Tour de France Femmes enters Belgium with stage finish in Liège

After three stages which took place entirely on Dutch soil, the Tour de France Femmes arrives in Belgium on Wednesday. The ride began in Valkenburg before riders headed south towards Liège.

The fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes, the seven-day Tour de France for women, is a combination of two classic races: the Dutch Amstel Gold Race and the Belgian Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known as La Doyenne.

After the start in Valkenburg, the peloton has to cross four climbs included in the Amstel: Bemelerberg twice, Cauberg and Geulhemmerweg. In the final of the stage in Wallonia, tough climbs await them, including the Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. After the Roche-aux-Faucons, the race is not quite over, as there are still some tricky parts in the last 10km.

The favourites

Last year’s general classification winner Demi Vollering of Team SD Worx – Protime is already wearing the yellow leader's jersey and is not expected to lose time today, as this stage should suit her perfectly. Vollering has won Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice and finished third three times. This year’s edition was won by Australian Grace Brown of FDJ-Suez, who is also an important contender today.

Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon-SRAM Racing, third in the general classification last year, should be capable of following Vollering uphill. Many of the outsiders hail from the Netherlands, like Vollering, including Puck Pieterse, Marianne Vos and Shirin van Anrooij.

Other riders that shouldn’t be underestimated are Silvia Persico, Mavi García, Kristen Faulkner, Juliette Labous, Gaia Realini, Yara Kastelijn and Liane Lippert. On the Belgian side, the biggest names are Justine Ghekiere, Julie De Wilde, Julie Van de Velde and Marthe Truyen.

The riders start in Bastogne on Thursday, before crossing over to France. The final weekend takes place in the Alps, with Sunday's final day ending on the Alpe d'Huez.

^{Second stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2024, in Rotterdam, 13 August 2024 © PHOTO ANP / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE / PETER HILZ}