AG Insurance – Soudal Line-up for the Tour de France Femmes

On Sunday, the team presentation will kick off the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes. This year, the race starts in the Netherlands, with the opening stage kicking off on Monday, in Rotterdam. The first stage will take the riders to The Hague, followed by a second stage that brings them back from Dordrecht to Rotterdam. Later that day, a short time trial is scheduled in Rotterdam.

In the fourth stage, the riders will leave the Netherlands and cycle from Valkenburg to Liège. The final weekend, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, promises to be decisive with challenging mountain stages. The climbs to the Le Chinaillon ski station and especially the iconic Alpe d'Huez will determine who claims the overall victory on Sunday, August 18th.

Unfortunately, we have had to make some changes to our line-up. Earlier this week, our team leader, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, had to withdraw from the race as she has not yet fully recovered from her crash in June during the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. Additionally, our Spanish rider, Mireia Benito, had to pull out on Saturday due to illness after returning from the Olympic Games.

Ashleigh will be replaced by Justine Ghekiere, who claimed the mountain classification in the Giro d’Italia Women last month. Mireia's place will be taken by the Italian rider Gaia Masetti.

AG Insurance – Soudal is taking on the challenge of the Tour de France Femmes with a strong team consisting of: Kim Le Court, Gaia Masetti, Justine Ghekiere, Anya Louw, Julie Van De Velde, Sarah Gigante, and Ilse Pluimers.

"I was eagerly anticipating the Tour de France Femmes, pouring my heart and effort into preparing for it. After last year's dramatic crash just 20km in, I was hoping for a much better experience this time around.

Right now, it's hard to find anything positive in this situation, but I hope I can overcome this setback and recover quickly to focus on my next goals.

In the meantime, I'll be fan #1, cheering for #thewolfpack from behind the TV. I truly believe this team has what it takes to achieve great things in the Tour de France Femmes. They have the legs, the heart, and the mind to aim high. I wish them all the best—enjoy every single moment of this special race, and the rest will follow", said Mireia after announcing that she would not start.