Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour 2013

23-26.08.2013 Official Site
Belgium, 4-stage Road Race, 332.5km
UCI 2.2

If you want to be rich, women's cycling is not the place to go seeking your fortune - most of the teams operate on notoriously tiny budgets and riders can never be certain that their sponsors won't suddenly announce they're ending their links with the sport which, in all too many cases when the team is unable to find a new sponsor, means the end. Fortunately, there are a few companies out there that are willing to ignore the bean-counters and put in large amounts of money for returns that, as women's cycling doesn't receive anything like the exposure that men's cycling does, often seem not to make sound financial sense. Rabobank proved itself to be a company that genuinely cares when it elected to continue sponsoring a women's team after pulling out of men's cycling entirely; Boels, a plant machinery firm, is another example, one that sponsors a team and three races (the Boels Ronde van Drenthe, which took place in March, the Boels Hills Classic in May and Boels Ladies' Tour, previously known as the Holland Ladies' Tour and one of the most prestigious events on the Elite Women's calendar, which will take place early in September). There is also Lotto, the Belgian national lottery, and Belisol, a Belgian manufacturer of solar panels, doors and windows - together, they sponsor the Lotto-Belisol men's and women's teams and this race, the Tour of Belgium.

Unlike the Tour de France, which has stages that start in one town and end in another, the Belgium Tour is more like a rock band's tour - it visits a different town each day and the riders then compete on a circuit that starts and ends at the town. This has numerous advantages, chiefly that costs are cut by having each stage consist of several laps rather than one long parcours and fans get to see the race pass by several times, either by remaining at the same point or by moving around to see it from different places.

Parcours
Stage 1: Warquignies-Angreu (23.08.2013, 19.7km Team Time Trial)

View Tour of Belgium Stage 1 2013 in a larger map
The only non-circuit stage of the race, Stage 1 will see the teams putting their bike handling skills to the test with a series of very sharp corners in the first two kilometres, where it'd be very easy indeed to lose a couple of riders to unfortunate crashes and end up with insufficient numbers to even be awarded a time - which would mean race over. Once through, there's a forested section (which always increases the likelihood of punctures, which can be disastrous when racing against the clock) with a climb of around 70m in 2.5km, then a long and flat straight section running south-west along the Av. du Haut-Pays where the fastest squads will be able to get their heads down and find a serious time advantage against those who haven't been practicing their TTT tactics quite so much as they ought. Another very sharp bend then leads onto the remaining part of the parcours, finishing 19.7km (which is why it's a stage rather than a prologue; a prologue in an Elite Women's race cannot be longer than 4km according to UCI rule 2.6.006).

Altimetry

The route uses many open lanes running alongside flat, wide fields; although the parcours is in Wallonia, the region is subject to typically Flandrian wind and rain - with so little shelter along much of the route, the stage could become an ordeal if the weather is bad. There is also a cobbled section on the Rue des Juifs at Onnezies; however, the cobbles are flat, regularly-placed and in good condition, they will therefore not cause the riders serious problems.

Stage 2: Angreau (24.08.2013, 110.16km)

View Tour of Begium 2013 Stage 2 in a larger map
Stage 2 both begins and ends at the Place d'Angreu, where Stage 1 also finished. From the start line, the riders head into a 12.24km circuit taking them first south to Roisin; they then travel north-east to the first GPM climb of the race - the Cote du Autreppe (5.48km from the start, points awarded at 5.48km, 29.96km, 54.44km, 78.92km, 103.4km), where points will be awarded during the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and final lap. There are also four intermediate sprints, each of which begins as the riders cross the finish line during the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th laps (24.48km, 48.96km, 73.33km, 97.92km).

A tight left-hand turn leads onto the narrow Rue d'Autreppe, at which point the parcours will be familiar to the riders as it now follows the same route via Onnezies (including the 300m Rue des Juifs cobbles), Angre, Honnelles and back to Angreau.

Riders must complete nine laps of the circuit; the Cote, though neither high nor steep, will have a considerable cumulative effect and there'll be some sore knees on the final passage.

Altimetry

Stage 3: Nijlen (25.08.2013, 115.12km)

View Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour 2013 Stage 3 in a larger map
The place names reveal that the Tour has left Wallonia behind and is now in Flanders, perhaps the most cycling-obsessed region in the world. Many of the little towns that dot the flat landscape have produced famous riders, including Nijlen where the race begins - it was the birthplace of Victor van Schil, trusted lieutenant of Eddy Merckx and winner of the 1968 Brabantse Pijl (sadly, van Schil took his own life in 2009 at the age of 69), Bjorn Leukemans (who may have won far more had he not have crashed so often) and Nick Nuyens, winner of the 2011 Ronde van Vlaanderen and husband of Evy van Damme, Belgian Road Race Champion in 2000 and 2001.

Most of the great Flemish races have taken place in warm, dry conditions in recent years, but for many people racing in this part of the world will always be associated with cold winds and driving rain. The parcours is far enough from the coast to avoid the worst, but with the topography being as flat as it is any wind blowing in from the North Sea rips across the land and still has plenty of power by the time it reaches Nijlen - crosswinds on the section heading west between Herenthout and Kruiskenberg and headwinds on the section heading north between Heikant and Nijlen may create some problems. Riders must complete nine laps of the 14.49km circuit, making the stage

There are no GPM points on offer on this, the flattest stage of the 2013 edition; the feed zone passes through an area known as Kruiskenberg, which sounds dauntingly like one of the brutally steep climbs for which Flemish racing is infamous, but which is in fact an undemanding hillock rising no higher than 20m with an average gradient of around 1.5% (maximum 3.5%). There are, however, four intermediate sprints. Each begins at the Cafe de Max located at Bevel-Dorp 160 in Bevel and points will be awarded on the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th laps (10.59km, 39.57km, 68.55km, 97.53km).

Altimetry

Stage 4: Geraardsbergen (26.08.2013, 87.47km)

View Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour 2013 Stage 4 in a larger map

Rather than several identical laps like the earlier stages, Stage 4 consists of a total of four laps around three circuits; the first is 29.16km in length with one GPM climb and will be completed once, the second is 19.17km with no GPM climbs and will be completed once and the third, which is 19.57km in length and features one GPM climb, will be completed twice. There are also intermediate sprints when the parcours crosses the finish line for the first, second and third times.

The first circuit begins at marketplace in Geraardsbergen, a town that will be familiar any riders who took part in Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik back in May - it's also been a feature in many editions of the Ronde van Vlaanderen over the years. Very soon after heading out into the neutral zone they'll catch glimpses of what, to cyclists, is Geraardsbergen's most famous feature, Kapelmuur, but for the time being they can concentrate on other things. Racing gets underway 1.9km from the start on Verhaegenlaan and the parcours remains unchallenging until Parikeberg, a 0.6km climb offering GPM points, with an average gradient of 5.8 and maximum of 7%; it is 21.44km from the end of the neutral zone. The remainder of the circuit runs back into Geraardsbergen, with several tight and potentially risky corners leading into the town.  The riders will take the last (non-GPM) climb to arrive at the start line at the market place, then continue to the first T-junction where earlier they turned right; now they turn left and follow Vesten, passing the finish line and contesting the intermediate sprint for the first time.

Riders tackle the Muur van Geraardsbergen
during the 2006 Ronde van Vlaanderen voor
Vrouwen

A short while later they turn south onto Edingseweg, then west on Guilleminlaan and follow it through two sweeping curves until it joins Vesten heading south and the race then continues along the same route as earlier until reaching the T-junction at Priem. In Circuit 1, the riders turned left here to travel west; this time they turn east along Molenstraat, neatly avoiding Parikeberg. A few hundred metres ahead, they rejoin the Circuit 1 parcours and follow it back into Geraardbergen, taking the same route via the marketplace and back to the finish line where another intermediate sprint is contested.

To begin Circuit 3, the riders turn right before reaching the Oude Steenweg junction used in Circuit 2 and follow Oudebergstraat, a route that takes them directly to and over the notorious Kapelmuur - the reason that Geraardsbergen has featured in so many legendary races, Kapelmuur is, according to some, the toughest climb in East Flanders. With cobbles as large as steps and a maximum gradient of 19.8% (average is 9%), it's proved decisive many times and may well do so again today, even on the first lap of the circuit if one rider manages to get away and a crash in the peloton holds everyone else up - when that happens, many riders find it impossible to get going again on the steep slope and have to run up instead. Once over the top, the parcours takes Oudeberg and Dreipikkel for the short distance to Oude Steenweg and turns right, the remainder of the circuit following the route of Circuit 2. By the time the finish line approaches, those climbs will have taken their toll and there might not be any sprinters left in contention, in which case the race will be fought out by the climbers - unless, of course, one of them has built up a sufficient solo lead to win ahead of the pack.

Altimetry, Circuit 1 and Circuits 3/4

Starters

Specialized-Lululemon
Ellen van Dijk
Lisa Brannauer
Gillian Carleton
Trixi Worrack
Evelyn Stevens
Katie Colclough
Loren Rowney

Sengers
Kimberly Buyl
Joanne Hogan
Birgit Lavrijssen
Julia Soek
Evelyn Arys
Sofie de Vuyst
Vera Koedooder

Lotto-Belisol 
Marijn de Vries
Jolien d'Hoore
Ann Sophie Duyck
Kaat Hannes
Steffi Lodewijks
Kim Schoonbaert
Celine can Severen

CycleLive Plus-Zannata
Annelies van Doorslaer
Carla Ryan
Annelies Dom
Daisy Depoorter
Monique van der Ree
Latoya Brulee
Liz Hatch

TopSport Vlaanderen-Bioracer
Jessy Druyts
Kelly Druyts
Else Belmans
Tessa de Moyer
Gilke Croket
Nel de Crits

Tibco-To The Top
Shelley Olds
Claudia Hausler
Chantal Blaak
Melanie Spath
Jasmine Glaesser
Lauren Stevens

Boels-Dolmans
Lizzie Armitstead
Adrie Visser
Romy Kasper
Nina Kessler
Jessie Daams
Martine Bras

Orica-AIS
Emma Johansson
Loes Gunnewijk
Gracie Elvin
Jessie MacLean
Tiffany Cromwell
Melissa Hoskins

Hitec Products-UCK
Rossella Ratto
Emilie Moberg
Thea Thorsen
Elisa Longo Borghini
Siri Minge
Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen
Chloe Hosking

Futurumshop NL
Karen Elzing
Sarah Lena Hofmann
Anouska Helena Koster
Mieke Kroger
Janine van der Meer
Mascha Pijnenborg

Crano Go:Green
Madeleine Olsson
Jessica Kihlbom
Linnea Sjobom
Hanna Nilsson
Martina Thomasson
Alexandra Nessmar
Hanna Helamb

Argos-Shimano
Kirsten Wild
Fllortje Mackaij
Esra Tromp
Janneke Busser-Kanis
Willeke Knol
Kelly Markus
Amy Pieters

Wielerclub De Sprinters Malderen
Chantal Hoffmann
Sarah Ingelbrecht
Mieke Leeman
Lilianne Leenknegt
Steffy van den Haute
Laure Werner
Joyce Willems 

Mixed Team (Rabobank-Liv/Giant, Autoglass Wetteren, Group Solar, FCS)
Tamina Kate Oliver
Amy McGuire
Daniela Gass
Roxane Knetemann
Thalita de Jong
Marieke Blomme
Adeline de Vestele

Napoleon Games-St Martinus-Kerksken
Joyce Accoe
Evelien Deltombe
Nele Seghers
Helga Sibick
Janicke Gunvaldsen
Vittoria Bussi

Endura Lady Force
Ines Klok
Margriet Kloppenburg
Michelle Geoghegan
Natasja Nieuwenhuizen
iris van der Stelt
Marjolein Claessen
Elke Bolangier

Dura Vermeer
Kirsten Coppens
Rowena van de Klundert
Charlotte Peeters
Chantal Verstraten
Brigitta Roos
Natalie van Gogh
Demi de Jong

NWVG-Bike4Air
Geertje Hoeke
Olivia Koster
Mary Rose Postma
Danielle Lissenberg-Bekkering
Anne Peer
Nathalie van Katwijk
Femke van Kessel

Parkhotel Valkenburg
Aafke Eshuis
Bianca van den Hoek
Inge Klep
Riejanne Markus
Rozanne Slik
Lisanne Soemanta
Nathaly van Wesdonk

Water, Land en Dijken
Nike Beckering
Melissa Slewe
Bernadette Jeremiasse
Marleen de Kroon
Corrinne Smith
Sigird Jochem

SWABO
Sofie van Horik
Annemarie Pasveer
Domenique van Santen
Harriet Koorn
Nina van Tol
Yvonne van Dam
Stella Blom-Visser

Les Filles Racing Team
Lydia Boylan
Nicola Juniper
Alexie Shaw
Helen Ralston
Nicole Oh
Nikki Engelbach
Kate Hewett


Mixed Team (Boretti, Matrix, Vanderkitten)
Sara Olsson
Kate Chilcott
Tracy Best
Emma Grant
Christina Siggard
Gina Hofland
Jessica Smits

RC Jan van Arckel
Moniek Tenniglo
Kristen Peetoom
Silke Kogelman
Winanda Spoor
Roos Hoogeboom
Hester Wagenaar
Britt Jansen

GSD Gestion-Kallisto

Keukens Redant

Canada NT
Anika Todd
Shoshauna Laxson
Sarah Coney
Annie Foreman-Mackie
Veronique Fortin
Veronique Labonte

Australia NT
Emily McRedmond
Madeline Marshall
Alexandria Nicholls
Samantha de Riter
Miranda Griffiths

Belgium NT

Further details to be announced; check Women Cycling Fever for regular updates.

Following the race
As is the case with the majority of Belgian races, getting to the Tour is a simple process from anywhere in North-Western Europe - including from the United Kingdom: traveling by ferry from Dover to Dunkirk with a car costs as little as £74 return (check online for deals; Hull to Zeebrugge, a better choice for much of Britain's population, is for some reason far more expensive - around £200 with a bike rather than a car) and none of the Tour towns are more than 180km from the port. Better still, travel by bike - port to race is a day's ride for a fit cyclist, two at a more comfortable pace and, with the Belgians' legendary love for bicycles and cyclists, you'll be sure of a warm welcome. None of the towns are tourist traps, so accommodation will also be affordable.

If you can't get there, the choices for following the race are typically limited to Twitter feeds. Hitec Products-UCK manager Karl Lima provides regular updates on the progress of his team and the rest; Boels-Dolmans mechanic Richie Steege and photojournalists Bart Hazen and Anton Vos (who may attend regarless of whether or not his sister Marianne Vos is there with the Rabobank-Liv/Giant team) are also good choices.

Tour Féminin en Limousin

18-21.07.2013 Official Site
France, 4-stage Road Race, 387.7km
UCI 2.2

2005 winner Edwige Pitel is racing
again this year, for S.C. Michela
Fanini-ROX. Can she win again,
thus matching Grete Treier and
Marianne Vos?

Inaugurated in 1995 but known by a variety of names since then, the Tour Féminin en Limousin has quickly risen to become one of the most prestigious events on the Elite Women's calendar; not least of all for its varied selections of routes and for the impressive list of past winners. An earlier race, held in 2002, was known by the same name and was won by Marina Jaunatre who would go on to achieve three consecutive victories at the Tour de Bretagne from 2005 to 2007.

2005 Edwige Pitel
2006 Marianne Vos
2007 Svetlana Boubnenkova
2008 Natalya Boyarskaya
2009 Grace Verbeke
2010 Grete Treier
2011 Grete Treier
2012 Marianne Vos

With such a range of terrain, Limousin is a race that tends not to favour specialists and can be decided on intermediate sprints, which offer bonus seconds in addition to points. In accordance with UCI rules, awarded bonuses will be 3" for 1st place, 2" for 2nd place and 1" for third place.

A big chapeau to Claude Lecourt, president of l’Association des Amis du Cyclisme Féminin and of the organising committee of the Tour. In his presidential message, M. Lecourt notes that while there are many great champions at the race this year, they are not as numerous as in years gone by. Though he acknowledges that this in part due to the Tour clashing with the Under-23 European Championships, he also highlights the "dommage" (unfortunate, shameful) fact that female cyclists of the "haut niveau" (highest level) frequently have to work for a living due to not receiving a guaranteed minimum wage as do their male counterparts.

Stage 1 (18.07.2013 Bussière-Dunoise, 120.9km)
Interactive Map

While devoid of big climbs, no fewer than ten small ascents of approximately 100m apiece will have a severe cumulative effect, revealing early on in the race which riders are in a position to earn good places in the final General Classification. After arriving at the finish line 73km from the start, riders will complete six laps of an 8km local circuit.

GPM points are on offer at Jallibout (22.8km), St Léger le Guéretois (32.2km), Le Villard (59.4km) and Les Couperies Hautes (69km). All four climbs are rated at 1st Category. The three Intermediate Sprints are located at the 1st (73km), 2nd (81km) and 3rd (89km) passes of the finish line.

Stage 2 (19.07.2013 Sous-Parsat, 20.7km ITT)
Interactive Map

There's not enough climbing to give the time trial specialists any problems, but 240m of altitude gain will put the sprinters at a disadvantage to the rest. May become a battle between the specialists and the rouleurs.

Stage 3 (20.07.2013 Saint-Brice-sur-Vienne - Saint-Junien, 123.4km)
Interactive Map

As was the case with Stage 1, there are no big climbs but numerous small ones combine to take their toll. None are steep enough to favour out-and-out climbers, so this looks to be a parcours for the rouleurs - though the final climb to the finish line is sufficiently steep to throw the best-laid plans into flux. The race ends with a series of local laps, eventually finishing at St Junien.

GPM points are on offer at Saillat sur Vienne (26.6km; Cat. 1), the Cote des Trois Bornes (45.6km; Cat. 2) and the Cote de la Croix de Lavergne (63km; Cat. 2). The three Intermediate Sprints are at St Junien (39.1km) and at the 1st and 2nd passes of St Brice sur Vienne (83.5 and 106.3km).

Stage 4 (21.07.2013 Saint-Denis-de-Jouhet, 122.7km)
Interactive Map

Unless anyone has already gained an insurmountable lead, the race may very well remain undecided until today. The biggest climb in the race and repeated smaller ascents will trouble the sprinters and are just enough to allow the climbing specialists some opportunities, but a level run-in to the line gives the sprinters their own chance to take back time. Having arrived at the finish line 56.7km from the start, the riders will complete five laps of a 14km local circuit.

GPM points are on offer at the Cotes de la Folie (20.4km; Cat. 2), du Mont (35.6km; Cat. 1) and de Laleuf (52.5km; Cat. 2). The three Intermediate Sprints are located at St Denis de Jouhet and will be contested on the 1st (56.7km), 2nd (70.7km) and 3rd (84.9km) passes.

Starters
Provisional and subject to change; Women Cycling Fever maintains regularly-updated lists.

S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX
1. Edwige PITEL 
2. Gloria BOLDRINI 
3. Yevgenia VYSOTSKA 
4. Mireia ELPELDE 
5. Lisa GAMBA 
6. Maneephan JUTATIP 
Reserves
Litsi RIST (EST)
Lara VIECELI (ITA)

GSD Gestion-KALLISTO
7. Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA
8. Claire THOMAS 
9. Lina-Kristin SCHINK 
10. Stephanie ROORDA  
11. Alizea BRIEN 
12. Anne-Marie MORIN 
Reserves
Charlene DELEV 
Catherine COUTURE

Vienne Futuroscope 
13. Karol-Ann CANUEL 
14. Audrey CORDON 
15. Jessica ALLEN 
16. Sandrine BIDEAU 
17. Pascale JEULAND 
18. Emmanuelle MERLOT 
Reserves
Oriane CHAUMET 
Amélie RIVAT 
Manon SOUYRIS 

Parkhotel Valkenburg 
19. Sophie DE BOER 
20. Bianca VAN DER HOEK 
21. Riejanne MARKUS 
22. Jermaine POST 
23. Lisanne SOEMANTA 
24. Ashleigh NEAVE 
Reserves
Hannah WELTER 
Annelies VISSER 
Inge KLEP 

Lointek
25. Belen LOPEZ 
26. Edith GUILLEN 
27. Emma CRUM 
28. Lucia GONZALES 
29. Alexia MUFFAT 
30. Eider MERINO 
Reserves
Mathilde FAVRE 
Julia ILIYNIKH 
Elena UTROBINA

Lotto Belisol
31. Marijn DE VRIES 
32. Jolien D’HOORE  
33. Sharon LAWS 
34. Ashleigh MOOLMAN 
35. Carlee TAYLOR
36. Mical ELLA 
Reserves
Ann Sophie DUYCK 
Marion ROUSSE 
Kym SCOONBAERT 

Servetto Footon
37. Marina LARI 
38. Corinna DEFILE 
39. Veronica CORNOLTI 
40. Simona BORTOLLOTI 
41. Isabella FERRARI 
42. Annalisa CUCINOTTA 
Reserves
Georgia NANNI 

USA NT
43. Kaitlin ANTONNEAU 
44. Amber PIERCE
45. Heather FISCHER 
46. Alexis RYAN 
47. Beth NEWELL 
48. Scotti WILBORNE 
Reserves
Jamie BOOKWALTER 
Brianna WALLE 
Jacquelyn CROWELL 

Russia NT
49. Tatiana ANTOSHINA 
50. Svetlana STOLBOVA 
51. Marina LIKHANOVA 
52. Natalia BOYARSKAYA 
53. Anna POTOKINA
54. Irina MOLICHEVA 
Reserves
Elena UTROBINA 
Tatiana CHAMOVA 
Yulia MARTISOVA 

Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo
55. Elena BERLATO 
56. Irene BITTO 
57. Silvia CECCHINI 
58. Jennifer FIORI 
59. Chiara PIEROBON 
60. Elena VALENTINI 
Reserves
Asja PALADIN 
Francesca STEFANI 

DID Electrical 
61. Amy BRICE 
62. Siobhan McNAMARA 
63. Michelle GEOGHEGA 
64. Julie ERSKINE 
65. Melanie SPATH 
66. Mary COSTELLOE 

Faren-Let’s Go Finland
67. Martha BASTIANELLI 
68. Christel FERRIER BRUNEAU 
69. Giuzeppina GRASSI 
70. Fabiana LUPERINI 
71. Sara MOUSTONEN 
72. Ashlynn VAN BAARLE 
Reserves
Jutta NIEMINEN 
Patricia SCHWAGER 
Carolina RODRIGUEZ GUTTIERREZ

RusVelo
73. Elena KUCHINSKAYA 
74. Alexandra BURCHENKOVA 
75. Evgenia RAMANIUTA 
76. Oxzana KOZONCHUK 
77. Aizhan ZHAPAROVA 
78. Anastasiya CHULKOVA 
Reserves
Yulia LINDUK 
Elena BOCHARNIKOVA 
Maria MISHINA 

Stevens La Crossteam/Racing Students 
79. Liv-Susanne BACHMANN 
80. Stephanie BORCHERS 
81. Steffi MEIZER 
82. Heike NOEVER 
83. Jutta STIENEN 
84. Benita WESSELHOEFT 
Reserves
Andrea BÜCHEL
Esther SCHMIDMEISTER
Ellen HEINY

Breast Cancer Care
85. Jane BARR 
86. Amy BRADLEY 
87. Lucy COLDWELL 
88. Clara HORNE 
89. Laura MURRAY 
90. Coryn RIVERA 
Reserves
Ella HOPKINS
Gabriella SHAW

Anne EWING

How to follow the race
For regular updates direct from the Hitec Products-UCK team car, follow the legendary Karl Lima on Twitter - Karl keeps fans so well-informed, not only on his own team but on all the race action, that it's possible to get a good idea of what's going on via his Twitter account alone. Amber Pierce (USA NT) and Marijn De Vries (Lotto-Belisol) are two of the friendliest and most articulate riders in cycling; while they might not find the time to Tweet often during the race (though Pierce did at the Giro Rosa in 2012!), they're both worth a follow and usually have plenty of insights once the race is over.

Cholet Payes de Loire 2013

17.03.2013 Official Site
France, One-day Road Race, 116km
Coupe de France Dames (French Women's Cup)
UCI 1.2

Cycling in the sport's heartlands - Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy - is now well under way, each nation having had at least one race to start off the new season. However, as far as many people are concerned cycling's spiritual home will always be France, and the season cannot truly be said to have begun until the French racing scene emerges from hibernation. That happens now, and the first race is the Cholet Payes de Loire.

2012 winner Audrey Cordon returns with her
Vienne Futuroscope team

The race is given added importance by being the first round of the Coupe de France Dames (the others are the Prix de la Ville du Mont Pujols in April, the GP Feminin'Ain D'Yzernore and the GP de Plumelec-Morbihan in June and the Classic Feminine Vienne Poitou-Charentes in June) and, as such, is hotly contested by French riders who have won seven of the eight editions; though it's open to foreign riders too with Scandinavians doing especially well in recent years - in 2011, Swedish Emma Johansson (participating this year as part of a Swedish national team rather than with her trade team Orica-AIS) became the first foreigner to win while Sara Mustonen (also Swedish and also on the Swedish national team this year) was third, and Emilie Moberg of Norway was third behind French first and second Audrey Cordon and Pascale Jeuland in 2012.

Click to enlarge

The Parcours

The race uses a road circuit, a format that suits women's cycling as it offers fans a chance to see the peloton go by four times - men's cycling has a sufficiently devoted following for fans to wait along the parcours for only one glimpse; women's cycling unfortunately does not at present and so organisers use this format to attract more spectators, making the race better value for money as far as the all-important sponsors are concerned.

Cholet, an attractive city of around 55,000 people, has been inhabited for a very long time, as is made evident by the numerous Neolithic menhirs and megaliths (standing stones) to be found nearby, one of which - the Menhir de la Garde, taking its name from La Garde where it originally stood - now stands in the Jardin du Mail where it can easily be visited. Like other megaliths in Brittany, Great Britain and elsewhere, nobody yet knows what it was for, with archaelogists' theories ranging from cattle-scratching posts to tribal territory markers to ceremonial objects and non-academic theories ranging from sensible to the bizarre. The city grew rich due to its weaving industry from the 16th century onwards and thus has a large number of grand monuments from that time onwards. It would experience tough times as a result of the textile industry's decline and from geographical isolation in the 1950s, causing many young people to move away in search of employment and the population remains older than average to this day; fortunately tourism and other new industries have begun to bring back wealth and Cholet is in better shape today than it has been for some time. It was declared French City of Sport in 1972 and 2007 and several roads have been named after prominent athletes, among them 1947 Tour de France winner Jean Robic and tragic local hero Jacques Champion, killed in an accident just as he began to attract the attention of professional teams.

The race begins at the Pont De Lattre De Tassigny with a 0.5km neutralised start ending at the where the route crosses the Bd. de la Victoire and becomes the Av. Anatole Manceau, a wide and straight road likely to encourage a fast start; it then continues south to a large roundabout and straight on to become the Av. de la Toussalle/D258 leading out of the city and over the A87 motorway to Les Loges. Once out of the city, the riders are immediately at the mercy of wind and rain blowing in from the Atlantic - the region experiences around 170 days of rain every year, and the wind can be harsh. If so, the peloton may split up, in which case riders may try to take advantage of the disarray by launching early attacks.

Altimetry profile - click to enlarge

At Les Loges, the D258 continues south-west through the rolling countryside towards La Tessoualle. o.5km from Les Loges, the roads begins to climb, imperceptibly at first but then more steeply once La Tessoualle is reached. Just past the first houses on the right, the riders turn right onto the Rue du Côteau where the road becomes much steeper for the first 0.5km past the little bungalows on the left. The average gradient before the crossing with the Rue Saint-Joseph, where the road becomes the Rue du Président Pompidou, is around 4% but for a very short section it rises to 14% - just enough for an attack and, perhaps, a break. The terrain continues to rise, less steeply, to a right turn opposite a sports field. This turn leads onto the D157 heading west, meaning that any side winds from the right experienced thus far now become head winds - the unsheltered road continues to climb through open countryside for 2.55km and precisely the sort of route that many cyclists hate most in wind and rain. It ends, after another right turn, at Le Puy-St-Bonnet; just before the final stretch into the village stands a little chapel, Notre-Dame du Chêne-Rond, on the right of the road, then the last few hundred metres turn steeply downhill. Any riders who dropped off the back of the peloton on the climb or in the wind have an opportunity to build up speed and reduce their disadvantage here, but the road is smooth enough to become slippery in rain - not a good place at all to lose control due to a puncture.

The race enters le Puy along the Rue Notre-Dame through a residential area; large numbers of parked cars mean that oil and fuel spillages are an extra hazard especially on the bends. Having now ridden 9.5km from the start, the riders turn right at a roundabout onto the Rue Nationale/D752 and head north for 0.44km to a tight left onto the much narrower Rue Jeanne d'Arc, passing between two little roadside shrines on the corner. The one on the left is heavily influenced by those menhirs, being made of rather pagan-looking slabs of granite with a little bit of more church-like carving stuck on top - it makes for an attractive effect, but the riders won't be looking at it because they'll need to give their full attention to readjusting positions as the peloton squeezes itself into the narrower road.

Rue Jeanne d'Arc carries the race to the western edge of Le Puy, then becomes first the Imp. du Bosquet and then the Rue des Ruisseaux as it heads downhill over the A87 motorway and on through open country to La Renardiere, where it crosses the D160 just before arriving at St-Christophe-du-Bois 14.4km from the start. Just before reaching the town itself, the route reaches an industrial area on the south-east, where the riders turn right onto the Rue du Parc. This is another hazardous spot, being a wider road into a narrower road as well as being susceptible to oil and diesel spillages from trucks and vans entering and exiting the industrial area. After 0.63km, the road ends at a left turn onto the wider Rue de la Liberation/D202, leading almost immediately to a level crossing over railway tracks prior to a right turn onto the Rue de la Promenade. This is rapidly followed by a right onto the Rue Saint Maurille, another difficult corner with a poor-quality road surface, then the road heads north into the countryside.

Cholet

The route immediately after St-Christophe climbs gently until 18km from the start, then begins to descend on the approach to La Senguiniere where, at a roundabout, the race turns left onto the Rue du Bocage and passes one small roundabout, then a large one before turning right onto the Av. de Nantes/D753 which continues for 0.66km to a tight left turn by a bar onto the Rue de la Paix. After passing round a right-hand bend, the road becomes the Rue de Paradis; then, after a fork, the Rue Louis et Alcine Brouillet which climbs north-east past a sports ground to a roundabout, maximum gradient approximately 5.7%. At the roundabout the riders continue straight ahead on a bridge over the E62 motorway to join the Rue Eiffel. They pass one roundabout, then turn right at the next to head east through countryside on the D158, turning right again onto a much narrower country road 1.6km from the last roundabout. This road leads south to a left turn onto the wide Av. des Trois Provinces which, after 25.1km from the beginning of the race, arrives back at Cholet.

At another roundabout on the western edge of Cholet, the race continues straight ahead onto the Av. de Nantes, then turns right after 0.5km for the Rue Saint-Rémy. 0.12km later they turn right again onto the Rue Saint-Eloi, a corner made technical by the down hill slope and poor road surface, followed by a left onto the Rue Saint-Roch 0.32km later - this should be less hazardous than the last corner but, being in a residential area, there's a risk of oily patches left on the road by parked cars. It leads almost immediately to a roundabout; riders continue ahead on the Rue de Saint-Melanie for 0.77km, then turn right onto the Av. Francis Bouet and arrive seconds later at a much larger roundabout known as the Place Mauriac. They go straight ahead once more, finding themselves on the Av. des Cordeliers as it leads east along the northern bank of the river to the Av. de l'Abreuvoir for a short distance before the road forks. The riders keep right, now heading south on the Av. Maudet (called the Place du 8 May 1945 on the organisers' map) to arrive 0.32km later at the start line, where the begin a new lap.

During the final three laps, there will be GPM points on offer for the first riders to the top of the Rue du Côteau climb in la Toussalle and the Rue Louis et Alcine Brouillet climb in La Senguiniere; these points will be awarded according to the standard UCI procedure with five points for the first rider, three for the second and one for the third. There will also be intermediate sprints on the Rue Nationale at Le Puy-Saint-Bonnet and on the Rue du Parc at Saint-Christophe-du-Bois; points will again be awarded according to standard procedure with five points for the winner, three points for second and one for third. Points in both categories will be added up at the end of the race to decide the Climbing and Sprint Classification winners, with General Classification position being taken into account in the event of a tie.


Start List

Subject to change


VIENNE FUTUROSCOPE
1 Karol-Ann CANUEL
2 Audrey CORDON
3 Jessica ALLEN
4 Sandrine BIDEAU
5 Pascale JEULAND
6 Manon SOUYRIS

HITEC PRODUCTS-UCK
8 Emilie MOBERG
9 Miriam BJORNSRUD
10 Elisa LONGO-BORGHINI
11 Tone Hatteland LIME
12 Chloe HOSKING
13 Thea THORSEN
14 Siri MINGE

RUSVELO
15 Elana KUCHINSKAYA
16 Aleksandra BURCHENKOVA
17 Maria MISHINA
18 Elena BOCHARNIKOVA
19 Hanka KUPFERNAGEL
20 Oksana KOZONCHUK
21 Yulia BLINDUK

LOTTO-BELISOL
22 Marijn DE VRIES
23 Jolien D'HOORE
24 Sophie-Ann DUYCK
25 Kaat HANNES
26 Marion ROUSSE
27 Kim SCHOONBAERT
28 Celine VAN SEVEREN

TIBCO-TO THE TOP
29 Chantal BLAAK
30 Rushlee BUCHANAN
31 Jasmin GLAESSER
32 Claudia HAUSSLER
33 Shelley OLDS
34 Samantha SCHEIDER

SENGERS
36 Inge ROGGEMAN
37 Vera KOEDOODER
38 Kimberly BUYL
39 Birgit LAVRIJSSEN
40 Gabriele JANKUTE
41 Geerike SCHREURS

TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN-BIORACER
43 Nel DE CRITS
44 Jessy DRUYTS
45 Kelly DRUYTS
46 Anisha VEKEMANS
47 Eline DE ROOVER
48 Else BELMANS
49 Gilke CROKET

BISKAIA-DURANGO
50 Lilibeth CHACON
51 DorletA ESKAMENDI 
52 Joanne HOGAN
53 Elena LIORET
54 Amaia MARTIODA
55 Mayalen NORIEGA
56 Lourdes OYARBIDE

SWEDEN
57 Emma JOHANSSON
58 Hanna HELAMB
59 Sara MUSTONEN
60 Alexandra NESSMAR
61 Madelene OLSSON
62 Isabelle SODERBERG
63 Martina THOMASSON

LOINTEK
71 Emma CRUM
72 Sheyla RUIZ GUTIERREZ
73 Julya ILINYKH
74 Alexia MUFFAT
75 Anna POTOKINA
76 Fanny RIBEROT
77 Ana BALERDI USABIAGA

French Teams

BIGMAT AUBER 93
78 Alna BURATO
79 Noeline DELBOVE
80 Roxane FOURNIER
81 Elodie HEGOBURU
82 Steffi JAMONEAU
83 Melodie LESUEUR

COMITE BRETAGNE
Not yet announced

CSM EPINAY
92 Pauline ABAUTRET
93 Audrey ARTAUD
94 Alessia BUGEIA
95 Isabel CAETANO
96 Joy DELAPORTE
97 Veronique LABONTE
98 Amelie VIVION

CSM VILLENEUVE LA GARENNE
99 Kelly GAMBIER
100 Camille ROBERT
101 Ophelie FENARD
102 Harmony LESOILLE
103 Tifany GOUPY
104 Ludivine CARRE
105 Audrey ARNOUX

CSM PUTEAUX
Not yet announced

TEAM REGION CENTRE
113 Segolene LEBERON
114 Berengere STAELENS
115 Marie TONDEREAU
116 Daniele PAROT
117 Julie BOUCHER
118 Melanie GUEDON

COMITE DE NORMANDIE
120 Marine LEMARIE
121 Eugenie DUVAL
122 Tatiana BLIN
123 Justine HAVE
124 Elise RAULLINE

COMITE PAYS DE LOIRE
Not yet announced

CHAMBERY CYCLISME COMPETITION
148 Sophie CREUX
149 Eva MOTTET
150 Celin SCHULLER
151 Marjolaine BAZIN
152 Christelle CHAPUT

Weather

More information nearer to the race