Tour de France Femmes Defenders Faces Stiff Competition on Grueling Route

The 2025 Tour de France Femmes is set to commence this weekend, kicking off in Lausanne, Switzerland, and concluding in Nice on August 9. Returning champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is aiming to secure back-to-back titles, a feat that would further cement her legacy after becoming the first French winner of the event since 1989. The Olympic mountain bike champion shifted her focus back to road racing specifically for this event, structuring her entire season around peaking for the Tour.

Ferrand-Prevot, riding for Team Visma-Lease a Bike, has adopted a targeted approach to her calendar. Rather than chasing victories throughout the season, she selected specific preparations, including a second-place finish at the Tour of Flanders and a third-place result at Paris-Roubaix, before stepping away from competition in May. She will be supported by veteran Marianne Vos, a triple stage winner, as the team looks to defend the yellow jersey.

However, the route for this year’s race is considered the most challenging in the event’s history. The nine-stage course features nearly 19,000 meters of climbing, an individual time trial in Dijon, and a summit finish on Mont Ventoux—the legendary climb’s first inclusion in the women’s race. Race director Marion Rousse noted that the route was designed to be harder to match the strength of the current peloton, with potential traps on every stage.

The field includes stiff competition, particularly from Dutch rider Demi Vollering. Entering as the pre-race favorite, Vollering has posted a stellar season that includes a victory at the Giro d’Italia and wins in several major one-day races. Other contenders expected to challenge for the title include Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, Vuelta winner Paula Blasi, former champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, and veterans Elisa Longo Borghini and Anna van der Breggen.

What to watch

• The impact of the Mont Ventoux summit finish on the general classification standings.
• Whether Ferrand-Prevot’s targeted preparation strategy provides an advantage over riders with heavier racing loads.
• The performance of Team Visma-Lease a Bike against the in-form SD Worx-Protime squad led by Vollering.

Source: original release