'It was a good sense of achievement to make it to the top' - Grace Brown joins women reaching record heights at inaugural L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift atop Col de la Madeleine

It's six-thirty in the morning at Place du Palais de Justice, Chambery, and it's a cloudy, damp Saturday morning. But the chatter and anticipation of almost 6,000 riders in brightly coloured kit, many wearing the "Watch The Femmes" jerseys, bring a positive buzz to the atmosphere.

Over the next hour, riders will set off in waves as they take on the L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The challenge will be to ride 117km from this jewel of the Savoie region to Saint-François-Longchamp on the Col de la Madeleine, all with the small matter of 3,540m of climbing along the way.

The Étape du Tour has been running for over 30 years. Tens of thousands of amateur riders from all over the world get to be their favourite pro racer as they take on a mountain stage of the Tour on closed roads and try to emulate the performances of their racing heroes, with varying degrees of success.

Today was the chance for people to do the same thing at the inaugural version of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

What was noteworthy about this event was the increased female participation. Of the 5,500 riders on the start line to take on this queen stage 8 of the race that was won by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot later that day, around one-third were women. This represented a significant growth from the 6% or 7% female participation in previous Étape du Tour events.

Just like the female pro peloton, amateur riders had to complete the ride within a time limit and be off the route by the early afternoon, to make way for stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes. Being able to watch the riders battle it out on the upper slopes was a treat at the end of their challenge.

So this Étape du Tour de France Femmes, though testing was not as onerous as the classic Étape du Tour, which this year was 131km with 4,500m climbing and a summit finish at La Plagne. A shorter 98km option at Saturday's event allowed riders to skip one of the climbs and do just 3,050m of climbing. Furthermore, participants benefited from the cheers of the crowds gathered there ahead of the professional race.

All this made for optimal ingredients for increased engagement in the Tour de France Femmes, and specifically from more women.

Thomas Delpeuch from Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and event director explained the thinking behind this new ride.

"There were a few reasons why we decided to hold this event. Firstly, the classic Étape du Tour is full, meaning many people are left disappointed at not being able to get a place. So we thought a second Étape would be a good idea for those who couldn't get into the Étape du Tour," he said.

"We also wanted to put on something a little less difficult, though still in the mountains. It's the mountain stages that people love about the Tour de France, and so that challenge needs to be there while still being doable.

"The beauty of this second Étape du Tour is that after doing the ride, you can put down your bike somewhere and then watch the pros come through soon afterwards. By choosing the Queen stage for this event, it would bring more fans to the sport as it is the stage where a lot can happen among the leading racers.

"We see many women cycling, but getting them to put on a race number at an event is a challenge. So we had to find a way of communicating with women and putting on an event that would bring them into this type of cycling activity, and help us to reach our objective of 30% participation by women.

"We also worked with influencers in cycle sport or other representatives of women's sport, and they suggested that having less climbing and maybe logistics that are less complicated - for example, making it so that the ride finishes earlier in the day would bring more people to the sport," he said, noting that President of The Cyclists' Alliance and former professional racer Grace Brown was part of the mass-participation riding to the top of the Col de la Madeleine.

With around one-third of the riders being women, including riders of 58 nationalities, this was music to the ears of Kate Veronneau, Director of Women's Strategy, Zwift, and a prominent champion for women in cycling.

"Last year, ASO put on the Alpe d'Huez Challenge at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and we had a great turnout. So this time they decided to do a full-on Étape du Tour. We're thrilled with how the first year is tracking, and I am delighted with the turnout. And 32% women is a massive uptake. It shows that this is engaging women, and for us at Zwift, this is the most exciting stat that we have heard yet," she said.

"The Étape du Tour has been so popular in the men's race, and it's a great way to engage fans. With the women, having the event on the same day as the pros, so that you can 'Watch The Femmes' afterwards, makes it super special. It's great that there is a choice of distance, though I think it would be nice to see a shorter distance than the shorter distance in today's event, so it is accessible for new riders.

"I think that 3,000m climbing is still a big day out on the bike. That said, the Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a great way to bring the fans. It's not like you can go and play sport at Wembley or another famous stadium ahead of the pros. But cyclists have the chance to do just that at this event, which is great."

Although this wasn't a race, the front end of the 5,500-strong peloton was competitive, with the advantage unsurprisingly going to those living in the Alpine region. The fastest time over the 117km was 3h 49min - just 2 minutes slower than the pro-stage winner Ferrand-Prévot. This was achieved by 32-year-old Thibaut Clément, originally from Normandy and now living in Annecy.

The first woman crossed the finish line in 4 hours and 25 minutes. That was 30-year-old Victoria Stansfield, a British triathlete and trail-runner who had relocated to Chamonix. Emilia Welte completed the women's podium from Germany and local rider Eva Poirot.

Following their sporting challenge through the Massif des Bauges and the Maurienne Valley, the riders dropped down to the fan park to warm up after a slightly cool, damp day in the saddle, and enjoyed a well-deserved pasta party while cheering on the professionals.

Feedback from this historic day was very positive, and hopefully, this could be the launchpad for more action-packed days in women's cycling.

Rider Stories

Victoria Stansfield - Trail runner
From: Chamonix, France

"I'm really really happy. It's only my second bike race, and I love it! I moved to Chamonix to pursue trail running, but then I broke my pelvis in February while running. In June, I was released to cycle and have quite literally jumped into the saddle. I raced the Campilaro [multi-day cyclosportive in the Pyrenees] last weekend, so I was quite tired and felt fatigued going into today. I didn't have a strategy and just wanted to enjoy it. I just worked hard and raced hard, as I couldn't wait to see my little girl [Margot, aged 2] at the top. The atmosphere was truly amazing. Everyone was cheering at the top, and riding what the pros ride is just awesome. That's two bike races down, and hopefully many more to come. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is iconic - we have to support women."

Axelle De Cooman - Ultra-distance cyclist
From: Chambery, France

"Despite the rainy start at 6.30 am in Chambery, there was a great atmosphere at the Étape du Tour Femmes. The classic Étape also had a great atmosphere, but the real difference is that here there were a lot more women. It is great for increasing the visibility of women and developing women's sport.

"The Étape Femmes is more accessible than the classic Étape, but the cut-offs are tighter as the pros come through later. Opening the roads to the pros straight afterwards does put you under a bit of pressure to stay ahead of the broom wagon! I normally train 10 - 15 hours of cycle training per week, doing long bike rides. In the last year, I've been doing ultra-distance events, and did 1,000km in June during the Race Across France, which was very difficult - much harder than today's ride. I also did the Étape du Tour last year, which was one of the hardest rides I've done.

"So for me, this was a steady ride up the Col de Plainpalais - if on cold legs. The feed station at Beaufort was much appreciated and well-stocked with sausages. We had rain on the first part of Col de la Madeleine and also at the summit at 2,000m. Going up to Saint-François Longchamps, the crowds were huge, it was crazy.

"Then afterwards, the descent to the fan zone was so cold my teeth were chattering! Although the meteorological conditions were not ideal, everyone had smiles on their faces, and I am proud to have participated in the first-ever Étape du Tour Femme. If I had to choose between the Étape du Tour and the Étape du Tour Femmes, I would definitely go for the Étape Femmes without a doubt."

Chloe Chong - Formula One Academy racing driver
From: Kent, UK

"As a motor racer, strength training is number one; however, as part of my race training, I use cycling a lot as active recovery or for interval training to help raise my heart rate. Being fit from a cardio standpoint is quite important in motor racing as we maintain a heart rate of about 165 for an entire session (which can range between 30-45 mins).

"Cycling has enabled me to strengthen this part of myself and make me feel calmer in the car. I try to cycle around 3 times a week around my racing schedule. Normally, twice on Zwift during the week and a longer ride on Sundays. Zwift is one of my sponsors, so I had the chance to ride the Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

"The Étape is my very first-ever cycling event, and it was a chance for me to challenge myself with something out of my comfort zone and push me to make myself stronger. I had cycled once in the French Alps on a mountain bike as part of a racing training camp I was doing. Other than that, I trained predominantly near my home in the Kent Hills. My aim was just to try my best and aim to finish."

Grace Brown - Olympic and World time trial gold medallist and President of The Cyclists' Alliance
From: Melbourne, Australia

"Since retiring as a professional, I've not been riding my bike any crazy amount. I hadn't ridden my bike on this sort of course or distance since the Tour de France Femmes last year! But I was stubborn enough to get through these things.

"The final climb was not exactly fun, but it was a good sense of achievement to make it to the top. I've ridden in the area before, but I had never done La Madeleine; it was tough and super long, and I definitely missed the power I used to have.

"Today was my first-ever Gran Fondo, and the mass start with thousands of riders was a new experience for me. But my aim was not to race off with the men, but to be encouraging and be supportive to the women around me.

"It's important to help in the mission to increase participation and raise the profile of women's professional cycling. Back in Melbourne, I used to know every female cyclist I saw on the road, as there were so few of us. Whereas now there are so many more."

Helen Bridgman - Cycling coach
From: London, UK

"I left from the first pen and rode at a steady pace. I was excited to be doing the first Étape Femmes. I am all about supporting women's cycling, so when I heard this was happening, I definitely wanted to be here. I was most looking forward to finishing and watching the professionals straight after.

"I did the Étape du Tour in 2015 early on in my cycling days and didn't enjoy it at all - mostly because I found it quite stressful. The stage today was quite brutal. We went up the harder side of La Madeleine, and having that after 100km was quite savage! It was great to see many people on the route cheering us on, with loads of shouts of "allez les filles!" and there was a really nice atmosphere on the roads. I was worried about it being on the same day as the pros, as the time cut-off times were too tight, and I think a few people didn't make it to the top of La Madeleine.

"I am really happy to have taken part in the very first edition of the event, and I hope they do it again and build on it so we have even more women than 30% participation. I think they could improve the event in the future by having more toilets and perhaps not calling it a race. For most people, just finishing it is an achievement. Also, maybe have women-specific jerseys, not just unisex ones. The unisex jerseys fit the men OK, but they were baggy on the women.

"But overall, it was so amazing to be here at the Tour de France Femmes and see how it's grown since I came the very first year. The fans are amazing, and women are getting the platform they deserve."

Kate Veronneau - Director of Strategy at Zwift
From: Las Vegas, USA

"It was incredible to see so many people out here for the ride and the stage. Every third rider was a woman, which was absolutely sensational to see. The route was even more challenging than anticipated, with cooler temperatures and rain showers on La Madeleine.

"But the riders were rewarded by having the opportunity to witness a history-making stage, as the French favourite and national treasure, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took a commanding win and scored the yellow jersey heading into the final stage! It was a beautiful day at the Tour."

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