Organizers of the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift have listened to feedback from riders, teams and officials and made two important changes to the second edition of the event.

Race director Marion Rousse said that a conscious decision was made to bring the women's race into the alpine terrain of the Pyrenees, with a summit finish at the Col du Tourmalet, and to conclude with an individual time trial in Pau.

"You already know that we are going to take the high mountains of the Pyrenees, the summit of the Col d'Aspin and then the Col du Tourmalet. We have in mind to make our mark on the history of the Tour de France femmes," Ruth said at Thursday's route announcement at the Palais des Congrès in Paris.

"The final stage has a time trial, which is also novel and uncomplicated."

This year's revival of the Tour de France Femme started on the Champs-Elysées and concluded at La Planche des Belle Filles in the Vosges Mountains, where Annemiek Van Hulten took the overall win.

Teams and riders, however, expressed their desire for the organizers to improve the race, pointing to the iconic men's Tour de France in the Alps and Pyrenees and the lack of time trials in particular.

Ruth believes that together with ASO, they have created a route that everyone can enjoy. The race will start in Paris and continue south through the Pyrenees Mountains, starting in Clermont-Ferrand.

"We wanted to create a balanced route that would accommodate different types of riders. I wanted to create a balanced route that could be enjoyed by all riders. We started in Clermont-Ferrand and rode up the Massif Central. It's a pit stop stage with quite a few elevation changes."

The first six stages range from flat to hilly, with options for sprinters and punters. Ruth believes that stage 4 is deceptive and could have a significant impact on the overall standings.

"On paper, stage 4, which arrives in Lodé, doesn't look too difficult. The last 40km in particular is a series of small roads with lots of ups and downs. Stage 4 for me will be almost decisive for GC," Ruth said.

Ruth said that although this year's Tour de France femme will not start on the Champs-Elysées in conjunction with the men's finish, it is important to maintain the connection between the two events with their trademark brands by holding the women's race the week after the men's He said.

"We want to keep the men and women connected. When the Tour de France passes by, we can say, 'No, stay with us and come see the girls in week four. And vice versa. Le Marckstein (stage 7 finish of the 2022 Tour de France Femme) was an important stage in last year's Tour de France Femme, and next year it will be the last climb in the men's Tour de France," Rousset said.

In designing the route, Rousset also kept the challenges and limitations in mind when considering how much countryside the Tour de France Femme could traverse in just eight days. The goal, at least for the time being, is to visit new areas of the country in each competition.

"We have the same philosophy as the Tour de France men. We want to go wherever we can, both in France and abroad. At the moment we only have eight days, so we can't go everywhere," Ruth said.

Ruth said that future editions of the Tour de France Femme need to be longer and more challenging to keep up with the progress of women's cycling.

"If there is a change, it will be better or more. That's what everyone is willing to do. So far it's been eight days. I've talked to the riders and the teams and the consensus is that that's the ideal format. While women's cycling has made great progress at the World Tour level, it still needs to progress at the continental level as well.

The first edition of the new version of the Tour de France Femme was a success in terms of racing, branding, and marketability. The presence and interest of media and fans was a testament to the international popularity of the race.

According to official Tour de France Femme announcements, there were a total of nearly 20 million viewers in France over the eight days of racing, with France 2 and France 3 averaging 2.25 million viewers per stage and a 26.4% rating. The finale alone, with Van Vleuten's victory at La Super Blanche des Belle Filles, was watched by over 5 million French viewers.

Ruth acknowledged that while women's cycling has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, the Tour de France brand has allowed the men's and women's competitions to transcend sporting boundaries and draw large crowds. The goal is to continue that growth and momentum in future editions of the Tour de France Famous.

"Women's cycling has progressed over the last few years. The importance of the Tour de France is a brand and transcends the sport. The Tour de France can bring something that no other race can.

"The women's cycling calendar is already full and didn't need us. But we do this because of the continuity of the virtuous cycle that the Tour creates, which creates a resonance, a third week that tells people, 'There's a fourth week.'"

"This is already a big win. Then the sponsors will bring more money and that's how we can grow. The first year was a success, but we can't rest on our laurels. We want to solidify our race and progress at the same pace as women's cycling.