It’s not easy to please everyone when you’re dealing with a young breed that isn’t meant to last three weeks like its male counterpart. Since its return to the calendar, the Women’s Tour de France has had to make geographical decisions, thus focusing on the roads of northeastern France in 2022 and those of the southwest in 2023. -Belgian”, since it was held between Rotterdam and Alpe d’Huez (Isère), with half of its stages outside France.
In 2025, the program does not include trips abroad. In a Paris convention center full of curious people, Marion Rousse revealed, on Tuesday, October 29, the route of the next edition, scheduled between July 26 and August 3. This time we headed towards Brittany, a region that the women’s peloton of the Tour de France had never before explored in its short history. “The choice of Brittany seemed quite natural to us. They came to look for us. And, honestly, we don’t doubt it much because, of course, great things can be done.”explained Marion Rousse in June, lifting the veil on the identity of the departure region.
Microphone in hand on the amphitheater stage, the former runner who is now director of the event spoke more about the 2025 harvest. “the cool stuff” It will surely be more for the spectators than for the runners. Because from the first stage between the port of Vannes (Morbihan) and the Plumelec circuit (95 km), the peloton will face an arrival at the top of the Cadoudal hill (1.7 km at 6.2%). A place that saw Bernard Hinault put on the yellow jersey during the first stage of the men’s edition in 1985 and that, above all, was able to open the first gaps in the general classification.
Two steps and ready for the sprint.
Enough to give some ideas to the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma and the Dutch Demi Vollering. During the 2024 Tour, the former defeated the latter in the pursuit of the yellow jersey by just four seconds. The truth is that this start of competition in Brittany should especially interest local Cédrine Karbaol. Revelation of the last Grande Boucle, he won a stage before taking sixth place in the general classification.
Starting in the second stage, the 23-year-old Frenchwoman and the other leaders will have another opportunity to gain time or try not to lose it, it depends. After Morbihan, Brittany will change landscape and department and head towards Finistère, between Quimper and Brest. The most powerful runners will find their playground with a one-kilometer stretch to conclude the 130 kilometers of the day.
Then it will be time to leave Brittany to compete in the rest of the nine stages, compared to eight in previous editions. Head to Angers during the third stage (162 km), which will be followed by a new day for the sprinters, between Saumur (Maine and Loire) and Poitiers (128 km). “They will have a second chance to shine and they would do well to take advantage of it, because they won’t have many opportunities afterwards.” explains Marion Rousse.
The Col du Granier as justice of the peace
Looking at the rest of the course, one can almost wonder what interest the sprinters have in staying in the race on the afternoon of the fourth stage. Because everyone else’s route seems more like a roller coaster than a cycling route. The peloton will thus continue crossing France towards the East, ascending in a crescendo through two rugged and medium-mountain stages between Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (Vienne) and Guéret en Creuse (166 km) and then Clermont-Ferrand – from where the Women’s Tour de France in 2023 – and Ambert (124 km).
This rugged terrain could particularly appeal to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The Frenchwoman, recent Olympic cross mountain bike champion, surprised everyone by announcing her return to the road. “I’m not saying I’m going to win the Tour but we have the ambition to get there” he explained to RMC in August. Actions will quickly have a chance to follow words.
Because then it will be time for very serious things as we approach the Alps. The seventh stage will cross Ain, Isère and Savoy with the Col du Granier as the protagonist of the day, with an average gradient of 5.4% over almost 9 km. It will finish in Chambéry, from where the eighth will begin the next day, with an arrival at the top of the Col de la Madeleine (18.6 km, at 8.1%), which should already give a good idea of the final general classification. classification.
But the die is not cast yet. Because it is to be expected that failures will occur on the last day of the race, short (124 km), but with a positive gradient of 2,880 m during the day, between Praz-sur-Arly (Haute Savoie) and Châtel les Portes du Sun. “The big piece is Joux-Plane (11.6 kilometers, at 8.5%)where everything could change again » Marion Rousse prophesies. Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Demi Vollering and the others have been warned.
