The Tour de France Femmes is the eight days of racing that so many riders have centered their season around, but there are plenty of variables over 956 kilometres with crashes, time cuts or illness quick to unravel the best laid plans.
In 2022, there were 35 of the 144 riders on the start line in Paris that did not make it across the final finish line on top of La Super Planche des Belles Filles and there are also plenty of obstacles on the way to Pau for the 154 riders taking on the race in 2023.
It wasn't even thirty kilometres into the racing that the first rider was forced to leave, with Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep) suffering a concussion after a nasty fall on stage 1. Others also joined the abandon list on stage 2, with both illness and the crashes on the challenging stage taking a toll.
Here is a regularly updated list of the riders who have to leave the 2023 edition of the Tour de France Femmes, running from Clermont-Ferrand on July 23 to Pau on July 30.
Stage 1
Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick Step), DNF
It was a Tour de France Femmes debut that lasted just 27 kilometres for Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick Step), with the Spanish rider tumbling into a roadside ditch. Benito received medical attention on the scene and was transported to hospital, with the team confirming in a medical update that Benito had suffered a concussion but no other serious injuries. The departure leaves Ashleigh Moolman Pasio one "strong teammate" down as she chases a top finish on the overall, starting with a strong fifth at the head of the GC contenders on stage 1.
Update on @mireiabenito: Mireia was brought to hospital after her crash today. Scans and further examination revealed a concussion, but no other serious injuries. She is in the care of the team now and will travel home for further recovery soon.We wish her a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/AGHvhRzbW1July 23, 2023
Stage 2
It was a stage that presented plenty of obstacles, with the climbs kicking in right from the beginning, and the tension was obvious when the falls had even started before the peloton was out of the neutral zone. Then the rain swept through later in the day of racing and the slippery, wet roads made things worse. Four new riders were officially added to the abandon list by the end of the stage, mostly through illness, with just one as a result of the falls, but the injuries of the day could well take more of a toll in coming stages.
Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere (Israel-Premier Tech-Roland), DNS and DNF
Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere were lining up for their first Tour de France Femmes in support of team leaders, Claire Steels and Tamara Dronova. However, the second day of racing spelt the end of the race for the pair that finished 140th and 141st on stage 1. Israel-Premier Tech-Roland said before the start that Vieceli wasn't able to make it to the Clermont-Ferrand start line due to stomach issues, and then during the stage Delbaere joined her Italian teammate on the DNF list.
"Unfortunately it was not Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere’s day, as they to abandon the race," said the team on Twitter. "Recover well, and get well soon!"
Amandine Fouquenet (Arkea Pro Cycling), DNF
The medical bulletin on stage 1 reported that Amandine Fouquenet had been grappling with abdominal pain. The French rider, however, attempted to forge on through and lined up for stage 2 but had to pull the pin on the way to Mauriac. The team said on Twitter, "Sick, Amandine Fouquenet was forced to leave the road."
Eva van Agt (Jumbo-Visma), DNF
Eva van Agt was in the break, a leading group of three that had just shy of a minute gap on the peloton with 15 kilometres left to race on the stage, and had distanced her companions on the wet and difficult descent when the 26-year-old former field hockey player crashed over the barrier.
"Luckily, we could attend to Eva quickly," said team race coach Carmen Small. "She was conscious. Eva was taken to hospital by ambulance, accompanied by our team doctor and a team leader. She will be examined further there."
Stage 3
The 147.2km rolling route from the heart of the Dordogne Valley to Montignac-Lascaux was filled with five categorised climbs, though none of them beyond a category three, which made it a field day for opportunists. However, only one rider, Julie van de Velde (Fenix-Deceuninck), took advantage of the situation to scoop up mountain points as the new QOM leader.
While Van de Velde's solo breakaway stole the show for most of the day, that held until 300 metres to go, stage 3 saw several riders stopp and remount from mechanicals, punctures and an early crash involving Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma). Two riders succumbed to physical issues and did not complete the stage, while one rider did not take the start at all due to injuries sustained the day before, leaving 146 riders in the race at the end of the day.
Špela Kern (Cofidis), DNS
Team Cofidis lost their first rider of the Tour de France Femmes before the start of stage 3, with Špela Kern not lining up in Gollonges-la-Rouge. She crashed on stage 2 on the damp roads, going down in the first 50km with Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) and Dilyxine Miermont (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93). She was able to finish the ride, but had suffered a dislocated thumb.
Lucie Jounier (Team Coop-Hitec Products), DNF
With just 25km covered on stage 3, Lucie Jounier rode with a small group well behind the peloton. On Monday, Jounier experienced abdominal pain but completed the stage. A day later, the 25-year-old French rider seemed to still be suffering physical discomfort and abandoned the race with 115km to go.
Marte Berg Edseth (Uno-X Pro Cycling), DNF
Another rider to abandon the race on stage 3 due to illness was Marte Berg Edseth. The Norwegian climber had high expectations, having finished second in the mountains classification earlier this year at the Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs. She was only able to ride a few kilometres of the 147.2km route before pulling aside and leaving the race.
Après une chute lors de la 2e étape, @KernSpela souffre d’une luxation du pouce et ne prendra pas le départ aujourd’hui du #TDFF2023 ☹️Remets toi vite Spela ! 💪📸 Lisa Guérin pic.twitter.com/4cAwhO3oh1July 25, 2023
