4th Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift gets Tougher
The fourth edition of the women's Tour de France, featuring a challenging nine-stage route, was unveiled on Tuesday. The organizers stated that the route is a testament to the elevated standards in women's cycling
"The level in women's cycling is rising, which is why we've expanded to nine stages, all of them challenging," said Marion Rousse, the director of Tour de France Femmes.
The Tour de France Femmes is growing. After three first editions with eight stages, the 2025 edition of the event will have nine stages next summer, for a total of 1,165 kilometers and 17,240 m of elevation gain. Spanning 1,165km, the route traverses France diagonally from the Atlantic port of Vannes in the west to the Haute-Savoie ski resort of Chatel in the east, near the Swiss border.
The 2024 women's Tour was celebrated for its suspenseful conclusion on the Alpe d'Huez mountain, and the 2025 route amplifies the excitement of that finale even further.
The penultimate stage features a 'Queen stage' ascent of the Col de Madeleine, followed by a final day's journey across four mountains to Chatel.
"The Col de Madeleine's stage eight culminates with a grueling 18.6km climb at an 8.1 percent gradient," Rousse remarked. "It's a formidable ascent."
"The leader at that point will need to demonstrate their mettle during the extensive final day's run," she added, referring to the ninth stage, which covers 124km and includes more than 20km of climbs at approximately eight percent gradient.
The race commences in Brittany, with stage two in Brest anticipated to draw vast crowds along the route in one of cycling's traditional strongholds, leading to Quimper through the breezy Finistere at the westernmost tip of France.
Additionally, the race will pass through Saumur, renowned for its wine, the historic city of Poitiers, the volcanic Massif Central, and the industrial hub of Clermont-Ferrand.
The peloton will cross the country from West to East, passing through fifteen departments, from Morbihan to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and will cross the Granier (7th stage) and Madeleine (8th stage) passes before finishing in Châtel.
1st stage: Vannes - Plumelec (79 km)
The start of the fourth edition of the Women's Tour will be given from the port of Vannes for a very short first stage entirely traced in Morbihan. This will take part of the circuit of the 2020 French Road Championships, in Grand-Champ (victory of Audrey Cordon-Ragot), and the favorites will climb the Cadoudal hill three times at the top of which the final finish will be judged.
2nd stage: Brest - Quimper (110 km)
The second stage, 100% Finistère, will visit some of the high places of Breton cycling, including Châteaulin and the Ménez Quelc'h (3 km at 6.2%). The peloton will then head towards Quimper (where Peter Sagan had raised his arms in the men's race during his last visit in 2018), for a final loop that will include two hills, including the côte du chemin de Trohéir (1.1 km at 5.7%). A hilly finale for puncheuses.
3rd stage: La Gacilly - Angers (162 km)
The first probable mass sprint of this 2025 edition, after a stage of more than 160 kilometers which will start in front of the La Gacilly market halls and will cross country roads, without great difficulty, to Angers, a city very often visited by the men's Tour, and where Mark Cavendish won one of his 35 victories in 2016.
4th stage: Saumur - Poitiers (128 km)
A relatively flat stage that will follow the courses of the Loire and Vienne rivers, along the castles of Montsoreau, Chinon and Richelieu. Only one climb on the program, that of Marigny (0.9 km at 5.4%), which should not prevent a mass sprint 30 km further on, in Poitiers, unless a female adventurer pulls off a big coup at the end of a long final false flat.
5th stage: Chasseneuil-du-Poitou - Guéret (166 km)
The longest stage of this fourth edition promises to be lively. It is without major difficulty in its first 100 kilometers but its last third is very hilly: on small roads conducive to attacks, the peloton will have to cross three hills including the Maupuy (2.8 km at 5.4%) before reaching Guéret.
6th stage: Clermont-Ferrand - Ambert (124 km)
If, after the departure from Clermont, the first part is a little steep but should not allow for any real selection, two climbs will hurt the legs: the Col du Béal (10.2 km at 5.6%), which will be immediately followed by the Col du Chansert (6.3 km at 5.5%). To complete this stage with 2,350 m of positive elevation gain, the climbers will be able to make the difference in the Côte de Valcivières (4.5 km at 5.3%), the summit of which is located 13 km from the line.
7th stage: Bourg-en-Bresse - Chambéry (160 km)
For more than 100 km, the course of this stage will be almost flat as a hand. Everything will then accelerate in the finale: côte de Saint-Franc (3.8 km at 6.9%), côte de Berland (1.2 km at 7.2%) and, to finish, the col du Granier (8.9 km at 5.4%). If this last climb should create gaps, the victory could be decided afterwards since the arrival in Chambéry will be judged after 18 km of descent.
8th stage: Chambéry - Col de la Madeleine (112 km)
The queen stage of this edition, which will start with the Col de Plainpalais (13.2 km at 6.3%) as an aperitif, will see the favorites compete for victory at the top of the Col de la Madeleine, after a long climb and a steep climb on its most difficult side (18.6 km at 8.1%). A finish that has already smiled on the French clan since David Moncoutié won the 7th stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2009.
9th stage: Praz-sur-Arly - Châtel Les Portes du Soleil (124 km)
The conclusion of this 2025 Tour de France Femmes will be in Châtel Les Portes du Soleil, at the end of an extremely tricky final day. Although there are only three climbs listed, they all have very difficult percentages. On the program: the côte d'Arâches-la-Frasse (6.2 km at 7.1%), the col de Joux-Plane (11.6 km at 8.5%) and the col du Corbier (5.9 km at 8.5%). The summit of the latter, 29 km from the finish, opens the door to multiple strategies.
2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
