Tour de France Femmes 2022: Everything you need to know

Everything we know about the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, which is set to take place from Sunday 24th July 2022 to Sunday 31st July 2022

21 Jul 2022

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Key information

Dates: Sunday 24th July to Sunday 31st July 2021
Grand Depart: Tour Eiffel, Paris, France
Finale: La Super Planche des Belles-Filles, France
Location: France
UK television coverage: Eurosport, GCN+ and Discovery+

The inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts this Sunday 24th July and is set to be a thriller.

The women’s version of the historic race, which has not been held since 1989, will see riders compete in eight stages and cover 1,029km beginning at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and finishing with a brutal final stage up La Super Planche des Belles-Filles.

The route was revealed last October by Tour Director Marion Rousse and ASO’s Christian Prudhomme at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, and several stars exclaimed their excitement on social media, with FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope's Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig writing, ‘We are making history and hopefully inspiring young women,’ and SD Worx’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio adding, ‘I can’t wait to make history.’

The race starts on the final day of the men’s Tour de France and includes a mixture of gravel and unpaved sections as well as two mountain stages.

The Tour de France Femmes does not include a time-trial but does include a long 175km stage on day five, 15km more than the maximum distance that women are permitted to ride at WorldTour level without special dispensation.

It’s going to be an epic eight days of racing.

Tour de France Femmes 2022 route

Tour de France Femmes 2022 route stage by stage

Stage 1: Sunday 24th July, Tour Eiffel – Champs-Élysées, 82km

The Champs-Élysées has hosted the final stage of the Tour since 1975 and will be where the first bouquet of the Tour de France Femmes will be awarded.

The first stage will start just ahead of the men’s arrival and will be the opener for the seven days left to come.

Stage 2: Monday 25th July, Meaux – Provins, 135km

One for cheese lovers, the second day of the historic tour goes through the countryside which brought us Brie.

Hopefully the riders won’t gorge too much on the local delicacy as there is a tricky final loop with a slight uphill spring finish.

Stage 3: Tuesday 26th July, Reims – Epernay, 133km

The third stage begins in Reims, a city rebuilt after World War I in art deco style and which lays claim to a gothic cathedral, aptly named Our Lady of Reims, where French kings were once crowned.

Riders will then snake through the vineyards of Champagne region and tackle five categorized ascents including a 900m climb at 12% at Côte de Mutigny before finishing in Épernay.

Stage 4: Wednesday 27th July, Troyes - Bar-sur-Aube, 126km

The halfway point is the stage for gravel lovers à la Strade Bianche, which delivers four sections of unpaved roads and six climbs through more champagne vineyards.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) will no doubt be hoping to channel her cyclocross experience for this one.

Stage 5: Thursday 28th July, Bar-le-Duc - Saint-dié-des-Vosges, 175km

At 175km, this is the longest stage of the race which starts in Bar-le-Duc, the home of the highly regarded Bar-le-duc jelly.

Also known as Lorraine jelly, this hand-seeded jam is made from red or white currants and in 2016 The Telegraph said it was one to ‘try before you die’.

Jam delicacies apart, stage five will set the peloton on fire with plenty of undulating roads and three long climbs as it makes it way towards the Vosges mountains.

Stage 6: Friday 29th July, Saint-dié-des-Vosges – Rosheim, 128km

Saint-dié-des-Vosges, the only town to host both a start and finish for the Tour de France Femmes 2022.

The sixth stage is positioned for breakaway riders and has a climb with 10km to go.

Stage 7: Saturday 30th July, Sélestat - Le Markstein, 127km

In come the mountains.

Riders will start in Séleshat, the city of handball, before heading towards a triple climb extraordinaire in the form of Le Petit Ballon, Col du Platzerwasel and Le Grand Ballon.

And it’s not over yet, the penultimate stage ends with a sprint to the Markstein ski station finish line.

Stage 8: Sunday 31st July, Lure - La Super Planche des Belles Filles, 123km

Ah la vache! The final stage of the historic Tour de France Femmes but don’t worry, Marion Rousse saved the best till last.

After seven days of racing, riders will face a brutal last day, contending with the 8.7km Ballon d’Alsace climb and then the gravelly final summit finish of 24% up to La Super Planche des Belles Filles.

Whatever happens, whoever is crowned victorious, the Tour de France Femmes 2022 will be one for the history books.

Tour de France Femmes 2022 live TV guide

The Tour will be broadcast in 170 countries across Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa – excluding China, Japan and New Zealand – by Discovery Sports on its channels Eurosport, GCN+ and Discovery+.

Eurosport is available on most TV packages, but also to stream online at Eurosport Player. Discovery+ currently costs £69.99 for a year but gets you coverage of other sports as well as Discovery’s other entertainment channels. GCN+ costs £39.99 annually and includes access to a host of cycling films.

If you don't have a Eurosport, GCN+ or Discovery+ subscription, British team Le Col-Wahoo are giving away 10,000 eight-day passes to GCN+ so you can watch every stage for free. Simply sign up at lecolwahoo.com and the first 10,000 will be sent a code.

Flo Bikes will also be streaming every stage, with yearly membership covering pro road racing as well as several gravel races, mountain bike races and triathlon costing $150.