Stage 1

Stage 1: Rotterdam > The Hague

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2024 begins with a stage from Rotterdam to The Hague. A flat stage where the wind is likely to be the primary opponent, the final along the coast will be spectacular. Who will claim the first yellow jersey? One day after the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, the spotlight turns to the next major sporting event on European soil: the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. For the first time ever, the world’s most important multi-day women’s cycling race will start outside France. And where else but in the Netherlands? Not only do the world’s best riders come from the Netherlands, but the men’s Tour de France also made its foreign debut in our country. Rotterdam hopes to give the women as warm a welcome as the men when the city hosted their Grand Départ in 2010. Who conquers the first yellow jersey?

Sprint or surprise?
The day starts with the team presentation in Museum Park. At 12:10 sounds the starting pistol. The first stage is always hectic. The sprinters will hope to hold on to the lead to claim victory and the Tour’s first yellow jersey in the finishing city of The Hague. The general classification riders will have to be on their toes to avoid losing precious time in the peloton. And the attackers will want to do everything they can to avoid a bunch sprint and to offer a surprise start to the Tour.

Start in the city centre
The route has everything for an exciting course. After the start in the Museumpark, next to the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the peloton will pass through the city centre, including the Coolsingel and the Witte de Withstraat. This gives the public a chance to watch and cheer on the riders.

Chances for attackers
The Tour then leaves the city for a ride through typically Dutch lowlands. This is where the wind could start to play a role, and this is the moment for the attackers to strike. Through Schiedam and Vlaardingen, the peloton will reach the new Blankenburg connection. A unique moment, as the new connection will not actually open to traffic until December. In the new Maasdeltatunnel, points can also be earned for the bolletjestrui, which is also unique in our flat landscape. Through Rozenburg, the peloton will head for Voorne-Putten, returning to Maassluis after a lap around the island, and on into the Westland.

Fighting the wind
Between the iconic greenhouses of Westland, the women ride to the North Sea coast. It could get windy there and the peloton will be on its guard.

Long straight line to the finish
The final kilometres of the stage take place in The Hague. After passing through the Zuiderpark, among other places, the sprinters’ teams will get plenty of room to prepare for the bunch sprint. Or will the attackers stay away from the main group? The pace will pick up here as the riders hit the road to the finish with more than 3 km to go. They will then ride in a long and mostly straight line to the finish in Kijkduin, at the foot of the dunes and beach. From the air, that will produce beautiful pictures: Holland at its most beautiful.