It has been a remarkable season for Elisa Longo Borghini, including fourth overall in the Paris-Roubaix Femme, the women's Tour, and the Giro de Donne. The Italian will bring her rising race form from the summer stages to the Tour de France Femme avec Zwift as leader of the Trek-Segafredo team.

"It's just a bike race," Longo Borghini told Cycling News in an interview earlier this summer, noting the excitement and fanfare leading up to the Tour de France Femme, a new addition to this year's Women's World Tour.

"I'm happy to have a women's Tour de France. We are like going to the moon. Going to France to race is no different than what we do anywhere else in the world."

France is not as far away as the moon, but the expectations and pressure are high for the eight-day race, which will be held from July 24 to 31. The women's peloton will be chasing the coveted yellow jersey for the first time in over 30 years, since the race was held in the 1980s.

Trek-Segafredo will be joined by time trial world champion Ellen van Dijk, French road champion Audrey Cordon-Lago, American time trial champion Leah Thomas, Dutch U23 time trial champion, U23 European Time Trial and Road Champion Shirin van Anluoy, will form a strong team to support Longo Borghini.

World Champion Elisa Balsamo will also be on hand to help Longo Borghini win the yellow jersey.

The eight-day race starts at the Eiffel Tower and ends at the top of La Planche des Belle Filles.

"The first half of the route is favorable for me and the other sprinters, and the second half for the climbers and the overall class," said Balsamo. I will concentrate on the first part," Balsamo said in an interview with Cycling News earlier this year.

"I really think Elisa Longo Borghini can fight for the overall. I think she is very strong and of course she can fight for the yellow jersey."

Cycling News will provide live coverage of all eight stages of the Tour de France Femme with race reports, galleries, results, exclusive features and news.