This weekend saw stages three and four of the Virtual Tour de France get under way on Zwift – with a new world of e-sports racing for the pros and amateur riders.
The pro racing saw high octane sprint finishes for both the women’s and men’s pelotons, seeing experienced Zwifter Tanja Erath (Canyon//SRAM Racing) take the win on the women’s race and Matteo Dal-Cin (Rally Cycling) just edging through and taking the men’s race win.
The 48km course consisted of a two lap circuit through Zwift’s virtual France R.G.V. route. This new virtual world offering on Zwift gave teams the opportunity to pick up intermediate sprint and Q/KOM points along the way. High average speeds on both races saw riders lose contact with the main groups early on.
The most combative riders of the day were Tanja Erath (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Edvald Boasson-Hagen (NTT Pro Cycling Team).
Bringing the second weekend of the Virtual Tour de France to a close, Stage 4, the ‘Leg Breaker’ saw Freddie Ovett of Israel Startup Nation and April Tacey Drops Cycling emerge stage victors. Team NTT and Tibco Silicon-Valley Bank retained their grip on the yellow jersey heading into the final weekend.
Stage 5 will see the race take to a virtual Mont Ventoux in what should be a decisive stage and one that will ‘allow the climbers to shine’. Stage 6 will see the race conclude in Paris. Unlike the regular Tour de France, Zwift notes that this ‘won’t be a procession onto the famous cobbles – expect flat out action from the start.’
Virtual Tour de France 2020
Jersey classifications women
LCL Yellow Jersey General Classification – Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
Škoda Green Jersey Points Competition – Canyon//SRAM Racing
E.Leclerc Polkadot Jersey Best Climber Competition – Drops Cycling
Krys White Jersey Best Young Rider Classification – Canyon//SRAM Racing
Overall Team Classification – Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
Jersey classifications men
LCL Yellow Jersey General Classification – NTT Pro Cycling Team
Škoda Green Jersey Points Competition – NTT Pro Cycling Team
E.Leclerc Polkadot Jersey Best Climber Competition – Israel Start-Up Nation
Krys White Jersey Best Young Rider Classification – NTT Pro Cycling Team
Overall Team Classification – NTT Pro Cycling Team
