The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift continued its success in 2024 with its third edition, drawing thousands of fans to the roadside to witness a thrilling showdown between Kasia Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering for the yellow jersey on the iconic Alpe d’Huez. In a dramatic finish, Niewiadoma claimed victory by a margin of just four seconds. You might have wondered whether a race could be more exciting, but the route reveal of the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes by ASO in Paris on Tuesday hinted that fans worldwide can look forward to another exhilarating finale next summer.
In 2024, the race shifted to a new slot in the Women’s WorldTour calendar to accommodate the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, in 2025, the Tour will return to its traditional late July timing, beginning on Saturday, July 26, during the final weekend of the men’s Tour de France. Notably, the race has also been extended to nine stages, up from its previous eight – a positive step forward for women’s cycling, which has seen steady growth in recent years. This increased length reflects the appetite for Grand Tour-style races in women’s cycling. The race will come to a close nine days later in Châtel on Sunday, August 3, 2025, marking it the longest race in the current Women’s WorldTour calendar.
In 2025, like the men’s race, the Tour de France Femmes will be held entirely on French soil, with Brittany hosting the Grand Départ. Stage one will unfold in the heart of the Morbihan department, starting in Vannes and concluding with an uphill finish on the Côte de Cadoudal in Plumelec. The second stage will be hosted by Brest, a city with deep ties to cycling and the Tour de France – it has hosted the Grand Départ more often than any other location outside Paris, four times in total. Finally, the third stage, starting in La Gacilly, will complete an explosive and exciting three stages in Brittany.
The route then heads across France diagonally for over 1,165 kilometres, featuring 17,240 metres of climbing, towards the Alps via the Massif Central. Unlike the previous two years, the 2025 edition of the race does not include star-studded ascents such as the Col du Tourmalet or the Alpe d’Huez but does still include formidable climbs that have featured in the men’s Tour, including the Col de la Madeleine and the Col de Joux Plane. There is also no time trialling in this year’s route, something that has been included in the past three editions….