Le Col Wahoo have announced a six-rider team that will compete at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift from July 24-31. The British outfit was one of the seven wildcard teams invited to the event and they aim to focus their efforts on a successful outing by playing a key role in each stage.
“The Tour de France Femmes is something that all the members of the team – riders and staff – are really looking forward to being a part of. We have a huge focus on this event, and lots of extra motivation," said Tom Varney, general manager of Le Col Wahoo.
“The way we are approaching the Tour, we want to play a role every day. We don’t have a GC leader, but riders capable of shining on every one of the eight stages.”
It marks the next big step toward Le Col Wahoo target of joining the top tier of Women's WorldTeams in future seasons.
The team will be led by Lizzie Holden, who returned to the team this year after spending two seasons at Bizkaia Durango.
She secured the bronze medal at the British National Championships in the time trial and fourth in the road race, along with several top fives in stages at Lotto Belgium Tour and Thuringen Ladies Tour. She aimed to take those strong performances further into the Tour de France Femmes.
The team will also include Majo Van’t Geloof, Maike Van Der Duin, Jesse Vanderbulcke, retired field hockey player and new signing Eva van Agt and Gladys Verhulst.
"Put simply, our goal is to win a stage. Of course, it’s a high goal but we believe in our dreams! We want to #ColourTheRoad," said Le Col Wahoo Directeur Sportif Nicolas Marche.
"We’ll try to create initiative throughout the week, beginning with stage 1 with a bunch sprint. Maike can really get a top result on the Champs Élysées, and open up our Tour de France in a great way.
“After day one, we’ll try to create opportunities in breaks with aggressive riders like Jesse and Gladys, but also some focus stages where Lizzie can shine on the hillier parcours.
"Our new signing, Eva, is still discovering the type of rider she will become – but we are sure that her talent can shine there in the hills as well. Majo will be an important team player there to support and position the team on the key parts of the course.”
The eight-day race is set to begin on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in conjunction with the final stage 21 of the men's Tour de France. It will also include two stages for the puncheurs, a stage packed with gravel sectors, and four flat stages, and back-to-back mountain stages before concluding atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles.
