“There won’t be a metre of flat.” This is how Marion Rousse, director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, described stage two of next year’s race, from Manchester to Sheffield, at the announcement on Monday. “This will be a battle. This second stage will be hard fought with some spectacular climbs.”
Judging by what we know so far about day two of the British Grand Départ next summer, this might not be hyperbole. The 154.4km stage will have around 2,750m of climbing in it, including ascents of Winnats Pass (1.4km at 12.3%) and Snake Pass (5.4km at 4.6%), before a finish in Sheffield similar to stage two of the men’s race in 2014, with the Côte d’Oughtibridge (1.5km at 9.1%) and the Côte de Jenkin Road (0.8km at 10.8%) on the menu.
