Opening the road to cycling fans a few days before the champions has been the tried and tested formula since 1993 for tens of thousands of cyclists on L’Etape du Tour de France. This year, the principle has been adapted with the creation of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Challenge, which invites amateur cyclists to raise the curtain on the last climb on the women's race programme. The village of Bourg d'Oisans will host the start for all amateur riders who wish to tackle the 21 switchback turns on the famous Alpe d'Huez route. The Isère resort will greet the final confrontation among the favourites for the Yellow Jersey.
A few hours earlier, the amateurs will have a unique opportunity to test themselves on the climb that has seen Tom Pidcock, Thibaut Pinot, Pierre Rolland and, a little earlier in cycling history, Lucho Herrera, Joop Zoetemelk and Fausto Coppi suffer and triumph. The challenge will unfold on a closed course, but also in the presence of the many spectators who will already be in place, and on a completely private stretch of two kilometres to the finish arch which will be the ultimate goal just as it will be for the champions. A Dutchwoman or not in the lead at the top of the Dutch mountain? That's what the amateur climbers will be able to witness from the best vantage point as they enjoy privileged conditions to take in the final finish. It's a spectacle well worth a bike climb!
