The 2025 edition of the Tour de France Femmes begins in Brittany with fierce anticipation as Demi Vollering returns to reclaim the crown she lost by just four seconds in a dramatic finale last year. The Dutch rider, now riding for FDJ Suez, is determined to reverse the heartbreak of 2024 and add a second Tour title to her 2023 triumph.
Her fiercest rival remains defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma, who snatched last year’s victory in a thrilling showdown on Alpe d’Huez, clinching the closest-ever margin of victory in Tour history. While Niewiadoma has had a slower start to the season, her recent form including a national title win in Poland and a podium finish in the Tour of Switzerland suggests she is peaking at the right time.
Vollering, by contrast, has been dominant throughout the year, notching up major wins at the Vuelta a España, Strade Bianche, and three other stage races. She arrives in peak condition and as the clear favourite to take the yellow jersey in this year’s nine-stage race.
But the race promises more than a two-rider contest. Marlen Reusser, who won the Tour of Switzerland and finished second in the Giro d’Italia, and Giro champion Elisa Longo Borghini will both pose serious threats. Australian climber Sarah Gigante, France’s Paris-Roubaix winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, and Vollering’s former mentor Anna van der Breggen now racing again add further depth to the field.
The route stretches over 1,165 kilometres, beginning with flatter terrain in Brittany before escalating to the brutal alpine climbs on the final weekend, including the Col de la Madeleine and the Joux Plane. These high-altitude challenges are expected to shape the general classification and could deliver another thrilling finish.
As the Tour grows in stature, organisers are planning changes. The 2026 race will have a standalone calendar slot, separating it from the men’s Tour to allow for greater visibility. With the 2027 Grand Départ set for the UK, the women’s Tour de France is rapidly becoming a marquee event in its own right.
After last year’s nail-biter, fans will be hoping for another tense and dramatic final one that could again come down to seconds.
