Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig and Marta Cavalli will lead the new FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope team as the main overall contenders in the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, which starts Sunday in Paris.

They are the best climbers in the world and give the French team a clear chance of securing the yellow jersey when the event ends atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles on July 31.

"The Tour de France Femme is our biggest goal of the season. We embark on this human and sporting adventure with great ambition and strong motivation," said team general manager Steven Delcourt.

"This selection process will not have been easy. We had 14 cyclists on our team who had the level to compete in this Tour. We had to make some choices."

Delcourt built FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope, now in its 17th season, with the dream of one day winning the women's Tour de France. In an interview with Cycling News last June, Delcourt said she believes the event will be a game changer and has the potential to cause massive positive changes in the popularity, safety, and stability of women's cycling.

Part of the team's ambition was to build a team around a GC rider; Delcourt signed her first contract with Uttrup Ludwig in 2020, and this year the Danish road race champion has renewed her contract with the team through 2024. Delcourt said, "She has shown leadership on and off the bike and embodies the new generation of women's cycling.

The team also welcomed Cavalli, who won the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and finished second overall at the Giro Donnée, back in 2021.

Both riders will lead the team in the Tour de France Femmes, supported by Evita Mujic, Grace Brown, Marie Le Net and Vittoria Gazzini.

Delcourt said that choosing the team was a difficult decision, but one designed for success in the eight-day home race.

"For this challenging course, we decided to field the most competitive team possible, with two of the world's best climber-puncturers in Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli.

"Two inexperienced talents, Evita Mujic and Grace Brown, will be responsible for supporting the two leaders in the most difficult parts of the Tour. Breton Marie Le Net and Italian Vittoria Guazzini will complete the group, which has proven throughout the season to be a great team effort and will be ready to deliver a result at the finish in the Superplanche des Belle Filles on July 31."

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.