Megan Armitage to become first Irish rider in women's Tour de France

Megan Armitage will be the first ever Irish female rider to compete at the Tour de France Femmes after being included in the Arkea Pro Cycling team's selection for the second edition of the event.

The Offaly native is part of the seven-strong team put together by the French outfit in time for the first stage which will take place on 23 July.

"Megan Armitage has great climbing qualities," team manager Franck Renimel said.

"She's capable of achieving great things on mountain stages, and has already demonstrated this during the season.

"The Tourmalet stage, at a very high level, could prove to be a good test for her to see how she measures up against the world’s best female climbers. Our aim for this Tour de France Femmes 2023 is for our riders to be aggressive, to push forward without necessarily thinking about the overall classification."

The 26-year-old Armitage is a specialist climber and recently competed in the Irish national elite women's road race last month, finishing third.

En route vers notre 2ème @letourfemmes !