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. Instead, the route consists of two flat stages, two medium mountain stages, two high mountains and three hilly stages spread across nine days.
Map sourced via ASO
As we’ve seen before, the route ramps up towards the final weekend with a double-header in the mountains, where we are most likely to see fireworks between the general classification favourites who want to etch themselves into the Tour de France Femmes history books. But with hard stages, plenty of categorised climbs, and long days in the saddle, the winner of this year’s route will need to have plenty of power and stamina in order to be in yellow at the end of the race.
Stage one: Vannes to Plumelec / 79km
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Stage profile sourced via ASO
The opening stage of the fourth Tour de France Femmes is tailored to the more explosive riders of the women’s peloton. It’s also a short stage in comparison to what awaits the riders, so we expect aggressive racing from the very beginning. As they near Plumelec, the route will complete two laps of a closing circuit, where they’ll climb the Côte de Cadoudal – a 1.7km-long climb at a punchy gradient of 6.2% – three times, one of them to the finish line where the first yellow jersey will be awarded.
Stage two: Brest to Quimper / 110km
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
Starting in Brest, stage two will favour those who can pack a punch on the short but steep climbs as it is a constant day of ups and downs, including four categorised climbs littered throughout the 110km stage. At the 77km mark, the riders will enter the city circuit, which they must complete twice. The circuit features the 1.1km Côte du Chemin de Troheir, and the finish line awaits the stage victor at the top of the second ascent of the climb. This stage presents an opportunity for the breakaway, or we may even see a solo winner crossing the line.
Stage three: La Gacilly to Angers / 162km
Monday, July 28, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
Leaving Brittany, the Tour de France Femmes makes its way towards Angers, a city located just southwest of Paris. After two stages favouring the puncheurs, stage three finally offers the sprinters their opportunity at victory. The only notable climb is the Côte de la Richardière (1.7km at 4.7%), situated 34km into the stage, after which the route flattens out for a fast-paced sprint to the finish.
Stage four: Saumur to Poitiers / 128km
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
This stage features just one categorised climb, presenting only a minor hurdle for the riders. The Côte de Marigny is less than one kilometre in length and has an average gradient of 5.4%, making it unlikely to significantly impact the overall dynamic of the race. As a result, this stage is expected to finish in another fierce battle among the sprinters.
Stage five: Jaunay-Marigny Futuroscope to Guéret / 166km
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
The longest stage of the race will see the riders travel from Jaunay-Marigny to Guéret over 166km. The stage profile gradually ascends, with all the climbing occurring in the latter part of the stage. Before reaching the finish in Guéret, there are three categorised climbs within the final 30km: Côte de Chabannes (1.4km at 5.2%), Côte du Peyroux (3.3km at 4.3%), and Le Maupuy (2.8km at 5.4%). We can expect to see attacks on the closing climbs, especially with less than 7km to go after cresting the final ascent.
Stage six: Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert / 124km
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
Clermont-Ferrand has a strong connection with the Tour de France Femmes, having hosted the race’s Grand Départ in 2023, where Lotte Kopecky claimed victory in the stage that both started and finished in this city located in the Puy-de-Dôme region of France. In this edition, however, the route will head south towards its finish location in Ambert, presenting several challenges for the riders during the 124km stage, which includes five categorised climbs. With a total elevation gain of 2,350 metres, this stage promises to be a day of relentless climbing and an opportunity for daring attackers in the peloton to try for a stage win. However, with so much climbing on the agenda, the GC riders will also need to stay vigilant.
Stage seven: Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry / 160km
Friday, August 1, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
Stage seven of the race is a day of two halves, covering 160km across three different departments in France. The first half is entirely flat, leading up to the 90-kilometre mark, where the riders will encounter three consecutive categorised climbs, signalling their entry into the Alps. Of these climbs, the Col du Granier is the most challenging, stretching 8.9km with an average gradient of 5.4% – the toughest climb of the race so far. This stage presents a prime opportunity for a strong climber with solid descending skills, as a long descent to the finish awaits them after the summit of the Col du Granier.
Stage eight: Chambéry to Saint François Longchamp - Col de la Madeleine / 112km
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
The penultimate stage has been labelled the queen stage of the 2025 edition, featuring almost 3,500 metres of climbing. Starting in Chambéry, the route immediately heads upwards, with the Col de Plainpalais (13.2km at 6.3%) leading the riders straight into the Bauges Massif. There is only one more categorised climb before the summit finish up the Col de la Madeleine (18.6km at 8.1%). This is a stage where we will really see gaps open up between those chasing the yellow jersey, especially if they excel in the high mountains.
Stage nine: Praz-Sur-Arly to Châtel / 124km
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Profile sourced via ASO
The closing stage of the 2025 edition of the Tour de France Femmes will take place in the Haute-Savoie region of France, a setting where anything can happen – especially if time gaps between the favourites are small. Starting in Praz-Sur-Arly, the route will tackle three categorised climbs: Côte d’Arâches-la-Frasse (6.2km at 7.1%), Col du Joux Plane (11.6km at 8.5%), and Col du Corbier (5.9km at 8.5%). The rider’s legs will be burning throughout this 124km stage, but the burning desire to be in yellow at the end in the ski resort of Châtel les Portes du Soleil will be pushing these riders up some of France’s toughest ascents.
