The route and race this year was ok. It wasn't as good as some commentators and journalists have expressed, but I guess the overselling part is always a part of a true Tour de France experience. But the attention the riders got, the growing crowds and television viewers and the whole atmosphere surrounding the race were great. We'll see what happens next year, when it's no longer a sort of first. They were also quite lucky with the weather this year.
The race was backloaded, but it kind of needed to be. Last year's Giro Donne proved that if one rider/team is much better than the others, then the racing won't be that interesting if it's already decided after the first few stages. Although with Van Vleuten's illnes, it could have been different in this case, but you can't really rely on something like that happening again.
I wasn't a fan of the first stage. I would rather have had a copy of the men's stage, although it obviously made it nicer for the crowds. that they got to see them on 12 laps instead of 8 or less. Still there's just always a higher risk of crashes on Champs-Élysées, that I don't see it as an ideal starting point.
Stage 3 was the best of the whole race. We didn't know the winner before the last few hundred meters, even though most of us probably thought we did. Cille's win was both great for her, the fans and for the race, and we also got to see a lot of attacks before the final plus some questionable tactics that we could discuss afterwards.
The gravel stage would have been better, if they had taken out one or both of the last two sections. That would possibly also have meant, that the pace hadn't gone out when the sections ended, because the riders were just happy to have made through them in Marianne Vos' words.
The long stage 5 was a gimmick, and it doesn't really need to be repeated. ASO should rather add 10 km to LBL.
Stage 6 turned out to be too easy, though it's also likely that it would have been ridden differently, had it not been for the very hard day that followed. But had it not been for the crash, Lorena Wiebes would possibly have won 3 stages, and that is a bit too much for my liking, when we've seen that plenty of times before. And she would possibly have won stage 2 as well, had it not been for that sneaky Trek attack.
Stage 6 should also have ended in a win from the breakaway, but hopefully we'll generally get to see some better cooperation in larger breaks during women's races in the future.
Stage 7 went as predicted. Van Vleuten attacked early and gave it her all, and you gotta applaud that. The same goes for Vollering, who died trying., and to some extent Longo Borghini, too. Hopefully Frenh television and ASO can strike a del to show mroe than two/two and half hourse next year, if they put in a similar stage.
Stage 8 was alright. We saw more GC action than during the men's stage (including some coming of age performances + Van Vleuten showing Vingegaard and García how to properly deal with multiple bike changes).
For next year, I wouldn't mind an ITT, just like Van Vleuten, Van Dijk and Reusser. Trine Schmidt has been dreaming of a TTT all week on Danish ES, but I rather not see that.
I would also like to see a mix between stage 2 of this year's Vuelta Challenge and the final stage of the 2020 Giro Rosa, where you have very little flat and multiple climbs of varying lengths, but without very steep gradients. And I would like that stage to have a descent finish. Some of the other stages could have descents in the finals as well.
They tried gravel this year, so perhaps some cobbles could be seen next. It shouldn't be too difficult of course, but just hard enough to drop Wiebes
or at least make her work for it.
Van Vleuten is dreaming of Alpe d'Huez, and that would at least be an actually iconic MTF, where female riders have also won in the past. That should probably be a unipuerto stage.
Some riders want more stages, so there'll be some easier days. I understand the argument, but it's also a strength of women's cycling that there's usually more full-on racing, so having more boring stages isn't on my wish-list (AVV doesn't want more stages yet either).
And I still don't want the race to start or finish outside of France. I can perhaps accept Monaco.
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