and on her way to the hospital.
78km to go: Laurance is about to be swallowed up by the peloton after having her 30sec lead cut.
Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) spoke to Eurosport ahead of today’s stage and has shared her hope to be an “impactful” teammate for Elisa Longo Borghini. Due to being pregnant during the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes, this is Deignan’s debut. She says that although she is not physically in the “top tier”, she is mentally at an advantage. The British rider also says that she did not enjoy the recon of today’s stage and predicts a “fast and hectic” day.
88km to go: Fouquenet gave it a try but couldn’t quite get across to Laurance so is sitting up and waiting for the peloton to reach her. Out front, Laurance has a gap of 32sec.
Mireia Benito abandons
89km to go: Spanish ITT champion Benito has had to abandon following a crash. It seems like the AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step rider clipped the edge of the road and went down heavily in a ditch.
94km to go: Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa) is trying to join Laurance but the peloton are looming behind. There is around a 20sec gap for Laurance.
95km to go: Typhaine Laurance (Lifeplus Wahoo) attacked but her move was followed by the peloton. She tries again and has got a small gap. Behind, Mireia Benito of AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step has crashed and doesn’t look in a good way.
99km to go: With just under 110km to go, Le Deunff is reeled in and the peloton are all back together. Who is eyeing up a chance for the next attack?
100km to go: Tacey has been caught by the peloton but Le Deunff is still out there solo.
102km to go: British rider April Tacey (LifePlus Wahoo) has broken away to try and bridge over to Le Deunff. The Arkea rider has a gap of 30sec to the peloton.
104km to go: Marie Morgane Le Deunff for Arkéa Pro Cycling Team has attacked solo. There doesn’t seem to be any reaction from the peloton though. There is still a long way to go so a solo attack won’t bother them too much at the moment.
107km to go: As always, there are some beautiful looking bikes in the peloton, but Elisa Balsomo of Lidl-Trek is particularly proud of her steed. Take a look at that…
Ladies and gentlemen: my UNICORN bike 🦄 for Le Tour de France 🟡
Here’s my new Project One ICON for #TDFF2023… the Chroma Ultra-Iridescent and isn’t it beautiful?! pic.twitter.com/W2sCz5ULee
— Elisa Balsamo (@Elisa_balsamo) July 23, 2023
109km to go: While the start looks calm, the racing is speedier thank it looks reports Slappendel. She’s estimating around 40-50kmph and not much chatting between the riders. As the commentators on Eurosport point out, the road is not conducive to an attack yet as the peloton can see about 4km ahead.
112km to go: Just as I was about to write that the bunch are all sticking together, there was a small attack. A few riders are testing their legs at the front of the bunch. Could we see a breakaway forming?
115km to go: While we wait for some more action – and an attack – it would be nice to share that there are a few birthdays today. So far I’ve seen that Esmée Peperkamp(Team DSM) and Norwegian champion Susanne AnderseN (Uno-X) are both celebrating their birthday.
120km to go: Almost half of the peloton is made up of debutants. Of the 154 riders, 72 of them are taking part in their first Tour. Dutch riders make for the biggest contingent, with 27 riders, ahead of the French (21) and Italians (19).
They’re racing in stage one!
123km to go: Race director and former pro-cyclist, Marion Rousse, has waved the flag and the racing is officially underway. What is going to happen? Email or tweet me your thoughts.
Some thoughts from Iris: Former pro-rider, and absolute delight, Iris Slappendel is back on the motorbike for Eurosport and has been talking of her excitement for this year’s edition of the Tour de France Femme. She predicts that today will be a “nervous, chaotic stage with a tricky final.”
Over eight day’s worth of racing, the peloton will face one mountain stage, two hilly stages, four flat stages and an individual time trial to finish. You can see the full route in the image below.
Stage one of the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes is underway
The riders are off and have a neutralised 7.7km to warm them up. Last year’s winner, Annemiek van Vleuten of Movistar is up front, as expected, along with the other big names, such as Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Elisa Longo Borghin (Lidl-Trek).
Here is how today’s stage profile looks:
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023
Welcome to the second ever Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. This year’s edition will feature 154 riders representing 22 different teams as they pedal their way along 956 kilometres of road over eight days. Today’s 123.8km stage will see the peloton roll out of Clermont-Ferrand in a day that might be suited to the sprinters.
Ahead of the start of the Tour de France Femmes 2023, my colleague, Jeremy Whittle has written some words on what we can expect:
The 2023 edition is bigger, more adventurous and, with the inclusion of the Pyrenees and a time trial, a far sterner test. After an opening stage that loops out and back from Clermont-Ferrand, the peloton heads south into the hills of Cantal, Correze, Dordogne and Tarn with finishes in Mauriac, Montignac-Lascaux, Rodez and Albi.
After a flatter stage to Blagnac, in the suburbs of Toulouse, next Saturday’s Pyrenean stage takes in the climb of the Col d’Aspin before the 17km haul to the 2,110 metre summit of the Tourmalet.