5 of the Best Women's World Tour Races of 2022

With 25 races, the 2022 Women's WorldTour (WWT) calendar is the longest in the history of the series. The Women's WorldTour calendar events is up from the record of 24 in 2018.

The WWT calendar starts on March 5 with the Italian gravel classic Strade Bianche. New races for next season include the three-day Itzulia Women in May, the six-day Scandinavia-based Battle of the North in August, and the three-day Tour de Romandie Féminin in October. July's Giro d'Italia Donne will return to the Women's WorldTour as will several races cancelled due to COVID-19 in 2021 – while the eight-day Tour de France Femmes is set for later in July.

Finally, an exciting amendment to the WWT structure for 2022 involves how teams are invited to participate in UCI Women’s WorldTour events. From next season on, race organizers will be required to invite not only the 15 UCI Women’s WorldTeams, but also the two best UCI Women’s Continental Teams. This new process aims to stimulate the development of women’s teams.

Tour de France Femmes

The biggest race on the 2022 calendar will be the first-ever Tour de France Femmes — the long-awaited sister to the men’s Tour de France. The women’s race will run July 24–31, one week after the men’s event, and will replace the one-day La Course (which is currently absent from the calendar).

Although shorter, featuring only eight days of racing, ASO has promised that the women’s rendition of the race will, nevertheless, adopt the same codes, values, and symbols as the men’s event. The women will open this history-making event on the same day that the men finish the final stage of their race, both ending in Paris on the Champs-Elysées on July 24.

As celebrated by many in the cycling community, the women’s race will be sponsored by global online fitness platform Zwift.

History Will be Made: More Long Stage Racing

In addition to the completely new additions, two other stage races will see a boost in race days for the 2022 season — as the Ladies Tour of Norway will become the Battle of the North and unfold over six, rather than four days in August, and Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta moves from three to four days in September.

In addition, two events that we haven’t seen in a few years will be back on the calendar for 2022. As it stands, Great Britain’s Prudential RideLondon Classique is scheduled for May 27–29, and the Postnord Vårgårda WestSweden road race and time trial are scheduled for August 6–7.