The first ever winner of the Tour de France Femmes will be crowned on Sunday (AEST) after what should be a thrilling finish to the race, with the final two mountain stages setting the scene for the much anticipated climax of the Tour.
The riders will first tackle the 127km route from Sélestat to Le Markstein on the race's penultimate stage, which features three peaks after a relatively flat first 45 kilometres.
The first of the climbs is upon the Petit Ballon - lasting for 9.3km at 8.1% which is soon followed by a quick descent and a shorter but sharper climb on the Col du Platzerwasel for 7.1km at 8.3%.
There will be some respite at the 75km mark with a long descent into the valley before the final climb. The stage will be set for a thrilling finish after the longest ascent of the day on the Grand Ballon, which lasts for 13.5km at a demanding 6.7%.
The Tour will wrap-up after the 123km route from Lure to Super Planche des Belles Filles on the final day, which sees a near identical start to the previous stage before the peloton takes on the Cote d’Esmoulieres - a slow 2.3km climb at 8.5%.
The riders will hit the Ballon d'Alsace (8.7km, 6.9%) at the 85km mark which is followed by some respite from the following descent, before the grand finale on the Super Planche des Belles Filles - which features 7km of hard racing before hitting the unpaved final kilometre for a summit finish.
The battle at the top for the men's race was only for the top general classification contenders, and proved to be a preview to the battle for yellow between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
These final stages will not be for the faint-hearted and should prove an immense test of endurance off the back of six straight days of hard racing.
Upon being asked whether she could hold onto her lead in the general classification ahead of Stage 6, Marianne Vos (Jumbo–Visma) anticipated the monumental challenge that awaits in the final two stages.
"GC is not the main goal because you have to be realistic, and the GC contenders normally climb a lot better" she said.
Vos gained an extra 10 seconds on Italian rival Silvia Persico (Valcar–Travel) after taking out the sixth stage of the race, but the 30-second gap could close if the Dutchwoman perishes on the mountains.
Whilst the race for the yellow jersey is far from over, Vos will be looking to consolidate her lead in the points classification as the 35-year-old currently remains well clear of opening stage winner Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) by 267 points to 191.
While the summit finish to the Super Planche des Belles Filles is drawing much of the attention, climbing contenders Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) are eyeing up the harder climbs on Stage 7.
The Tour de France Femmes continues with the first of two big mountain stages to finish the race, with the 13-kilometre climb of the Grand Ballon summiting with just seven kilometres remaining in the stage. Watch from 11.20pm AEST on the SBS SKODA Tour Tracker or from 11.25pm AEST on SBS and SBS On Demand.
