The course

The course remains completely unchanged – it covers 13 laps of a just sub 7 kilometer circuit, totalling 89km. The riders will take centre stage on the Champs Élysées ahead of the men’s race, negotiating the cobbles which proved treacherous in last year’s downpour.

The criterium format and flat terrain has always meant a full gas bunch sprint has been the expectation – which was fulfilled in 2014 by Marianne Vos. However, as heavy skies emptied themselves on the peloton in 2015 it was her team mate Anna van der Breggen who defied expectation to break away and win solo. We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if the peloton will let the indivertible happen, or if someone will roll a risky dice to good fortune once again.

Discussing her expectations for the race, Canyon//SRAM’s Tiffany Crowmell said: “La Course in general is a fast race due to the nature of the course making breakaways challenging to stick. I think it’ll be an aggressive race as everyone wants their time to shine. But in the end it’ll likely be a bunch kick to the finish when we see those with the strongest trains and those with the fastest, most powerful legs succeed.”

Aside from the racing, she also mentioned the spectators that make the experience so special to the women’s peloton, saying: “I love this race as it’s not every day you get to race in the centre of a major city let alone up and down the famous Champs-Élysées. It’s iconic. A beautiful race with awesome crowds and being run alongside one of the biggest sporting events in the world, Le Tour de France. It makes it extra special.”

Watch it

The race starts at 1.15pm CEST, 11.15am GMT. It’ll be broadcast within the ITV4 highlights, from 9 to 10pm on the same day. However, those with Eurosport can watch live on Eurosport 1 from 1.30 to 3pm, with highlights from 11.10pm until midnight.

Team TWC will be present at the race, to bring you the action and reactions as soon as WiFi will allow. You can also follow our twitter feed, as well as the race account @LaCoursebyTDF.