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…