Riders Drop Out in Mountainous Stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes: Two Cyclists Depart the Competition
The 2022 Tour de France Femmes, held from July 26 to August 3, has seen a significant number of riders dropping out due to various reasons. Out of the original 154 starters, only 130 riders remain in the race.
Crashes have been a major cause of withdrawals, with Charlotte Kool and several other riders, including Rebecca Koerner, Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini, Soraya Paladin, and Elyne Roussel, not starting Stage 4 and Stage 7 respectively, due to accidents during the race.
In addition to crashes, illnesses, including intestinal viruses and food poisoning, have also taken a toll on the riders. Marlen Reusser from Movistar Team had to abandon the race on Stage 1 due to food poisoning, while Elisa Longo Borghini did not start Stage 3 due to a gastrointestinal infection. Marlen Reusser later withdrew from Stage 4 after stopping to help her teammate who had crashed.
The race's grueling nature, spanning a 1,165km route that covers four regions and has a total elevation gain of 17,240 metres, has also contributed to the physical strain on the riders. This strain, combined with crashes and health issues, has disrupted the race and affected many contenders, as is common in Grand Tour events.
The most recent riders to drop out, as reported for the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, include Kristen Faulkner and Karlijn Swinkels, who withdrew on Stage 5. This illustrates that crashes continue to be a major cause of withdrawals in this race.
For the 2022 edition, detailed names of the latest riders to drop out beyond Longo Borghini and Reusser are less explicitly documented in the brief sources, but it is clear that crashes and health issues were central causes. Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner and Elisa Balsamo are among the riders who left the race during Stage 5 due to various reasons.
In summary, the high attrition in the 2022 edition was due to crashes and various health problems such as intestinal illnesses, which disproportionately affected several favorites and contributed to many withdrawals. The most recent riders out in 2022 include Elisa Longo Borghini and Marlen Reusser, who abandoned at early stages due to illness. The Tour de France Femmes continues to present a challenging landscape for the riders, with crashes and health issues remaining significant factors in the race's outcome.
[1] Source: Tour de France Femmes Official Website [2] Source: Cycling News
Sport contenders experience numerous challenges in bike racing events like the Tour de France Femmes, the grueling nature of which often results in withdrawals. Several riders, including Rebecca Koerner, Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini, Soraya Paladin, Elyne Roussel, and Charlotte Kool, were forced to drop out due to bike racing accidents, illustrating that sports can be unpredictable.
