Rate TdFF (aZ) '26: what did you like, what would you fix?

[Dogtrousers]

So, what did you think of the Tour de France Femmes '26*

Thread format stolen from @wakemalcolm 's TdF thread

* er ... avec Zwift

 

[wakemalcolm]

So, what did you think of the Tour de France Femmes '26*

Thread format stolen from @wakemalcolm 's TdF thread

* er ... avec Zwift

You're welcome. I'm already prepared for 27: one horse race or cycling heaven?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm going for an 8. I don't think there were any really duff stages. When Wiebes took sprint stages she often had to do a hell of a lot of work to get there, so no gentle meandering through sunflower fields behind a break.

The jersey changed hands a lot. We had a highly memorable Ventoux stage. We had some controversy*. We had an exciting finale with a worthy winner crossing the line in yellow.

So all exciting stuff. I don't think comparing it directly to the men's tour is all that sensible as they're entirely different things. I think this stands on its own as a great event.

Eventually, I think it would be good to extend it maybe to two weeks or 12 days + a rest day, but this would only be feasible if (a) it works financially and (b) there is full TV coverage & (c) if the rest of the WWT season includes more meaningful stage racing. Otherwise extending it would just turn it into an endurance slog that most riders are unused to and the racing would end up being really conservative.

* Sadly, the world of social media being what it is, Celia Gery ended up getting death threats. Now, we all know that they came from overweight men who still live with their mothers, sitting posting in their pants, so not to be taken seriously but it must be pretty hard for a 20 year old in her first tour.

 

[red.rider]

I gave an 8. The GC fight was great, but would have been even better if AvdB and PFP had been at 100%. Wiebes worked hard for green (not quite Mads-level, but still had to dig deep). Puck showed great commitment to racking up QOM points and seal the jersey early, but she was the only one really trying. Vollering taking second in green and polkadots feels similar to Pogacar dominance.

I’ve considered adding the race to PTP for the past 2 years, as it is the biggest race in the women’s peloton. But it has the risk of PTPers just picking Wiebes if flat, Reusser if ITT, and Vollering if climby/GC. This would have given 7/9 stage wins (plus second on Ventoux stage). The UK depart next year might add some more jeopardy, but need to check the calendar. Open to thoughts on this

 

[Dogtrousers]

I gave an 8. The GC fight was great, but would have been even better if AvdB and PFP had been at 100%. Wiebes worked hard for green (not quite Mads-level, but still had to dig deep). Puck showed great commitment to racking up QOM points and seal the jersey early, but she was the only one really trying. Vollering taking second in green and polkadots feels similar to Pogacar dominance.

This is all true, esp AvdB & PFP being a bit lacklustre. Wiebes doesn't have much in the way of competition in the sprints so her main competition was the parcours. There were a couple of stages that I think were supposed to be Lorena-proof but proved not to be. The mountains comp was a bit of a silly irrelevance, but isn't it always?

 

[M.R.M]

I gave an 8. The GC fight was great, but would have been even better if AvdB and PFP had been at 100%. Wiebes worked hard for green (not quite Mads-level, but still had to dig deep). Puck showed great commitment to racking up QOM points and seal the jersey early, but she was the only one really trying. Vollering taking second in green and polkadots feels similar to Pogacar dominance.

I’ve considered adding the race to PTP for the past 2 years, as it is the biggest race in the women’s peloton. But it has the risk of PTPers just picking Wiebes if flat, Reusser if ITT, and Vollering if climby/GC. This would have given 7/9 stage wins (plus second on Ventoux stage). The UK depart next year might add some more jeopardy, but need to check the calendar. Open to thoughts on this

Maybe add it when it becomes a 21 day race?

 

[red.rider]

Maybe add it when it becomes a 21 day race?

I get the rhetoric. But we had the 5-day men’s Tour de Suisse this year which was equally predictable

 

[mididoctors]

It was a really good race .. the professionalism was so much higher than last year's. Not sure the peloton is ready for 14 or so stages . Start it on wed following the tour 11 stages with a rest day

 

[mididoctors]

Good crowds for a women's race

 

[M.R.M]

I get the rhetoric. But we had the 5-day men’s Tour de Suisse this year which was equally predictable

Wasn't meant as any slight towards the woman's Tour. Some of the men's races are just grandfathered in. They are not great to pick just because they are in the men's calendar.

 

[mididoctors]

I gave an 8. The GC fight was great, but would have been even better if AvdB and PFP had been at 100%. Wiebes worked hard for green (not quite Mads-level, but still had to dig deep). Puck showed great commitment to racking up QOM points and seal the jersey early, but she was the only one really trying. Vollering taking second in green and polkadots feels similar to Pogacar dominance.

I’ve considered adding the race to PTP for the past 2 years, as it is the biggest race in the women’s peloton. But it has the risk of PTPers just picking Wiebes if flat, Reusser if ITT, and Vollering if climby/GC. This would have given 7/9 stage wins (plus second on Ventoux stage). The UK depart next year might add some more jeopardy, but need to check the calendar. Open to thoughts on this

How is it any worse than pog in the tour

 

[mididoctors]

It felt defining. This race is here to stay

 

[katiewlx]

Id have given it a ten till I remembered the sprint stages, even if Wiebes had to work a bit harder as it didnt really feel like SD Worx turned up, but the other teams just dont have the answer to her, not that I think any of them are trying too hard to come up with one. The QoM needs work, but I dont know why Puck seemed to be the only rider interested in it, and the youth jersey seemed an incumberance for the wearers too.

I think there should be full tv coverage, but Id be happy with it staying at 9 stages for the time being as I think this gives you a good variety of stages, & stage winners and interest in the GC battle till the end. As you look across the teams and how quite a few of them seemed to be struggling for one reason or another by the end, and I dont think the spectacle would gain from just adding in more stages at the moment.

 

[Pross]

I didn’t see enough to rate it. What I saw was very good but as I said in one of the stage spoilers, whilst the women’s peloton has got much more strength in depth over the last 5 years it’s there are still big discrepancies and there are very few specialists so most stages remain a battle between the usual suspects. The tactics also seem quite naive at times although as a spectator that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[misforturob]

They need to get more races up to a similar level of prestige/eyeballs as TdFF before boosting that even further. IMHO