Uttrup Ludwig: Racing Tour de France Femmes will make us part of history

Cecilie Uttrup of Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) celebrates a stage win in Vuelta a Burgos
Cecilie Uttrup of Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) celebrates a stage win in Vuelta a Burgos (Image credit: Getty Images)

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (Team SD Worx) were among the elite WorldTour riders at the unveiling of the Tour de France Femmes route in Paris on Thursday with both riders acknowledging that history was being made as ASO laid out their route for their new women's Tour de France.

The eight-day race begins in Paris on July 24 and concludes with back-to-back mountain stages, including a Queen stage atop La Planche des Belles Filles. There are stages for sprinters, climbers, and all-rounders, along with a stage that contains several sectors of gravel, and while this is no time trial the route looks well poised for an exciting GC battle.

“I love it. It’s a really well-balanced course and there’s something for everyone,” Moolman Pasio said after the route was unveiled by race director Marion Rousse, and ASO’s Christian Prudhomme.

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Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.