As Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Challenge riders continue to trickle through the finish line hours before the top favourites are expected, a sea of fans is already primed for the race to come through. Each of the Gran Fondo riders is dressed in a colourful jersey, the signature pink, yellow and orange of Zwift. They were let loose on the course before the women even started the final stage 150 km away in Le Grand Bornand, thousands of cycling enthusiasts determined to summit Alpe d’Huez before their heroes.
Campervans have been arriving all morning, of every shape and size, carrying families and groups of friends. Some travelled from the roads of Stage 7, while some arrived purely to watch the women race up the iconic mountain. The signature Tour polka-dot shirts are everywhere. Grown men and children alike have them pulled over their rain jackets. A cocker spaniel wears his shirt with pride as he waits for a snack next to the barriers with 500 meters to go. What a good boi.
Those who decided to arrive the day before the race were treated to almost 18 hours of heavy rain, but the morning of the race the drops stopped. The clouds are still present, casting an eerie and ominous feeling over the crowds.
The chance of rain still looms, and the fans have come equipped for whatever the day may throw at them. Down jackets and nylon pants are all the rage, with a few daring individuals shedding layers as the chance of rain seems to lessen.
Tourists and media alike make their way up the climb, dodging fondo riders as they go. It’s enough to take years off the drivers’ lives, but the cyclists seem relatively unfazed. Some have trailers with their children, and some have brought their dogs in backpacks or handlebar baskets. Others are taking on the climb as if it were their own race, making everyone around them nervous.
Along the road names are painted. “NEVE, NEVE, NEVE” takes up a full switchback, with the yellow jersey displayed on the rock wall of the mountain. Multiple groups of fans have set up signs cheering on Évita Muzic and Juliette Labous, the darlings of France.
There is a sense of callback to the queen stage of the 2023 Tour, where clouds obscured the Col du Tourmalet. As fans hoping to get to the finish line rode the chairlift up the mountain on that day, the fans were invisible in the mist. But even the weather couldn’t stop the wall of noise the riders would ride into.
A year later, the clouds lift above Alpe, and the sheer number of fans can be seen. Still, the sound is overwhelming. Each team bus or car that drives through the finish line is greeted enthusiastically by hands banging on barriers.
A group of friends have set up a very French picnic near the penultimate bend. A baguette with soft cheese and cured meats, and of course a bottle of red wine. All four of them wear polka-dot shirts, and they’ve scored an extra to use as a tablecloth. They’re making the most of their Sunday in the mountains.
An overwhelming number of roadside spectators are cyclists themselves. Most are still wearing helmets, even a group of five enjoying crepes with nearly 300 meters to go. The creperie in question has been a hotbed of activity all day, serving up sweet and savoury snacks to hungry travellers who have hours to wait before the action hits the bottom of Alpe d’Huez. Some sip beer, some hot chocolate. A group of SD Worx-Protime staff take advantage of the wait time to sit down for crepes as well, proudly displaying their sweaters embroidered with the team’s logo as they enjoy a well-deserved beer.
“Some of us live here; some of us came from Brazil,” says one spectator. When asked if they are cycling fans, they all respond in unison: “Yes!” They’ve come for the Tour de France Femmes and they are not shy about who they want to win.
“Kasia Niewiadoma,” they say.
They’ve been following the sport as far back as 1998.
“We want more days,” they say of the race’s current length. “I think it’s more exciting,” adds one. “More unpredictable. I think it’s [that] we are watching something new. Three years ago we didn’t have [the race] so I think it’s a big big step.”
As the publicity caravan drives through, with 18 km remaining in the race, the number of supports becomes apparent. Anyone who had been enjoying a crepe or beer at the bars rushes to the barriers for trinkets they will either lose in a few days or throw away in a month.
Another fan has come from Paris on holiday. They didn’t plan to be here for the race, but they have a flat at the top of Alpe d’Huez and it just so happens the week of their holiday overlaps with the race.
“With the buzz of the Olympics it’s just fun to see activity,” he says. “My husband and I have a daughter, and I love the fact that we are seeing a lot more women’s sports being visible. Having a daughter it’s really important she feels included in stuff.
“It’s important girls and women have the same visibility as men.”
Two women from North Carolina and Wyoming have been following the whole Tour. They call the whole event a “mob scene” with a laugh.
“We couldn’t imagine the number of people who came out. It’s been really exciting to see how many people are supporting cycling.”
They are big women’s cycling fans. Have been for 20 years. They’ve witnessed the development of the sport, one of them raced in Europe in the early days of Marianne Vos’ career. She can’t believe how professional the sport is now, with team chefs and buses.
They would also like to see more stages for the women. Not the full three weeks of the men’s event, but a longer race with a rest day in the middle. Plus, more time trials, or even a team time trial: “They brought their time trial bikes and they only got to ride them for 6 km!”
The caravan has finished their Tour now, as the women hit the bottom of the Alpe. Only 13 km remain in the race for yellow, and despite her best efforts, Demi Vollering does not have the gap she would have hoped for. It’s still unclear who will wear the leader’s jersey at the end of the race, but the fans are here for it. They are here for the chaos, here for the vibes. Rain or shine, they will be cheering on the women as they finish off their Tour on Sunday evening.
Speed limits are forgotten as silver, ASO-stickered cars tear through the course, separated from the public by barriers. Horns blare and the final countdown is on. The women are coming.
Finally, after hours of anticipation, spectators scream as Vollering and Pauliena Rooijakkers come through the final kilometre. The slight downhill before they will turn left to the line means they are coming with additional speed, and when Vollering starts her sprint the winner of the stage is determined, but not yet the winner of the Tour. Dedicated fans remain glued to the ginormous screen just behind the finish line, watching the seconds tick over, waiting for the yellow jersey.
In those moments there is a hesitation among those watching. Journalists wait to swarm Vollering until they know if she has gained enough time. Vollering herself sits on the ground, head in hands. The elation of winning the stage has already died off, as Vollering begins to realize she didn’t do enough. After everything she put in, she would come short.
When Niewiadoma and Muzic come to the finish cries of “Ahh” and “Ohh” are everywhere. Évita Muzic’s superior sprint takes valuable seconds away from Niewiadoma. Everyone is doing the math, some faster than others, and then the real chaos hits. Fans, team staff and journalists alike realize that Niewiadoma held onto her advantage and would be crowned the new queen of the Tour. A mob of people with yellow lanyards and vests start to run at the Canyon-SRAM team who are oblivious to the world around them as they embrace. Niewiadoma herself sobs. Her biggest dream was realized.
For an hour after Niewiadoma finished the entire top of Alpe d’Huez is indeed a mob scene. Riders either hover around the finish to hug teammates or friends, or hurry back to their buses to hide from the press and fans. Some spectators start to swarm this way and that, with the team buses split between two car parks the crowd splits depending on their preferred riders. Family hang over barriers trying to catch their loved ones.
“Shirin!” a man yells, as Lidl-Trek’s Shirin van Anrooij makes her way from the finish line to the team staff. The Dutchwoman rides over to the man and immediately breaks into heartwrenching sobs as he holds her. Her soigneur tries, without luck, to put a warm towel around Van Anrooij’s shoulders. It’s a sharp reminder that many tears are flowing atop the mountain, for differing reasons.
Things around the finish don’t begin to die down until well after the podium ceremony. Riders are long gone, some teams have attempted to leave the mountain behind while others have secured lodging at the top. The moods around each bus vary, but the overall feeling is a relief. The Tour is over. Whether or not the goals were accomplished, there’s nothing that can be done now.
After the race, in hushed voices, people discuss the lack of crowds lower on the climb. They expected more. But the number of people who came to this Tour is significantly more than every other women’s event. The race will continue to grow and with it the following.
Fans make their way down the mountain or to their hotels, restaurants fill up, and it sinks in that it’s over. Everyone will have to wait another year for the Tour de France Femmes. There’s no telling which mountain the women will tackle next year, but everyone agrees: The race on Sunday was the best finale of a stage race anyone has seen. Maybe it’s because it’s fresh; the excitement hasn’t worn off. But the excitement will return, and with it the circus of the Tour. Not quite as busy as the men’s, but with just as much passion.
Dreams were realized, hopes were crushed, and new heroes were made atop Alpe d’Huez.
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