Tour de France Femmes abandons - A tally of the riders leaving the race

The Tour de France Femmes is the eight days of racing that so many riders have centered their season around, but there are plenty of variables over 956 kilometres with crashes, time cuts or illness quick to unravel the best laid plans.

In 2022, there were 35 of the 144 riders on the start line in Paris that did not make it across the final finish line on top of La Super Planche des Belles Filles and there are also plenty of obstacles on the way to Pau for the 154 riders taking on the race in 2023.

It wasn't even 30 kilometres into the racing that the first rider was forced to leave, with Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep) suffering a concussion after a nasty fall on stage 1. Then others joined the abandon list through the next stages, with both illness and injuries from crashes taking a toll, as well as the tough days on the bike culminating with the brutal climb of the Col du Tourmalet.

Here is a regularly updated list of the riders who have had to leave the 2023 edition of the Tour de France Femmes, running from Clermont-Ferrand on July 23 to Pau on July 30.

Stage 1

Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick Step), DNF

It was a Tour de France Femmes debut that lasted just 27 kilometres for Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick Step), with the Spanish rider tumbling into a roadside ditch. Benito received medical attention on the scene and was transported to hospital, with the team confirming in a medical update that Benito had suffered a concussion but no other serious injuries. The departure leaves Ashleigh Moolman Pasio one "strong teammate" down as she chases a top finish on the overall, starting with a strong fifth at the head of the GC contenders on stage 1.

Stage 2

It was a stage that presented plenty of obstacles, with the climbs kicking in right from the beginning, and the tension was obvious when the falls had even started before the peloton was out of the neutral zone. Then the rain swept through later in the day of racing and the slippery, wet roads made things worse. Four new riders were officially added to the abandon list by the end of the stage, mostly through illness, with just one as a result of the falls, but the injuries of the day could well take more of a toll in coming stages.

Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere (Israel-Premier Tech-Roland), DNS and DNF

Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere were lining up for their first Tour de France Femmes in support of team leaders, Claire Steels and Tamara Dronova. However, the second day of racing spelt the end of the race for the pair that finished 140th and 141st on stage 1. Israel-Premier Tech-Roland said before the start that Vieceli wasn't able to make it to the Clermont-Ferrand start line due to stomach issues, and then during the stage Delbaere joined her Italian teammate on the DNF list.

"Unfortunately it was not Lara Vieceli and Fien Delbaere’s day, as they to abandon the race," said the team on Twitter. "Recover well, and get well soon!"

Amandine Fouquenet (Arkea Pro Cycling), DNF

The medical bulletin on stage 1 reported that Amandine Fouquenet had been grappling with abdominal pain. The French rider, however, attempted to forge on through and lined up for stage 2 but had to pull the pin on the way to Mauriac. The team said on Twitter, "Sick, Amandine Fouquenet was forced to leave the road."

Eva van Agt (Jumbo-Visma), DNF

Eva van Agt was in the break, a leading group of three that had just shy of a minute gap on the peloton with 15 kilometres left to race on the stage, and had distanced her companions on the wet and difficult descent when the 26-year-old former field hockey player crashed over the barrier.

"Luckily, we could attend to Eva quickly," said team race coach Carmen Small. "She was conscious. Eva was taken to hospital by ambulance, accompanied by our team doctor and a team leader. She will be examined further there."

Stage 3

The 147.2km rolling route from the heart of the Dordogne Valley to Montignac-Lascaux was filled with five categorised climbs, though none of them beyond a category three, which made it a field day for opportunists. However, only one rider, Julie van de Velde (Fenix-Deceuninck), took advantage of the situation to scoop up mountain points as the new QOM leader.

While Van de Velde's solo breakaway stole the show for most of the day, that held until 300 metres to go, stage 3 saw several riders stopp and remount from mechanicals, punctures and an early crash involving Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma). Two riders succumbed to physical issues and did not complete the stage, while one rider did not take the start at all due to injuries sustained the day before, leaving 146 riders in the race at the end of the day.

Špela Kern (Cofidis), DNS 

Team Cofidis lost their first rider of the Tour de France Femmes before the start of stage 3, with Špela Kern not lining up in Gollonges-la-Rouge. She crashed on stage 2 on the damp roads, going down in the first 50km with Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) and Dilyxine Miermont (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93). She was able to finish the ride, but had suffered a dislocated thumb. 

Lucie Jounier (Team Coop-Hitec Products), DNF

With just 25km covered on stage 3, Lucie Jounier rode with a small group well behind the peloton. On Monday, Jounier experienced abdominal pain but completed the stage. A day later, the 25-year-old French rider seemed to still be suffering physical discomfort and abandoned the race with 115km to go. 

Marte Berg Edseth (Uno-X Pro Cycling), DNF

Another rider to abandon the race on stage 3 due to illness was Marte Berg Edseth. The Norwegian climber had high expectations, having finished second in the mountains classification earlier this year at the Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs. She was only able to ride a few kilometres of the 147.2km route before pulling aside and leaving the race.

Stage 4

Stage 4 brought an endurance test for the peloton at the Tour de France Femmes, a 177km relentlessly-rolling route sure to shake up the general classification. While 146 riders took the start from Cahors for the longest stage of the week, three riders were not able to reach the mid-way point of the eight-day race, all surrendering before the big climbs near the conclusion in Rodez. 

Elise Uijen (Team dsm-firmenich), DNF

Elise Uijen, one of the riders on Team dsm-firmenich supporting sprinter Charlotte Kool and GC contender Juliette Labous, abandoned stage 4 with 93km to go. Team dsm-firmenich cited fatigue as the reason for the 20-year-old to pull out of the race. The profile for Wednesday was one which favoured the young Dutch climber, with four categorised climbs packed into the second half. While Labous moved from 14th to 9th in the GC on Wednesday, Uijen will not be around to help in the second half of the stage race.

Rachele Barbieri (Liv Racing TeqFind), DNF

The Liv Racing TeqFind squad had two riders in the main 15-rider breakaway on stage 4, Jeanne Korevaar and Thalita De Jong, with De Jong finishing 11th and team leader Maví Garcia 21st. But as the Liv squad looks to move Garcia higher in the overall, now 12th, they will not have Rachele Barbieri to help in the sprints. The Italian, who has had five top five’s so far this season, was not able to complete stage 4. The team did not confirm if an injury played a part.

Anaïs Morichon (Arkéa Pro Cycling), DNF

Limoges, France native Anaïs Morichon was another rider to not finish stage 4. The 23-year-old was the second rider from the Arkéa squad to drop out of the race, following road captain Amandine Fouquenet on stage 2. It has been a tough season for the domestique as she added a fourth DNF in five stage races, the last one in June at Tour de Suisse. 

Stage 5

Stage 5 of the Tour de France avec Zwift was full of surprises, beginning with the absence at the start line for one of the top sprinters, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), who was a favourite to win Thursday’s flat run-in to Albi. The day ended with another solo breakaway rider who survived for victory, stunning the main contenders. As the eight-day race passed the half-way mark to Pau, a total of six riders were no longer part of the Tour, the peloton now down riders to 137. Fatigue and illness were the main culprits for the highest number of riders to exit on a single day so far, with one rider suffering effects from a stage 4 crash.

Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx), DNS

Before the first pedal stroke turned on a hot, sunny day in Onet-le-Château, European Champion Wiebes was confirmed as a non-starter due to illness by her SD Worx team. Already a stage winner on the third day, Wiebes had been expected to contest for the victory in Albi. The fast Dutch rider was second in the sprint classification, 28 points behind teammate and race leader Lotte Kopecky.

“She’s sick,” team director Anna van der Breggen told GCN at the start. “She felt no so good already in the beginning and then it got better again so we had hopes that it would be okay after, but yesterday she said like, ‘I feel really bad’. She had some stomach problems. She was not recovering so it was actually not possible to start today with a fever.”

Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X), DNS

The reigning Norwegian time trial national champion could have done well on Thursday’s flat stage, but Mie Bjørndal Ottestad was not able to start due a diagnosis of a concussion, which resulted from a stage 4 crash.

“Mie Bjørndal Ottestad did not start the 5th stage of Tour de France Femmes due to a concussion after yesterday's crash. She’s doing well and will spend the coming days recovering,” the team posted to social media.

The Oslo native was on good form at the Tour, coming off her TT crown and third place in the national road race. She won a road stage Ruta del Sol in April and came away with second on GC from that five-day race.

Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ), DNF

French rider Évita Muzic had experienced sickness for the past two days at the Tour and was forced to retire a few kilometres into stage 5. She rode next to a medical car just 3km into the 126km stage and withdrew shortly after. Just the day before, she was at a medical car for assistance with 62km to go, but continued in a group just 20 seconds behind team leader Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, who was 20th and 2:11 back of the stage winner. Last year Muzic had a pair of top 10s in the Tour de France Femmes and finished eighth on GC. One of the big climbers on the team, she will be missed to help Uttrup Ludwig work her way back into the top 10.

Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (Cofidis), DNF

Before reaching the 100-kilometre mark of the race, Gabrielle Pilote Fortin abandoned stage 5. The experienced Canadian had endured a couple of days of sickness at the Tour, and went from racing to surviving, “hope I can recover for tomorrow”, she had posted on Instagram after a hilly stage 3. Two days later, Pilote Fortin said: “What I thought was carsickness turned out to b more and today my body said no. Still merci La team for the opportunity and all the support! This will make me stronger”

She was excited to be named to the Tour de France Femmes team, her 2022 season ended with a procedure to repair arteries due to Iliac artery endofibrosis. She had admitted that in November she could hardly walk, but was back to racing in February and the Tour was her fourth stage race.

Kaja Rysz (Lifeplus Wahoo), DNF

In just her third year as a pro cyclist, Kaja Rysz added firepower to the sprints for the Continental team. However, she never go close enough to the end of stage 5 to compete for a top finish as she abandoned the race 12km into the stage. The team did not confirm, but Rysz seemed to be another victim of sickness. She was riding to support teammate Ella Wyllie, who is second in the best young rider classification and 25th overall in the GC.

Jenny Rissveds (Coop-Hitec Products), DNS

A second rider for Coop-Hitec Products, Jenny Rissveds, has exited the Tour de France Femmes. The team did not confirm why the Swedish time trial national champion failed to make the start.

Stage 6

Friday was the final opportunity for the sprinters at this year’s Tour de France avec Zwift and it was a wide window of possible winners with the absence of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), who did not start the day before due to illness. On the start line in Albi for another flat day of racing were 137 riders. By the time another breakaway rider found success at the finish, this time Emma Norsgaard (Movistar), left the sprinters to fight for lower podium spots there were two more riders exiting the Tour, one from disqualification and one from not finishing inside the allowed time. 

Lotta Henttala (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep), DNF

With 66km to go on stage 6 for the yellow jersey and other favourites, Lotta Henttala (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep) rode at the back of the race, appearing to struggle while the broom wagon trailed nearby. One kilometre later, she was out of the race  with a disqualification for holding on to her team car. In addition, the director sportif for the AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep squad was also DQ’d.

"Following an incident during today's stage Lotta Henttala has been disqualified from the Tour de France Femmes. Our DS Servais Knaven has also been disqualified," the team confirmed.

Henttala was one of the favourites for sprint stages, so was expected to be in the mix for the Friday finish in Blagnac. She was also in service for team leader Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, who was second in the GC at 53 seconds back of race leader Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx). Henttala is the second rider to depart the Tour for the team, having lost Mireia Benito to a crash on stage 1.

Marie-Morgane Le Deunff (Arkéa Pro Cycling), OTL

Back on stage 1, French rider Marie-Morgane Le Deunff was the first rider to go clear of the peloton with an attack at 19km from the start in Clermont-Ferrand. While she was reeled back after 5km, it was a first nonetheless. By stage 6, Le Deunff was done, falling outside the time limit on a fast 122.1km stage into Blagnac.

Through six days of racing with relentlessly hot weather and aggressive riding, Arkéa Pro Cycling’s squad was massively depleted. The loss of Le Deunff left the squad with just three riders, with the hardest climbing day looming on Saturday and the time trial finale. With the loss of team leader Amandine Fouquenet on stage 2 due to sickness, Clara Emond was the best-placed rider in the overall in 27th.

Stage 7

The difficult stage 7, with a 90km route that culminated with the category 1 climb Col d’Aspin followed by the hors categorie Col du Tourmalet, delivered exciting racing, but it also had the longest withdrawal list of the entire Tour de France Femmes. A number of riders did not start, other did not finish and others still crossed the line but ended up being outside the time limit. For some it was illness and injuries from previous crashes that led to the decision to abandon, while others turned their focus to the upcoming UCI Road World Championships, August 5-13 in Glasgow. 

On the start line in Lannemezan there were 130 riders, with five riders opting not to begin the stage, then another four did not finish and two more were ultimately outside the time limit.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), DNS

Lidl-Trek first announced the departure of one rider before the start of stage 7.

“Elisa Balsamo won’t start Stage 7 due to fatigue," said the team. "She was making her return to racing at TDFF after her crash at RideLondon Classique and so it’s been decided to miss the last two stages with an eye on preparing for the World Championships in Glasgow.”

There was, however, more to come for the team. 

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), DNS

The team's top GC rider, Elisa Longo Borghini, was well positioned in fourth as the race entered its pivotal climbing stage but, like her teammate Balsamo, also didn't make it to the start line. It was a heavy blow for the team, leaving one of the strongest squads in women's cycling not just down two riders but also out of contention for the podium. 

“Unfortunately Elisa Longo Borghini has also had to withdraw from the Tour de France Femmes ahead of today’s Col du Tourmalet stage, one which she was looking forward to,” the statement continued. ”The Italian champion has a skin infection at the top of the left thigh, which required hospital treatment after Stage 6 but is now under control. However, she is still in a considerable amount of pain and in the interest of her long-term health, the decision was made that she will not race any further.”

Following Longo Borghini and Balsamo’s departure, Lidl-Trek continued with five riders. Amanda Spratt was the highest-placed Lidl-Trek rider in the general classification, shifting up to tenth overall after the 7th stage.

Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), DNS

Veronica Ewers did not take the start of the Queen Stage as although the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB leader finished stage 6, it was later discovered that she had sustained a fracture in the fall.

"Veronica Ewers will not start stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes due to a broken collarbone sustained during her crash on stage 6. She will travel home tomorrow to rest and recover. Heal up," EF Education-TIBCO-SVB confirmed.

Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Uno-X), DNS

The Italian Uno-X rider, Maria Giulia Confalonieri, walked away from last year's Tour de France Femmes with three top ten stage finishes and third in the points classification. However, there were none this year for the rider who also crashed in stage 2 and had to step out of the stage before the penultimate stage. 

"The team will be taking on stage 7 of Le Tour de France Femmes without Maria Giulia Confalonieri as she has to withdraw due to illness."

Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ), DNS

Silvia Persico and Erica Magnaldi were the riders from UAE Team ADQ that were looking to excel on the Tourmalet, but it certainly wasn't a day that was going to play to the sprint strengths of Chiara Consonni. The Italian, who finished fourth on stage 3 and sixth in Blagnac on stage 6, didn't line up for stage 7.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), DNF

Marianne Vos set her foot down before the Col du Tourmalet on stage 7, making the decision to step off on the climb of Col d’Aspin (12km at 6.5%). Vos, who won two stages and wore the yellow jersey for five days in 2022, sprinted to runner-up placing on stage 3 in Montignac-Lascaux. She also claimed two fourth-place finishes in stage 1 and stage 6.

Vos will now turn her focus on the upcoming UCI World Championships, taking place in Glasgow with the 154km women elite road race concluding the event on August 13. The Jumbo-Visma team reported on social media, that “She’s not feeling one hundred percent fit. It’s now time to recover and focus on the upcoming WC.”

Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez), DNF

It was an attacking stage 6 from Loes Adegeest but one that also saw her involved in a five-rider crash. With the favoured terrain in the rear view mirror for the Dutch winner of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race once the Tour de France Femmes hit the Tourmalet stage and the team's focus on Marta Cavalli and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig for the queen stage, Adegeest stepped off during stage 7. She left with a best stage result of 15th at her first Tour de France Femmes.

Martina Alzini (Cofidis), DNF

Martina Alzini was involved in a crash earlier in the week of racing and she battled on till stage seven, where her team reported on Twitter that she was forced to retire. The 26-year-old Italian made it through one more stage than last year, having left the race in 2022 on stage 6.

Babette van der Wolf (Lifeplus Wahoo) DNF,
Just 19 years of age, Babette van der Wolf was the youngest rider at the Tour de France Femmes and while she didn't make it to the end of stage 7 she still walks away with an impressive 14th in the stage 3 sprint.

Alice Barnes (Human Powered Health), OTL

Alice Barnes wasn't exactly on her favoured terrain on stage 7 but the British rider pushed onto the line regardless, though was less than a minute shy of making it within the time limit. "Despite giving her absolute all, unfortunately missed the time cut today by just 58 seconds," said Human Powered Health on Twitter.

Her teammate Marjolein Van'T Geloof ended up being the final rider across the line within the time cut in 124th, 32:24 behind stage winner and race leader Demi Vollering (SD Worx).

Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich), OTL

Barnes was not alone in her valiant attempt to make it through the final beast of a climb on stage 7, with sprinter Charlotte Kool battling through to the last pedal stroke so she can line up for the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes. It was, however, to no avail for the rider who finished second on stage 6 and third on stage 1.

"Gave it my all today, but did not made the time limit," said Kool on Twitter. "Disappointed I have to leave the Tour de France Femmes and the team earlier."

Stage 8

After a brutal stage 7, the race saw its largest list of abandons with 11 riders having departed the race before or after the stage.

Ahead of stage 8, the finale of the 2023 edition of the Tour de France Femmes, riders eager to head to Glasgow for the World Championships next weekend were no doubt carefully weighing up their form and health after the freezing ascent of the Col du Tourmalet.

Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing TeqFind), DNS

Sitting 15th in the general classification, and the highest-placed Liv Racing TeqFind rider, Mavi Garcia did not sign on ahead of stage 8 and would not start the final time trial on account of illness.

The team announced on social media, "A bummer for @mavi_at: she will not start today due to illness. Get well soon! 🙌"