Much has changed in a year when it comes to the composition of the teams lining up for the Tour de France Femmes, with the paradigm shift delivered by the reshuffling of key riders from the women's peloton set to get its biggest test in the race across France from July 26 to August 3.
Long gone is the era where the mountainous stage races repetitively came down to a two-way battle between Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten, or later presumptive heir apparent Demi Vollering. There are some standouts, but ultimately, the competition is far more open between the top riders and teams alike. As two-time Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini said before claiming her second Giro d'Italia title, this season so far is one where there have been a 'lot of princesses, but never a queen'.
