Those who watched the nail-biting finale of this year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Alpe d’Huez will remember it well. The battle between Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma for the yellow jersey, which the Canyon//SRAM rider eventually won by just four seconds, was one of the best Grand Tour finishes in the history of the sport. Both riders exhibited fighting spirit, grit and determination, making for a bike race that enthralled and entertained. The question that lies now, however, is can that be beaten in 2025?
With race organiser A.S.O’s recent reveal of the Tour de France Femmes route, we can now begin to analyse whether it’s possible we’ll be treated to another legendary showdown next year. On paper, the route looks similarly back-loaded with mountains as it has done in the previous three editions, but upon closer inspection and when considering the dynamic in the women’s peloton next season, it’s likely that these parcours could provide some extremely fiery racing.
The Grand Départ in Brittany might not feature any landmark climbs, but the grippy and arduous roads of northwest France are going to provide ample opportunities for those who aren’t afraid to try and gain time early on. Punchy riders like Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime, who will be on the backfoot in the alpine stages, will be looking at the earlier rolling stages in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes as a chance to gain time bonuses on her rivals who are pure climbers. As the race skirts through the Massif Central and passes Clermont-Ferrand, the climbs come thick and fast – these aren’t mountains, but they are lumpy and tough ascents which riders like Kopecky have been known to thrive on.
2023 Tour winner Vollering has shown her climbing prowess year on year in this race, so other teams will need to be inventive when it comes to beating her – especially as she will be riding with her new FDJ-Suez teammates, who flourish in the mountains. This means that we can expect attacks on both the opening stage of the Tour, as well as in the medium mountain days on stages five, six and seven. There might not be a Mont Ventoux or Alpe d’Huez to contend with then, but these days will be stressful, risky and a test of endurance for the general classification riders, especially when considering that the Tour de France Femmes will span for nine stages this year compared to eight in 2024.
Of course, the pièce de résistance of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes route is set to be the duo of mountain stages which round out the race. Stage eight from Chambéry to a summit finish on the Col du Madeleine is going to give the true climbers a chance to shine, and this is when we will see everyone playing their cards in the game for the yellow jersey. The stage begins with a climb straight out of the neutral zone into the 13 kilometre Col de Plainpalais, so fireworks could begin on this stage as early as flag drop. (Here’s hoping that we’re given live coverage soon enough to see it, please, A.S.O?)
The stage undulates all the way to the Col du Madeleine, which spans 18 kilometres at 8.1% average gradient, and this is where we should expect a battle akin to the Alpe d’Huez finale in 2024.
Even with such a challenging penultimate day, the route designers have ensured that there will be no respite for the riders until the Tour de France Femmes is properly over. In contrast to the traditional sprint finish in the men’s event on the Champs-Élysées, the women’s peloton will tackle mountains until the bitter end. Stage nine rounds out the race and is another tough day, with three categorised climbs which will give the final chance for GC riders to fight it out if the yellow jersey is still up for grabs at this point. Although short, these ascents will sting after nine days of racing and vigilance will be key.
The route of the Tour de France Femmes is only one part of what will make the race exciting, however. We also need to rely on the riders themselves to put on a show over whatever terrain the race organisers throw at them. With the composition of the 2025 women’s peloton, though, it looks like there will be no risk of defensive racing. Vollering will have left SD Worx and be riding for FDJ-Suez, going up against her former coach and teammates in Anna van der Breggen and Lotte Kopecky. Niewiadoma will be motivated to defend her title with Canyon//SRAM and they have brought in reinforcements to help her do so, signing Danish puncheur Cecile Uttrup Ludwig for 2025.
There’s also Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returning to the peloton next year after spending some time focusing solely on mountain biking. The Frenchwoman has signed for three years with Visma-Lease a Bike and has been vocal about her aims to win the Tour in her career. While her current form is somewhat unknown, Ferrand-Prévot is a former road world champion who we can expect to see in the GC fight. Lidl-Trek should also not be forgotten with Gaia Realini and Niamh Fisher-Black teaming up for 2024 – they will be looking forward to the mountains at the end of this race. It’s all change for UAE Team ADQ too, who have signed prolific climber Elisa Longo-Borghini for next year, while Fenix-Deceuninck remain ones to watch with Pauliena Rooijakkers and Puck Pieterse staying in their ranks for next year.
Overall, while there may not be as many iconic mountains, the 2025 Tour de France Femmes route has all the ingredients to create another formidable bike race. There’s opportunities for attacks on a variety of terrain which suits a range of riders and the number of superstars who will be in contention for the win next season is greater than ever. A time trial stage is the only glaring omission from the route, but these parcours certainly do not disappoint – there’s every chance of another superb Tour next season.
