Key events
Arianna Fidanza: The Ceratizit-WNT has just been shown on the coverage with a bloodied knee and looking a bit worse for wear after having crashed. She’s standing up and being checked over.
Mischa Bredewold: The SD Worx rider is out on the road. Her helmet is giving me Star Wars vibes.
Emma Norsgaard: Stage six winner, Norsgaard is the Danish national TT champion. She’s just set off for her go on this 22.6km route. Will she bump Guazzini out of the hot seat? She’s currently sat there smiling and checking her phone.
An email: “I’m looking forward to today’s time trial,” writes Peter. “But I think I have to agree with Demi Vollering from her interview yesterday. This race has been so good. It deserves a glass of champagne and a bike ride into Paris.”
Vittoria Guazzini: As mentioned earlier, the FDJ-Suez rider is the U23 time trial world champion. She’s set a time of 30min 36sec at a speed of 44.3km/h.
The bump in the road: Today’s 22.6km time trial features a climb at roughly halfway. The Côte de Bosdarros is 1.38km and has an average gradient of 6.7%. While some of the riders won’t welcome the bump in the road, it’s likely to suit Kopecky.
Josie Talbot: The Cofidis rider set off second, after van ‘t Geloof, but is the first to finish the ITT. She has set a time of 31min 42sec.
As always, please send in your thoughts, predictions and questions via email or Twitter. I would love the company …
The live TV coverage began at 2pm and there’s a lot of shots of riders warming up, walking around in aero helmets and prediction chat from the commentators. I’m yet to see it cut to the actual live footage, but when it does these updates will hopefully become more frequent.
Mavi Garcia: The Liv Racing Teqfind rider will not start today’s stage due to illness. The Spanish rider is 15th in the overall rankings.
There is one time check, located at 10.6km to go. Also, in case you’re interested, there are 10 national individual time trial champions taking part in today’s stage. Antri Christoforou (Team Human Powered Health), a national ITT champion for Cyprus, has already set off, as has U23 world champion Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez). The next ITT champ to go down the ramp will be Emma Norsgaard at 2.29pm. The other national ITT champions to look out for are Elizabeth Holden (2.39pm), Georgia Williams (2.41pm), Christine Majerus (3.42pm), Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (3.47pm), Grace Brown (4.08pm), Cédrine Kerbaol (France, 4.37pm), Riejanne Markus (4.39pm) and Lotte Kopecky (4.55pm). European ITT champion Marlen Reusser is up at 3.12pm.
Stage eight is go!
Two riders have begun their bid at the individual time trial. Marjolein van ‘t Geloof (Human Powered Health), as the lanterne rouge, set of first at 1.38pm. Josie Talbot (Cofidis) goes second.
There are 123 riders left in this year’s Tour but the main focus of today’s time trial will be on just a handful that could upset the podium standings. After Demi Vollering’s victory on the Col du Tourmalet yesterday pushed her into the GC lead, it’s difficult to see anyone challenging her for the yellow jersey. She has a 1min 50 sec lead over second placed Kasia Niewiadoma. So, the real battle will be for the final two podium spots: the gap that separates Niewiadoma in second and Ashleigh Moolman Passio in fifth is just 49 sec.
Will Annemiek van Vleuten dig deep for a stage win given her TT chops? Or, will Lotte Kopecky claim a second podium spot for SD Worx? They do have form on the one-two victories after all.
Who’s wearing what jersey?
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Yellow: Demi Vollering (SD Worx) 24hr 48min 10sec
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Green: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) 228pts
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Polka-dot: Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) 27pts
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White: Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling) 24hr 58min 16sec
Tour de France Femmes: Demi Vollering climbs to stage win and yellow jersey
Stage seven report: Demi Vollering took a spectacular and career-defining win at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees, to take over the lead in the Tour de France Femmes, with only Sunday’s 22km time trial remaining.
The SD Worx rider emphatically shattered the stalemate with her Dutch compatriot, Annemiek van Vleuten, attacking with a little over 5km of the stage remaining. At the finish line, Vollering had pulled out more than two and a half minutes on Van Vleuten. Jeremy Whittle reports from Tourmalet Bagnères-de-Bigorre …
The top five on General Classification
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Demi Vollering (SD Worx) 24hr 48min 10sec
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Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) +1min 50sec
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Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) +2min 28sec
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Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) +2min 35sec
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Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step) +2min 39sec
Stage eight: Pau to Pau (22.6km ITT)
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift race director, Marion Rousse on stage eight: “Between Pau and Gan, this stage will initially follow the route of the final part of the 2019 Tour de France time trial, but running in the opposite direction. After topping the climb (1.8km at 5.5%), the winding course will demand multiple accelerations. The slightly uphill approach to the finish will offer a magnificent panorama, and perhaps some final suspense before the presentation of the Yellow Jersey.”
The first rider will roll down the ramp for today’s individual time trial at 1.38pm (BST).
⏱️ The only Time Trial on the #TDFF2023 sees the riders start and finish in Pau for a 22 km course. Enough to change the GC?
⏱️ Le seul contre-la-montre du #TDFF2023 démarre et finit à Pau pour une boucle de 22 km. Assez pour changer le classement final ?#WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/1e9ZX79zD5
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 30, 2023
