Edition four of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will start in Brittany. The opening stage will be in the heart of the Morbihan department, and the second in the neighbouring Finistère department.
It is a first for an event that has chosen to honour a region with such deep cycling roots.
The 2025 edition will also mark a turning point in the history of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which will be contested over nine days of racing for the first time.
Cycling has always drawn on tradition's infinite resources, and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift employs these values to underpin its development. The Grand Départ in Brittany is a natural extension of these values: in late July 2025, the event will be welcomed in the heart of a region where cycling reigns supreme and where the local communities' welcome is driven by unparalleled determination.
Brittany has been associated with bicycle racing since the end of the 19th century, at least since Paris-Brest-Paris left its indelible mark in 1891. The plethora of thriving clubs from across the region has produced so many champions that no list can be comprehensive. However, it is worth mentioning the winners of the Tour de France, from the aptly nicknamed Lucien Mazan aka Petit-Breton (1907 and 1908) to five-time winner Bernard Hinault (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985), via the popular and unforgettable Jean Robic (1947) and Louison Bobet, the first consecutive three-time winner (1953, 1954, 1955).
Organising numerous races has also been a source of passion, from the simple village criterium to the 2000 World Championships in Plouay, reflecting the tireless dedication of thousands of volunteers. The Tour de France has visited this peninsula so often that Brest has become a beacon, as the provincial town that has staged the Grand Départ most often, on four occasions in 1952, 1974, 2008 and 2021.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift naturally turned to the region flying the ermine flag to launch its fourth edition. Women's cycling has certainly excelled here in disciplines other than the road, with Olympic and world gold medallists in track (Nathalie Even-Lancien in 1996 and Pascale Jeuland in 2010), BMX (Laëtitia Le Corguillé in 2006) and mountain biking (Julie Bresset in 2012 and 2013). But with its Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women team, based in Ille-et-Vilaine, and its stars (Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Aude Biannic, Cédrine Kerbaol, best young rider and 12th overall in 2023; Marie Le Net), Brittany now has several substantial assets. With their supporters cheering them on, Brittany's women will undoubtedly be among the riders to watch in the early stages of the 2025 race.
Loïg Chesnais-Girard, Chairman of the Brittany Region: "We're delighted to be teaming up to host this Grand Départ. It's something that's very important to us because Brittany is a land of cycling, a land of value and a land of volunteers. We're giving this gift to all those who love cycling. There are 200 cycling clubs in Brittany, which is a huge number, representing thousands of volunteers who give all their time and thousands of riders. Once again, we're going to be able to show women's sport in all its glory.”
Marion Rousse, director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: "The Tour de France Femmes with Zwift helps to create vocations for little girls and boys. People can get out and about, and come and meet the sportswomen. I'm proud of it because Brittany is a region that I love, a magnificent region. It's been a dream of mine to set off from the Brittany Region, to the land of champions. Wherever I've been in the world, I've seen Breton flags, which shows how proud we are to be Breton. Well, this time, it's France that will be coming to Brittany and meeting up once again with this magnificent region, with stages that will be spectacular from the outset, with quite a few difficulties. It's going to be a great party, and I'm already looking forward to 2025.”
Cédrine Kerbaol, 12th overall and best young rider of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2023: "I'm really excited about this Grand Départ in Brittany. The second stage, which will start in Brest, is particularly close to my heart because that's where I was born and lived all my childhood. I'm really looking forward to it. The Tour de France Femmes with Zwift is only one week in the year, so it's a crazy thing to experience, and I can't wait to get back out on the roads. The 9-day race for 2025 is really a great step forward for women's cycling and for sport in general."
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France: "This Grand Départ in Brittany is historic, with a departure from Vannes for a stage that is 100% in Morbihan. The finish will be in Plumelec, which hosted the European Championships in 2016 and where there will be plenty of people lining the roads right up to the start of the circuit. The second stage will start from Brest, the city that has hosted the most Grand Départs of the Tour de France after Paris, 4 times in total. The Menez Quelerc'h climb will be one of the day's major difficulties. The first two stages are designed for the hard-hitters, with some fine difficulties. The third stage will start in La Gacilly, home of Yves Rocher, which has already hosted the Tour de l'Avenir and the Tour de Bretagne, and then we'll leave Brittany. See you in October for the rest of the route.”
The three days of the 2025 Grand Départ:
- Saturday 26 July, stage 1: Vannes > Plumelec, with the finish at the top of the famous Côte de Cadoudal.
- Sunday 27 July, stage 2: Brest > Quimper with a final loop in the town and a steep finish.
- Monday 28 July, stage 3: The start in La Gacilly (Morbihan), where Yves Rocher built his giant cosmetics company.
