Tour de France Femmes: Col de la Madeleine to decide GC

The 2025 Tour de France Femmes reaches its defining moment Saturday with Stage 8 — a 112-km mountain test from Chambéry to Saint-François-Longchamp, finishing atop the storied Col de la Madeleine.

With just seconds separating the top contenders, the yellow jersey remains very much in play. Kim Le Court (AG Insurance–Soudal) has fought tenaciously to defend her lead, but Saturday’s summit finish will be a different kind of battle — one for the pure climbers. Expect attacks from the likes of Demi Vollering (FDJ–Suez), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma–Lease a Bike) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), all of whom are within striking distance.

Stage 8, a doozy

The route includes two classified climbs before the final ascent: the Col de Plainpalais (13.2 km at 6.3 per cent) and the Côte de Saint-Georges-d’Hurtières. But it’s the Madeleine — 18.6 km at an unforgiving 8.1 per cent — that will determine who can hang on, and who gets dropped.

Riders will face over 3,500 metres of vertical gain. After a week of heat and attrition, Saturday’s stage will reward tactical patience, strong legs and good teammates. The GC contenders must show their cards now — there’s no hiding on the Madeleine.

There are five Canadians racing, but on Saturday, Magdeleine Vallières (EF Education–Oatly) and Nadia Gontova (Winspace–Orange Seal) may be the country’s best bets to be in the mix. These two pros love the climbs.

It’s going to be an epic day, sports fans.

You can watch all the action go down — and it’s going to be a good one — on FloBikes.com. Missed it because you were out riding? We’ve got you covered. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a race report and post-stage analysis ready for you to peruse.

Let’s go! This weekend will be packed with world-class pro cycling. Plan your day, watch the Tour de France Femmes, then hit the road. If it’s anything like last year, you’ll be glued to the screen.

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