The 2023 Tour de France Femmes (officially Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift) was the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes. The race took place from 23 to 30 July 2023, and was the 21st race in the 2023 UCI Women's World Tour calendar.

Overview +Stage characteristicsStageDateCourseDistanceTypeWinner123 JulyClermont-FerrandFlat stage224 JulyClermont-Ferrand to MauriacHilly stage325 JulyCollonges-la-Rouge to Montignac-LascauxFlat stage426 JulyCahors to RodezHilly stage527 JulyOnet-le-Château to AlbiFlat stage628 JulyAlbi to BlagnacFlat stage729 JulyLannemezan to Tourmalet Bagnères-de-BigorreMountain stage830 JulyPauIndividual time trialTotal

Classification standings LegendDenotes the leader of the General classificationDenotes the leader of the Mountains classificationDenotes the leader of the Points classificationDenotes the leader of the Young rider classificationDenotes the leader of the Team classificationDenotes the winner of the Combativity award

Stage 1

23 July 2023 – Clermont-Ferrand, The first stage took the riders on a loop around Clermont-Ferrand that was generally flat, with a third category climb (Côte de Durtol) with an average gradient of 7.6% located before the finish.

The first stage initially saw several attempts at a breakaway, with Marta Lach (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling) being the most successful, opening a gap of 50" to the peloton before being caught ahead of the intermediate sprint in . After crashing at , Mireia Benito (AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step) was forced to abandon and was taken to the hospital, but suffered no serious injuries other than a concussion.

With 300 metres remaining of the Côte de Durtol, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) launched an attack with left of the stage. Further accelerating within the final 5 kilometers of the stage, she eventually took a solo stage win by 41 seconds ahead of the peloton. Behind her, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) won the bunch sprint. The high pace set on the final climb led to splits in the peloton, with only 25 riders finishing within a minute of Wiebes.

Kopecky therefore took the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) of the general classification (GC), as well as the points classification and the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) classification. Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling) took the lead in the young rider classification.

Stage 2

24 July 2023 – Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac, The second stage took the riders south from Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac, over a hilly course with six categorised climbs. The final of the stage included the Côte de Trebiac (3.4km with an average gradient of 5.8%) and the final 500m of the stage having an average gradient of 5.6%.

The second stage was held in cooler weather, with drizzle turning into heavy rain by the end of the stage. The first half of the stage featured several attacks by riders that were neutralised by the peloton. The climbs of Côtes des Plaines (4.5km with an average gradient of 5.5%) and the Côte des Boissieres (1.2km with an average gradient of 7.2%) split the bunch, with a minor crash delaying general classification contenders Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl–Trek).

As the rain got heavier, several riders crashed in the last . One of the breakaway riders, Eva van Agt (Jumbo–Visma) had a serious crash on the descent of the final climb while trying to avoid a motorbike, with her contacting the crash barrier with her head. She was taken to hospital where it turned out she had a concussion.

In the final , Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM), Juliette Labous (DSM–Firmenich) and Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) all attempted individual attacks on the climb of the Côte de Trebiac, with the remaining peloton capturing them before the final kilometre. In the uphill sprint finish for the line, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) led out her teammate Kopecky, however Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) overtook Kopecky in the final 100 metres to take the stage.

After the stage, Kopecky realised she had a slow puncture that had dampened her sprint. Neither of the key favourites - Vollering or Van Vleuten - had attempted attacks on the stage, with Vollering stating that she wished to "save my legs for Wednesday and Saturday". Kopecky retained the yellow jersey of the general classification and the lead of the points classification, Kerbaol retained the lead of the young rider classification, and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix–Deceuninck) took the lead of the classification.

Stage 3

25 July 2023 – Collonges-la-Rouge to Montignac-Lascaux, The third stage took the riders west from Collonges-la-Rouge to Montignac-Lascaux over a course considered flat, albeit with five categorised climbs. However the final climb was from the finish, and therefore a bunch sprint was expected.

Prior to the stage, Špela Kern (Cofidis) withdrew from the race after her crash on stage 2. After just , Kathrin Hammes (EF Education–Tibco–SVB) escaped from the peloton for a solo breakaway, eventually establishing a lead of two minutes. After collecting seven points, she was captured by the peloton with around remaining. After several riders attempted attacks from the peloton, Julie Van de Velde (Fenix–Deceuninck) escaped with around remaining. Taking four points over the final two climbs of Côte des Andrieux (2.6 km with an average gradient of 4.1%) and Côte de Saint-Robert (1.1 km with an average gradient of 6.2%), she took the lead of the mountains classification while building up a lead of around a minute over the peloton. The sprinters teams in the peloton - including SD Worx, DSM–Firmenich and Jumbo–Visma - led the chase for the anticipated bunch sprint.

However Van de Velde extended her lead to 2 minutes with remaining. The time gap between her and the peloton fell as the sprinters teams gave chase, but Van de Velde held on towards the finish - with a lead of 35 seconds with to go, and a 10 second lead into the final kilometre of the stage. In the final sprint, the sprinters teams caught Van de Velde with 300 metres to go. Wiebes outsprinted Marianne Vos (Jumbo–Visma) for the stage win, with the yellow jersey of Kopecky finishing third.

A two second split at the finish allowed Kopecky to extend her lead over Lippert to 55", with other contenders including Vollering and Van Vleuten ten seconds further behind. Kopecky also retained her lead in the points classification, Van de Velde took the polka dot jersey of the classification, and Kerbaol retained the lead of the young rider classification.

Stage 4

26 July 2023 – Cahors to Rodez, The longest stage of the race took the riders eastwards over a hilly course from Cahors to Rodez. Five categorised climbs were on the route, with the second category Côte de Moyrazès (4.6km with an average gradient of 5.5%) and the third category Côte de Lavernhe (2.2km with an average gradient of 7.1%) located in the last of the stage. Another climb had bonus seconds available at the top. The last 500 metres of the stage in Rodez had an average gradient of 8.2%, with sections of 13%. It was considered that the contenders would attempt to win the stage, given the bonus seconds available at the finish.

The early break contained 14 riders, including the French national champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health), Anouska Koster (Jumbo–Visma) and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix–Deceuninck). The gap to the peloton slowly grew, reaching 6 minutes after and over 10 minutes after the climb of Côte de Falgevras. This put Cordon-Ragot in the virtual lead of the , as she had been 2' 21" behind Kopecky.

The peloton slowly picked up the pace, with SD Worx taking control to chase the breakaway as they hit the hilly section at the end of the stage. On the third category Côte de Colombiès (6.5 km with an average gradient of 4.2%), the gap to the break fell dramatically to four minutes. With around remaining, Cordon-Ragot sprinted to take the bonus seconds available at Limayrac. On the second category Côte de Moyrazès, Kastelijn and Cordon-Ragot broke clear from the breakaway group - however Cordon-Ragot was unable to hold the wheel and Kastelijn went solo to try and win the stage.

Behind them, the contenders were racing each other - with Kopecky giving chase to try and retain her yellow jersey. Vollering and Van Vleuten then attacked each other on the final climb of the stage, the third category Côte de Lavernhe, overtaking remains of the breakaway. Over the summit, Vollering attacked again with Van Vleuten struggling to follow. With key contenders coming back together, a fast pace was set approaching the tough finish in Rodez.

Vollering then attacked in the steep final kilometre, to finish two seconds ahead of Van Vleuten before celebrating as she thought she'd won the stage. However, Kastelijn had won the stage by 1' 11", her first major stage win in the UCI Women's World Tour. Other contenders finished within 30 seconds of Vollering, with no one losing substantial time. Cordon-Ragot finished 1' 45" behind Kastelijn, moving up 8 places on to 20th overall.

Kopecky therefore retained her yellow jersey of the , albeit with her lead cut to 43". Kopecky also retained her lead in the points classification. Vollering was in second place on , eight seconds ahead of her main rival Van Vleuten thanks to six bonus seconds at the finish line. Koster took the polka dot jersey of the classification thanks to the points collected while in the breakaway, and Kerbaol retained the lead of the young rider classification.

Stage 5

27 July 2023 – Onet-le-Château to Albi,

The fifth stage took the riders south from Onet-le-Château to Albi over a course considered flat, albeit with three categorised climbs. The final into Albi was generally flat, and a sprint finish was expected.

Prior to the start of the stage, SD Worx team director Anna van der Breggen reported that stage 3 winner Wiebes was sick, and would not start the stage. Évita Muzic (FDJ–Suez) abandoned the Tour due to illness early on in the stage - a setback for her team leader Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig. Kastelijn took the points over the first two climbs of the stage, taking the lead in the mountains classification.

Vollering got a puncture with of the stage remaining and replaced the back wheel of her bike. She then drafted her team car to get back to the main bunch. Commissaires were unhappy about the length of time this occurred, with Vollering subsequently penalised 20 seconds in the general classification.

Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon–SRAM) then attacked on the descent of the Côte de Laguépie. She built up a lead of around 1' 30" ahead of the peloton, however this advantage fell on the final climb of the stage, the Côte de Monestiés. With remaining of the stage, Bauernfeind's lead was just 40 seconds. The peloton gave chase, however the gap did not fall fast enough to Bauernfeind, an experienced time trialist. With to go, the gap was still 30 seconds - with Lippert and Reusser attacking from the front of the peloton to catch her.

Bauernfeind was too strong, and crossed the finish line 22 seconds ahead of Lippert and Reusser, becoming the youngest ever winner of a stage at the Tour de France Femmes. She had averaged over the last of the stage. The peloton finished 10 seconds further behind, with Kopecky winning the sprint for the minor placings.

Kopecky retained the yellow jersey of the and extended her lead in the points classification to 47 points. Kastelijn took the polka dot jersey of the mountains classification, and Kerbaol retained the lead of the young rider classification.