It's six-thirty in the morning at Place du Palais de Justice, Chambery, and it's a cloudy, damp Saturday morning. But the chatter and anticipation of almost 6,000 riders in brightly coloured kit, many wearing the "Watch The Femmes" jerseys, bring a positive buzz to the atmosphere.
Over the next hour, riders will set off in waves as they take on the L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The challenge will be to ride 117km from this jewel of the Savoie region to Saint-François-Longchamp on the Col de la Madeleine, all with the small matter of 3,540m of climbing along the way.
