{"id":225695,"date":"2025-10-26T02:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T02:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/225695\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T02:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T02:07:10","slug":"it-doesnt-get-more-quintessential-than-ventoux-climbs-inclusion-in-tour-de-france-femmes-route-will-be-massive-for-race-says-zwift-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/225695\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It doesn’t get more quintessential than Ventoux’ \u2013 climb’s inclusion in Tour de France Femmes route will be ‘massive’ for race, says Zwift director"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GC contenders will be \u201cdrooling\u201d at the inclusion of Mont Ventoux<\/a> in next year\u2019s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift<\/a>, Zwift<\/a> director Kate Veronneau has said, adding that the climb will play a \u201cmassive\u201d role in raising the profile of the race.<\/p>\n

The full route for the 2026 edition<\/a> was unveiled in Paris on Thursday, detailing a Swiss start, Nice finish, and a marquee ascent of Mont Ventoux<\/a> on stage seven. The iconic mountain has featured 18 times in the men\u2019s Tour de France<\/a>, but is relatively unknown to the women\u2019s peloton, who have only raced it twice, and never at the Tour.<\/p>\n

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Veronneau was at the route announcement ceremony on Thursday and thinks the nine-day parcours is \u201cspectacular\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHonestly, I think it\u2019s going to really showcase the depth of the peloton. It\u2019s got moments for everyone,\u201d Zwift\u2019s director of women\u2019s strategy told Cycling Weekly.<\/p>\n

Asked how important Ventoux might be for increasing the race\u2019s visibility, Veronneau said: \u201cOh, massive\u2026 I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a better pick for next year. I used to work in bike tours, bringing people to the men\u2019s Tour, so I know all the climbs really well, and it doesn\u2019t get more quintessential than Ventoux.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think of the Tour, those images are immediately conjured, and for the women to go up that, and for where we know their strengths are at right now, and the epic battles that we\u2019ve had on the Tourmalet, Alpe d\u2019Huez, the Madeleine, Ventoux is next, and it\u2019s going to be fireworks. I already see peak French audiences \u2013 we\u2019re going to smash this year\u2019s record for live audiences on France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Tour de France Femmes <\/a>finale, won by Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a>\u2019s Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a>, brought a peak audience of 7.7 million on the host broadcast.<\/p>\n

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Having acted as a title sponsor of the event since its rebirth in 2022, indoor training brand Zwift announced on Thursday that it has renewed its partnership for at least another four years<\/a>, citing a long-term commitment to growing women\u2019s cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter this year\u2019s record-shattering Tour, and one that just delighted audiences around the world, this was our time to double down and say we\u2019re in it for the long haul,\u201d Veronneau said. \u201cThis has been an incredibly rewarding partnership on all levels, and has exceeded so many expectations that we can\u2019t imagine Zwift without it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past three years, Zwift has seen a 5% increase in its volume of new female subscribers, up from 18% in 2022 to 23%. This uptick, Veronneau says, comes as a \u201cdirect relationship\u201d from sponsoring the Tour de France Femmes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got it in the first place to grow the sport, to grow Zwift,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an extension of our commitment and puts our values first, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s got to be good business as well… It’s fabulous to see that the race is inspiring more women to ride, and more women to come to Zwift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronneau would not be drawn on how much the sponsorship deal is worth, or specific subscriber numbers, but said the partnership with the race has been \u201cvery significant\u201d for company.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to just get as many eyeballs on the race as possible,\u201d said Veronneau, who dedicates most of her job to Zwift\u2019s \u2018Watch the Femmes\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n

After four editions, there remains a frustration among fans at the lack of television parity<\/a> between the women\u2019s and men\u2019s races. The latter is shown with coverage from kilometre zero, while the starts of the women’s stages have often not been broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does seem disparate, right?\u201d Veronneau said, but added that she can \u201ckind of argue it both ways\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, yes, I would like to see full coverage, but I think it\u2019s more important that we deliver great sport to audiences that shows the value of the action,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you have two hours of incredibly exciting racing, that might be better in some ways than dragging it out for five hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

That exciting racing, she’s sure, will be guaranteed on Mont Ventoux next summer. \u201cIt’s so otherworldly,\u201d Veronneau said. \u201cThere\u2019s just something about it that\u2019s kind of magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nine-day 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place from 1-9 August.<\/p>\n

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