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The 2022 Tour de France Femmes (officially 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift) was the first edition of the
Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes () is an annual women's road bicycle racing, cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's WorldTour, UCI Women's Wo ...
, a professional women's cycling race which took place from 24 to 31 July. It was the 16th event in the
2022 UCI Women's World Tour The 2022 UCI Women's World Tour was a competition that included twenty-three road bicycle racing, road cycling events throughout the 2022 in women's road cycling, 2022 women's cycling season. It was the seventh edition of the UCI Women's World To ...
. The Tour consisted of 8 stages, covering a distance of . Starting in 1955, various cycling races for women have been held similar to the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
for men, using different names (for example, Tour de France Féminin and
Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale Various professional women's cycle stage races across France have been held as an equivalent to the Tour de France for women, with the first of these races staged as a one off in 1955. From 1984, a women's Tour de France was staged consistently, ...
) and to a shorter length, unlike the three-weeks races for the men. The first edition of Tour de France Femmes followed years of campaigning by the women's professional
peloton In a road Cycle sport, bicycle race, the peloton (, originally meaning ) is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting (racing), drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The ...
for an equivalent race to the men's Tour de France. The race drew large crowds, had substantial international media coverage, and was highly praised by the public, media, teams, and riders. The race was won by
Annemiek van Vleuten Annemiek van Vleuten (; born 8 October 1982) is a retired Dutch professional Bicycle racing, road racing cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . Van Vleuten is twice a winner of both the UCI Road World Cha ...
(), taking the
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
(GC) leader's yellow jersey by winning both mountain stages in the latter part of the race.
Demi Vollering Adriana Geertruida "Demi" Vollering (; born 15 November 1996) is a Dutch professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam FDJ–Suez. Considered one of the greatest riders of her generation, sh ...
() finished in second place after placing behind van Vleuten on both mountain stages. Vollering also took the polka-dot jersey as winner of the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification. Third place went to
Katarzyna Niewiadoma Katarzyna "Kasia" Niewiadoma Phinney (; born 29 September 1994) is a Polish bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . Among her eighteen professional wins are the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 Tour d ...
(), who secured a podium position after top five finishes on both mountain stages.
Marianne Vos Marianne Vos (; born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch multi-discipline cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . After winning a junior European and World Championship in road racing, she continued her success in senior c ...
() won the green jersey for the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points c ...
following top five finishes in the first six stages, including two wins, as well as the super-combativity award for the most combative rider. Another two stages were won by sprinter
Lorena Wiebes Lorena Wiebes (born 17 March 1999) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Career Road On the road, Wiebes turned professional in 2018, riding for Parkhotel Valkenburg. In 2019, she became Dutch Nationa ...
().
Shirin van Anrooij Shirin van Anrooij (born 5 February 2002) is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . and UCI Cyclo-Cross Pro Team Baloise Trek Lions. She is the current under 23 UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion. H ...
() took the white jersey as the winner of the
young rider classification Young rider classification () in a cycling jersey competition in multi-day stage race events, such as the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and many others, is an award for the current leader by overall time for riders below the age of twenty-six years ...
, which was awarded to the best-placed rider under the age of 23. won the
team classification The team classification is one of the different rankings for which competitors can compete in a multiple stage cycling race. It differs from the other usual rankings (general classification, points, king of the mountain and best young rider competi ...
as the team with the lowest aggregate time among their three best-placed riders.


Background

The
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
is an annual men's multiple-stage
bicycle race "Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album ''Jazz'' and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song " Fat Bottomed Girls", re ...
held primarily in France, with the first race in 1903. It takes place over 21 stages across three weeks in July. Various professional women's cycle stage races across France have been held as an equivalent race for women, with the first taking place as a one off event in 1955. Between 1984 and 2009, a women's Tour de France was staged consistently, using the Tour de France Féminin name from 1984 to 1989. Several race organisers subsequently ran events such as the Tour Cycliste Féminin and Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale. These races struggled with financial difficulties, limited media coverage, sexism, and trademark issues with the organisers of the Tour de France,
Amaury Sport Organisation The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO and also A.S.O.) is a private company, founded in 1992, that is part of the privately-owned French media group Éditions Philippe Amaury (EPA). ASO organises the Tour de France and other cycling races, as well a ...
(ASO).


La Course by Le Tour de France

In 2013, activist group Le Tour Entier (“the whole tour”) began pushing for a revival of the women's Tour de France and other improvements to women's cycling. Following substantial media coverage, and a petition signed by over 100,000 people, ASO launched
La Course by Le Tour de France La Course by Le Tour de France was an elite List of women's road bicycle races, women's professional road bicycle race held in France. First held in 2014 as a one-day race on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France, Champs-Élysées in ...
in 2014. The one-day stage race took place prior to the final stage of the men's race in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Between 2014 and 2021, La Course was held in a variety of locations across France in conjunction with the men's race, with ASO arguing that this was the "best way to shine a light on female cycling". La Course was initially praised for the exposure gained by sharing the stage with the Tour de France, with sponsors welcoming the live TV coverage and visibility of taking place alongside the men's race. However, La Course was criticised by campaigners and riders for being overshadowed by the men's Tour de France, not having enough stages, and not being challenging enough for the professional peloton. Organisers were also criticised for not doing enough to promote the race. Riders and campaigners pushed for La Course to evolve into a longer race with more stages, with mountain stages and time trials. Pushing back at criticism, ASO noted that they were unable to stage a men's and women's Tour de France simultaneously due to logistical issues, and that races must be financially sustainable.


Tour de France Femmes

In May 2021, ASO announced that they would launch a new women's stage race,
Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes () is an annual women's road bicycle racing, cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's WorldTour, UCI Women's Wo ...
. The first edition was to be held over 8 days in July 2022, following the
2022 Tour de France The 2022 Tour de France was the 109th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July 2022 and ended with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, Paris on 24 July 2022. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard () won the General clas ...
. The men's tour director,
Christian Prudhomme Christian Prudhomme (born 11 November 1960) is a French journalist and general director of the Tour de France since 2007. Pre-Tour career Born in Paris, Prudhomme studied at the ESJ school of journalism in Lille from 1983 to 1985. He joined RT ...
commented that lessons must be learned from the failure of previous events, with the aim of a financially sustainable event, one "that will still exist in 100 years". The reaction from the professional women's peloton was overwhelmingly positive, with Dutch rider
Anna van der Breggen Anna van der Breggen (born 18 April 1990) is a Dutch professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2021 for Team Flexpoint, , and . She won the gold medal in the Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...
stating "it's long been a dream for many of us to compete in a women's Tour de France", and Danish rider
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (born 23 August 1995) is a Danish professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Career As a junior, she competed at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships and the 2013 UCI Road World Champions ...
commenting "this is a day that we’ve waited for, for a long time". ASO also announced that multiplayer online cycling platform
Zwift Zwift is a massively multiplayer online game, massively multiplayer online cycling and running physical training program that enables users to interact, train, and compete in a virtual world. Zwift was developed by Zwift Inc., which was co-founde ...
had signed a four-year agreement to sponsor the race, as Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.


Teams

The 24 teams which participated in the race were announced on 30 March 2022. All 14 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited. They were joined by 10 UCI Women's Continental Teams: the three best 2021 UCI Women's Continental Teams (
Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling Ceratizit Pro Cycling (UCI code: CTC) is a professional List of UCI Women's Teams, women's cycling team, based in Kempten, Germany, which competes in elite road bicycle racing events such as the UCI Women's World Tour. History The team was founde ...
, Parkhotel Valkenburg and
Valcar–Travel & Service Valcar–Travel & Service is a professional road bicycle racing women's team which participates in elite women's races. Team roster Major results ;2017 : Sprints classification Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial ...
) received an automatic invitation, and the other seven teams were selected by the organisers of the Tour. A total of 144 riders from 25 nationalities started the race, with the Netherlands having the largest contingent (29 riders). UCI Women's WorldTeams * * * * * * * * * * * * * * UCI Women's Continental Teams * * Arkéa Pro Cycling Team * * * * * * * *


Route and stages

In October 2021, the route was announced by race director
Marion Rousse Marion Rousse (born 17 August 1991) is a French former bicycle racing, racing cyclist. She won the French National Road Race Championships, French national road race title in 2012. She announced her retirement from racing in October 2015. Rousse ...
. It comprised eight consecutive days of racing, covering a total of . The race started with a stage on the
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, on the same day as the final stage of the men's tour. The route generally headed eastwards from Paris, with gravel sections in Champagne vineyards on stage 4, stages in the
Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...
mountains (including the longest, stage 5), and a summit finish on stage 8 at La Super Planche des Belles Filles. Climbs were categorised from category 4 (the easiest) to category 1 (the most difficult), with no ''
hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is th ...
'' (English: beyond category) climbs on the route. The route was welcomed by the professional peloton and campaigners such as
Kathryn Bertine Kathryn Bertine (born 11 May 1975) is a Saint Kitts and Nevis racing cyclist, author, activist, film-maker and former professional figure skater and professional triathlete. She turned professional in road cycling in 2012 and raced on World Tour ...
, with praise for the variety of stages. ''Rouleur'' considered that the mountainous terrain of the last two stages could mean that the winner could be unknown "until the riders cross the finish line on the final stage". The overall length of the event was met with agreement, with some teams noting that they do not "yet have the staff or numbers" for a race three weeks in length (such as the men's Tour de France). The route itself required a waiver from the
Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces di ...
(UCI), as Women's WorldTour races in 2022 have a maximum stage length of and a maximum race length of six days. The restrictions were criticised by the professional peloton and campaigners as "sexist", as the UCI does not allow women to compete over identical distances as men.


Race overview

Annemiek van Vleuten Annemiek van Vleuten (; born 8 October 1982) is a retired Dutch professional Bicycle racing, road racing cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . Van Vleuten is twice a winner of both the UCI Road World Cha ...
,
Demi Vollering Adriana Geertruida "Demi" Vollering (; born 15 November 1996) is a Dutch professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam FDJ–Suez. Considered one of the greatest riders of her generation, sh ...
,
Elisa Longo Borghini Elisa Longo Borghini (born 10 December 1991) is an Italian professional road bicycle racing, road cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . During her career, Longo Borghini has won the 2024 Giro d'Italia Women, Giro d'Ita ...
,
Ashleigh Moolman Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (née Moolman; born 9 December 1985) is a South African professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's road race, finishing 16th and in the ...
,
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (born 23 August 1995) is a Danish professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Career As a junior, she competed at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships and the 2013 UCI Road World Champions ...
,
Marta Cavalli Marta Cavalli (born 18 March 1998) is an Italian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . In 2018, she won the Italian National Road Race Championships. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in the road race – finis ...
and
Katarzyna Niewiadoma Katarzyna "Kasia" Niewiadoma Phinney (; born 29 September 1994) is a Polish bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . Among her eighteen professional wins are the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 Tour d ...
were all named as pre-race favourites for the
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
(GC), which determines the overall winner of the race. The sprinters tipped for winning the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points c ...
were
Lorena Wiebes Lorena Wiebes (born 17 March 1999) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Career Road On the road, Wiebes turned professional in 2018, riding for Parkhotel Valkenburg. In 2019, she became Dutch Nationa ...
and Elisa Balsamo. The Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification (similar to King of the Mountains classification in the men's race) would be won by the best climber in the race, with the media noting Uttrup Ludwig, Niewiadoma and Vollering as contenders. Overall, the field of 144 was described as "packed with talent", with the top 28 riders in the UCI rankings all taking part. Media coverage prior to the event was positive, calling the race a "historic moment for women's cycling" and "game changing". There was some criticism of the €250,000 prize fund, compared to the €2.2 million prize fund for the men's race. ASO noted that the prize fund was larger than men's races of similar length – such as the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycle sport, cycling road bicycle racing, road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during ...
. Riders from The Cyclists' Alliance – a union representing the female peloton – stated that live TV coverage for races was their biggest priority, rather than prize money.


Stages 1 to 6

Stage 1 of the Tour took place on 24 July in Paris, with a start beneath the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...
and eight laps around the Champs-Élysées (on the traditional circuit which concluded the men's tour later that day). In a bunch sprint finish, Wiebes (Team DSM) outsprinted
Marianne Vos Marianne Vos (; born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch multi-discipline cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . After winning a junior European and World Championship in road racing, she continued her success in senior c ...
(Jumbo–Visma) to take the first yellow jersey of the race, as well as the green jersey of the points classification. Stage 2 to
Provins Provins () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance througho ...
was marred by multiple crashes in the final , with Cavalli () having to abandon the race as a result. Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) also came close to abandoning the race after suffering from a stomach infection and being unable to eat or drink. At the finish, Vos outsprinted a small group to take the yellow and green jerseys, assisted by bonus seconds available to the first 3 finishers. Stage 3 took place on rolling terrain, with a final loop into
Épernay Épernay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne ...
. On the Côte de Mutigny, several riders contending for the general classification broke away from the peloton. On the final steep climb to the finish, Uttrup Ludwig () outsprinted the group to take the stage while
Femke Gerritse Femke Gerritse (; born 14 May 2001) is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . In 2019, she won the Dutch national junior women's road race. In 2021, she signed with Parkhotel Valkenburg. In 2022, ...
(Parkhotel Valkenburg) took the lead in the classification. Stage 4 to
Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube (river), Aube'') is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture in the Aube Departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and ...
was another hilly stage, its final half having four
gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...
sections in Champagne vineyards. Multiple riders including Niewiadoma (), Longo Borghini (), Uttrup Ludwig and van Vleuten suffered punctures and other issues but most of them were able to rejoin the peloton and not lose time.
Mavi García Margarita Victoria "Mavi" García Cañellas (born 2 January 1984) is a Spanish professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist and duathlon, duathlete, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . Major results ;2015 : 1st Za ...
() was hit by her team car while trying to catch up to the main field after two punctures, causing her to lose time. With around remaining,
Marlen Reusser Marlen Reusser (born 20 September 1991) is a Swiss racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Career She took up competitive cycling whilst at university, riding in the cycling legs of mixed relay triathlons as an amateur. ...
() attacked, riding solo to win the stage by nearly a minute and a half. Continuing east across France, stage 5 to
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; , before 1999: ''Saint-Dié'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, Grand Est, northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Saint-Dié is locat ...
was the longest of the 2022 Women's WorldTour calendar at . With around left, a crash in the peloton took down several riders, with Emma Norsgaard () having to abandon. In the final sprint, Wiebes overtook Balsamo and Vos to secure her second stage win. In the , Vos kept the yellow jersey, extending her advantage to 20 seconds due to bonuses. Stage 6 to
Rosheim Rosheim (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It lies southwest of Strasbourg, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. It is a winemaking town on the tourist "Road of the Wines of Alsace" a ...
was a hilly stage, with four categorised climbs and another climb with bonus seconds at the top. On the descent of the penultimate climb, a small group including Wiebes and
Lotte Kopecky Lotte Kopecky (; born 10 November 1995) is a Belgian road and track Cycle sport, racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam , and the UCI Road World Championships – Women's road race, 2023 and 2024 UCI Elite Women's W ...
() crashed, but everyone involved ultimately finished the stage. A group of 14 riders who had been ahead of the peloton in a breakaway were caught in the closing kilometres, with the stage win contested by a large group of riders in a bunch sprint. Vos outsprinted
Marta Bastianelli Marta Bastianelli (born 30 April 1987) is an Italian former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2006 to 2023. Bastianelli won the women's road race at the 2007 UCI Road World Championships ahead of Marianne Vos an ...
() and Kopecky to win her second stage of the race. In the , Vos extended her advantage due to the ten bonus seconds she gained for the stage win.


Mountain stages

Stages 7 and 8 took place in the Vosges mountains in
Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...
, with five category 1 climbs over the two days, and two summit finishes. The difficulty of the two stages meant they were considered to be '' queen stages'', likely to decide the eventual winner of the . Stage 7 was in length, with of climbing, including the
Grand Ballon The Grand Ballon () or Great Belchen ( ; ) is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Grand-Est French region. Name ''Grand Ballon'' means "great ound-toppedmountain" ...
. On
Petit Ballon The Petit Ballon () or Little Belchen,Chevrier, Jean-François. ''From Basel – Herzog & de Meuron'', Basel: Birkhäuser, 2016, p. 54. is, at 1272 m, one of the highest peaks of the Vosges Mountains in the department of Haut-Rhin, Alsace, in Fr ...
, the first climb of the day, Vos could not keep with the pace of the contenders, and fell behind with a group of slower riders. Meanwhile, having started the stage with stitches in her elbow following her crash on stage 6, Wiebes abandoned the race. On the Petit Ballon, with remaining, van Vleuten broke away from the peloton with only
Demi Vollering Adriana Geertruida "Demi" Vollering (; born 15 November 1996) is a Dutch professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam FDJ–Suez. Considered one of the greatest riders of her generation, sh ...
() able to match her pace. A chase group with most of the other contenders formed behind them. A kilometre (0.6 mi) from the top of the Col du Platzerwasel, the second climb of the day, van Vleuten accelerated ahead of Vollering. Van Vleuten extended her lead to almost four minutes by the final climb of the
Grand Ballon The Grand Ballon () or Great Belchen ( ; ) is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Grand-Est French region. Name ''Grand Ballon'' means "great ound-toppedmountain" ...
. Van Vleuten lost some time to Vollering on the final plateau section, but nevertheless won the stage, 3 min 26 s ahead of Vollering, who took the polka-dot jersey as leader of the . In the , van Vleuten took the yellow jersey, more than three minutes ahead of Vollering while Niewiadoma took third place, four and a half minutes behind van Vleuten. Vos finished the stage over 24 minutes behind the stage winner, losing the yellow jersey. Despite this, she continued to hold the green jersey, owing to the large number of points she had collected in previous stages.Stage 8 was the second mountain stage of the Tour, with three categorised climbs during the long stage. The final climb to La Super Planche des Belles Filles was long with an average gradient of 8.7 percent, with the last kilometre featuring an extended gravel section with gradients as high as 24 percent. On the first climb, no break had been established and Vollering was able to take maximum points to extend her lead in the classification. A group of ten riders broke away from the main field, however the peloton did not give them a large headway, given the two large climbs later on the stage. With to go, van Vleuten suffered an issue with her bike and and increased the pace of the peloton. Van Vleuten rejoined the peloton with around left in the stage at the foot of the second climb, the
Ballon d'Alsace The Ballon d'Alsace (; , ) (el. 1247 m.), sometimes also called the Alsatian Belchen to distinguish it from other mountains named " Belchen") is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the ...
. On the climb, van Vleuten made four more bike changes but she quickly made it back to the peloton each time. On the final climb to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, van Vleuten launched a solo attack from the peloton with remaining. She passed the remnants of the breakaway group with Vollering in pursuit. Much like the previous day, a chase group of contenders formed behind them. Van Vleuten gradually extended her lead and won the stage and the Tour title. Vollering finished 30 seconds behind, confirming her win in the classification.


Results

Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) won the Tour de France Femmes with an advantage over Vollering () of almost four minutes. Niewiadoma took third place overall, six and a half minutes behind van Vleuten, maintaining her position by finishing in the top five on both mountain stages. Vollering won the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification while Vos () won the points classification and the super-combativity award for the most
combative Combatives is the term used to describe the hand-to-hand combat systems primarily used by members of the military, law enforcement, or other groups such as security personnel or correctional officers. Combatives are based in martial arts but a ...
rider, after finishing in the top five on the first six stages, with wins on stages 2 and 6.
Shirin van Anrooij Shirin van Anrooij (born 5 February 2002) is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . and UCI Cyclo-Cross Pro Team Baloise Trek Lions. She is the current under 23 UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion. H ...
() won the young rider classification for the best-placed rider under the age of 23. The
team classification The team classification is one of the different rankings for which competitors can compete in a multiple stage cycling race. It differs from the other usual rankings (general classification, points, king of the mountain and best young rider competi ...
was won by as the team with the lowest aggregate time among their three best-placed riders. Out of 144 starters, 109 finished the event. Van Vleuten expressed that she was "super proud" to have won, saying that winning in yellow was "a dream come true". Vollering considered that she had performed well throughout the race and therefore had "nothing to regret". Other riders praised the event, with Niewiadoma noting it was one of the most difficult races that the women's peloton has taken part in, and fourth-placed
Juliette Labous Juliette Labous (born 4 November 1998) is a French racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . She rode in the women's road race event at the 2017 UCI Road World Championships. Major results ;2015 : National Junior Road Ch ...
(Team DSM) explained that she was surprised by the large crowds, stating "I didn't expect this much, I knew there would be a lot of people but I didn't expect as much as this."


Classification leadership

There were four main individual classifications contested in the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, as well as a team competition. The most important was the general classification, which was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. Bonus seconds were awarded at all stage finishes – with ten, six and four bonus seconds awarded to the first three finishers. Bonus seconds were also available on certain mountain climbs during the race – with three, two and one bonus seconds awarded to the first three riders to reach the top of the climb. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Tour de France Femmes. The rider leading the classification wore a yellow jersey. The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing in the top fifteen positions in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type, with flat stages awarding more points than mountain stages. The leader was identified by a green jersey. The third classification was the mountains classification. Most stages of the race included one or more categorised climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. Climbs were categorised with category 4 being the easiest and category 1 the hardest. There were no ''hors catégorie'' climbs on the route. Category 4 awarded two riders, the first with 2 points, and the second with 1 point; category 3 awarded three riders, the first with 3 points; category 2 awarded four riders, the first with 5 points; and category 1 awarded six riders, the first with 10 points. The leader wore a white jersey with red polka dots. The final individual classification was the young rider classification. This was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders under the age of 23. The leader wore a white jersey. The final classification was a team classification. This was calculated using the finishing times of the best three riders per team on each stage; the leading team was the team with the lowest cumulative time. The number of stage victories and placings per team determined the outcome of a tie. The riders in the team that lead this classification were identified with yellow number bibs on the back of their jerseys. In addition, there was a
combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, ...
given after each stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have demonstrated effort and sportsmanship''.'' The winner wore a red number bib the following stage. At the conclusion of the Tour, the jury awarded the super-combativity award to the rider who demonstrated this throughout the race.


Final classification standings


General classification


Points classification


Mountains classification


Young rider classification


Team classification


Reception

Worldwide media coverage praised the event.
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called the race a "rebirth", ''
Cycling Weekly ''Cycling Weekly'' is the world's oldest cycling publication. It is both a weekly cycling magazine and a news, features and buying advice website. It is published by Future plc, Future. It used to be affectionately referred to by British club c ...
'' commented that the race was a "huge step for the women's sport", and ''
L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, '' ...
'' said that people came to see "the Tour de France without making the slightest distinction between men and women". Race director
Marion Rousse Marion Rousse (born 17 August 1991) is a French former bicycle racing, racing cyclist. She won the French National Road Race Championships, French national road race title in 2012. She announced her retirement from racing in October 2015. Rousse ...
stated that "it's a proper Tour de France, with the caravan, the crowds, placards, flags" and Le Tour Entier co-founder
Kathryn Bertine Kathryn Bertine (born 11 May 1975) is a Saint Kitts and Nevis racing cyclist, author, activist, film-maker and former professional figure skater and professional triathlete. She turned professional in road cycling in 2012 and raced on World Tour ...
called it a "wonderful edition". Future improvements to the race were also discussed, including increasing the riders in each team, more days of racing (including an
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...
and stages in the
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or
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
mountains), and increased sponsorship. It was also noted that work was still required to improve the competitive depth and "economic model" of the women's peloton, with ''L'Équipe'' referencing the "enormous difference in level between the ... runners-up and the rest of the peloton". The
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
edition of the race subsequently featured both an individual time trial and mountain stages in the Pyrenees, and the
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edition visited the Alps.


Broadcasting

Live television coverage was provided by
France Télévisions France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (form ...
in conjunction with the
European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
. There were over 22 hours of live coverage over the eight stages, with some viewers requesting that live TV coverage be expanded to encompass the entire length of the stage. The race was broadcast around the world, including on NBC's
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
in the United States, on
Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia, owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its WBD Sports unit, it operates two main channels—Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territorie ...
across Europe and by a variety of national broadcasters such as France 3,
RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...
, and SBS. Following the event, broadcasters reported high viewing figures, with a cumulative live audience of 23.2 million. In France, France 3 reported an average of 2.25 million viewers over the eight stages (a 26% audience share), and a peak of 5.1 million watching the final part of stage 8 (a 45% audience share). This was just under half the audience of the 2022 men's tour. In the Netherlands, a 45% audience share was reported at peak times.
Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia, owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its WBD Sports unit, it operates two main channels—Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territorie ...
reported a reach of over 14 million across Europe. France Télévisions commented that the audience figures were a good surprise, and that they were "a very solid basis on which the world of cycling will be able to build".


References


External links


Tour de France Femmes – Official site
{{2022 UCI Women's World Tour
Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes () is an annual women's road bicycle racing, cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's WorldTour, UCI Women's Wo ...
2022 Tour de France
Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes () is an annual women's road bicycle racing, cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's WorldTour, UCI Women's Wo ...
Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes () is an annual women's road bicycle racing, cycle stage race around France. It is organised by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which also runs the Tour de France. It is part of the UCI Women's WorldTour, UCI Women's Wo ...