- The route of the 4th edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – held for the first time over 9 days from 26 July to 3 August – was unveiled at the Palais des Congrès in Paris by its director Marion Rousse.
- The Grand Départ will take place in Brittany, launching the peloton on a route that takes in the Alps via the Massif Central. After the breathtaking finale at Alpe d'Huez last July, the riders have a crucial meet at the finish on the Col de la Madeleine, but it could be all to play for on the final day as they approach the resort of Châtel, in the heart of the Portes du Soleil.
- On 2 August thousands of cyclists will be able to take part in the first edition of L'Etape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift modelled on L'Etape du Tour de France, the 33rd edition of which will be held on 20 July between Albertville and La Plagne. The race will involve a more accessible route between Chambéry and the Col de la Madeleine, after which participants will get the chance to watch the champions battle it out.
A wide diagonal stretches across the map of France, with over 1,000 kilometres separating Brest from the Alpine resort of Châtel as the crow flies, involving a total of 1,165 kilometres of pedalling for the riders, who will be competing for the first time over nine days in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The peloton kicks off its Brittany leg in the Morbihan, with a stage between Vannes and Plumelec; the punchers who came out on top at the côte de Cadoudal in the Grand Prix du Morbihan will be familiar with this stage’s finish. The following day in Finistère, racers will need explosive power if they want to get ahead in Quimper, on the climb where Peter Sagan won in 2018. The 2025 route then visits sprinting country in Angers (stage 3) and Poitiers (stage 4), before offering up increasingly demanding terrain in the Creuse on the way to Guéret (stage 5) and upping the ante further in the Puy-de-Dôme department as riders’ legs are tested on the Col du Béal and Col du Chansert climbs (stage 6).
After the Massif Central, a gradual approach to the Alps between Bourg-en-Bresse and Chambéry (stage 7) may well offer the chance for a breakaway, as long as riders are able to get over the Col du Granier without letting up. But a battle between the favourites for the Yellow Jersey on the Queen Stage is a much more realistic prospect, with a Tour first finish on the Col de la Madeleine (stage 8), 2,000 metres above sea level and at the end of a savage 18.6km climb with an average gradient of 8.1%. Recent history teaches us that nothing is decided until the final stage. And this warning is all the more valid given that during the final 124 kilometres between Praz-sur-Arly and Châtel (stage 9), the champion in yellow will have to hold off her rivals as she climbs the Col de Joux-Plane, keeping her composure as she plunges down to Morzine before entering the final stretch.
DOUBLE DELIGHT FOR L'ÉTAPE
For the first time, cycling enthusiasts will have the opportunity to compete in a stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on the same day as the professionals. On Saturday, 2 August, the field of the inaugural L'Étape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will ride the queen stage from Chambéry to the Col de la Madeleine (112 km with an altitude gain of 3,490 m). A special option has been created for them with a variant that avoids the Col de Plainpalais, totaling 100 kilometers. Once they cross the finish line, participants can immediately enjoy the festive atmosphere and cheer on the female racers.
Pre-registration opens on Monday, November 18, 2024, and registration will begin on November 20, 2024, at 4 PM on time to.
L’Étape du Tour de France 2025 will follow the route of the 19th stage of the Tour de France, between Albertville and La Plagne, on July 20, 2025.
