Czech Republic/Poland, 5-stage Road Race, 424.6km
UCI 2.2
Stage reports and results here
It's been two-and-a-half months since the Gracia Orlova, now the Elite Women's peloton returns to the Czech Republic for the Tour de Feminin, the second of the nation's two big stage races (they've also got the European Under-23 Championships later on in July). The Tour has taken place every year 1988, when it was known as the Tour Krasna Lipa after the town that hosts one start, two finishes and is visited several times during the race. The winner's list from the first edition to 2012 looks like this:
 |
| Hanka Kupfernagel (who still races today, though sadly not in this event as she now focuses on cyclo cross) has won the Tour a record five times - her first and final victories were an incredible 11 years apart. |
1989 Radka Kynelova
1990 Ildiko Paczova
1991 Ildiko Paczova
1992 Alena Barillová
1993 Sandra Schumacher
1994 Zinaida Stahurskaya
1995 Lenka Ilavska
1996 Hanka Kupfernagel
1997 Hanka Kupfernagel
1998 Svetlana Guiguileva
1999 Hanka Kupfernagel
2000 Hanka Kupfernagel
2001 Sandra Wampfler
2002 Bogumila Matusiak
2003 Valentyna Karpenko
2004 Trixi Worrack
2005 Tina Liebig
2006 Theresa Senff
2007 Hanka Kupfernagel
2008 Angela Brodtka
2009 Alexandra Burchenkova
2010 Trixi Worrack
2011 Amanda Spratt
2012 Larisa Pankova
...and there's very good reason to expect more excellent Czech races in the future, because Czech organisers seem to understand far better than certain other race organisers that if you want your race to grow and be successful in this day and age then you need a top quality, informative, updated website. The Gracia Orlova has one, offering some of the best maps in the sport; the Tour du Feminin, although its maps aren't so good, also has a very good website - whereas many races don't reveal details until a few days before the riders start, just about everything a fan could want to know about the 2013 edition is already online more than a month before race day. That's great: letting fans know what's going on creates a buzz, which in turn creates a following, and more fans following a race means more interest from the all-important sponsors, securing the future of the race and helping to secure the future of women's cycling. So, keep setting a good example, Tour organisers, and here's to another 35 years.
Parcours
They like a complicated route, those Tour de Feminin organisers - with the exception of the Stage 3 individual time trial and the simple circuit of Stage 5, the parcours loops this way and that, then revisits the same stretches of road (sometimes several times) before suddenly veering off in another direction altogether. With that in mind, I'd like to point out that I created the maps below from the text directions on the website before official maps had been published; for that reason, they should be considered to be for illustrative purposes only - refer to official directions if in doubt and, if my maps differ from the official directions, I recommend you assume the organisers are correct and I'm wrong.
There are no big mountains in this race, but there are plenty of challenging hills in all but the time trial. The majority of the roads are of good quality, the Czech equivalent of an English A-road (but not some Welsh or Scottish A-roads), which when combined with the flat or slightly descending final 3km sections of each stage creates an interesting situation similar to that created by the parcours at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in which neither climbers, rouleurs nor sprinters start the race with an obvious advantage - the Tour will most likely be won not by the rider to whom the route is most suited, but to the rider who performs best overall.
Stage 1 (4.7.2013, 112.2km, Krásná Lípa-Krásná Lípa)
View TdF in a larger map
Stage 2 (5.7.2013, 100.7km, Jiříkov-Jiříkov)
Final lap completed four times.
View TdFSt213 in a larger map
Stage 3 (6.7.2013, 17.8km Time Trial, Bogatynia, Poland)
Stage 4 (6.7.2013, 95.2km, Rumburk-Rumburk)
View TdFSt4, 2013 in a larger map
Stage 5 (7.7.2013, 98.7km, Varnsdorf-Krásná Lípa)
Final lap completed two-and-a-half times.
View TdFSt5, 2013 in a larger map
Start List
Subject to change; for updates check the official website and Women Cycling Fever.
Note that several of the Elite Women teams aren't sending squads to this race and those that are will be sending their less well-known riders in addition to a few big-hitters. Meanwhile, there are a number of team names that aren't so immediately familiar: if you want to see the potential stars of the future, pay attention to the results their riders chalk up - you can guarantee that the more famous teams with their bigger budgets will be looking out for new talent.
NSR
TBA (to be announced)
Endura Lady Force
11. Kloppenburg Margriet
12. Classen Marjolein
13. Klok Ines
14. Van den Stelt Iris
15. Goeghegan Michelle
16. Verstichelen Femke
17.
18.
Park Hotel Valkenburg
21. Eshuis Aafke
22. Van den Hoek Bianca
23. Klep Inge
24. Markus Riejanne
25. Slik Rozanne
26. Soemantha Lisanne
27.
28.
CTC
31. Boylan Lydia
32. Juniper Nicola
33. McKay Helen
34. Oliver Tamina
35. Wingler Astrid
36.
37.
38
Australian National Team
41. Cure Amy
42. Sulzberger Grace
43. Roper Emily
44. McConville Chloe
45. Ankudinof Ashlee
46. Baker Georgia
47. Heather Taryn
48. Wiasak Rebeca
Peugeot-Start Lublin
51. Wasiuk Olga
52. Krawczyk Monika
53. Urbaš Kinga
54. Tuhai Ksenia
55. Wasiuk Izabela
56.
57.
58.
Slovenian National Team
61. Batagelj Polona
62. Pintar Ursa
63. Novak Alenka
64. Opeka Ajda
65. Kalan Urska
66. Kern Spela
67.
68.
NWVG-Bike4Air
TBA
Racing Students-NSR
81. Büchel Andrea
82. Costa Rute
83. Hammes Kathrin
84. Heiny Elen
85. Lorch Dorothee
86. Meizer Steffi
87. Sägesser Jennifer
88. Stienen Jutta
Pra Tomagno
91. Stolsova Bubnonigova Světlana
92. Boyarskaya Natalia
93. Molicheva Irina
94. Gonez Sandra
95. Marcelli Emma
96. Fazeli Niknaz
97. Drobysmeva Olga
98. Godart Suzia
Maxx-Solar
101. Beck Luisa
102. Fischer Lisa
103. Klein Theres
104. Lechner Corinna
105. Trotman Reta
106. Weigl Magdalena
107. Wotsch Melanie
108. Zanner Beata
TKK Pacific Torun
111. Niewiadoma Katarzyna
112. Brzezna - Bentkowska Paulina
113. Brzezna Monika
114. Wilkos Katarzyna
115. Fraczek Natalia
116. Wasiuk Olga
117.
118.
Stevens 1A CrossTeam
121. Bachmann Liv-Susanne
122. Scheuch Jannika
123. Dittmann Sabine
124. Buchholtz Michelle
125. Roersch Inge
126. Hoyer Xenia
127. Lambracht Bettina
128. Wesselhoeft Benita
Bigla
131. Graus Andrea
132. Hranaiová Katarina
133. Aubry Emilie
134. Ehrler Désirée
135. Hanselmann Nicole
136. Brühwiler Larissa
137.
138.
RusVelo
141. Bocharnikova Elena
142. Bezrukova Iana
143. Dobrynina Olga
144. Shamanova Tatiana
145. Dobrynina Kseniia
146. Zavershinskaya Anna
147. Nikolaeva Ksenia RUS 19950225
148.
Breast Care
151. Ryan Carla
152. Barr Jane
153. Bradley Amy
154. Ewing Anne
155. Galloway Claire
156. Rivera Coryn
157. Shaw Gabriella
158. Weaver Molly
Squadra Scappatella
TBA
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