Preview: Tour de France Femmes

This year’s race will be longer, harder, and, boasting 17,240 metres of elevation gain, ultimately higher.

It’s taken just three editions to prove that women’s racing can be as exciting – often times more so – than the men’s.

Atop Alpe d’Huez and after 949.7 kilometres, last year’s TdF Femmes saw Poland’s Katarzyna (Kasia) Niewiadoma prevail over defending champion Demi Vollering of the Netherlands by a margin of four seconds – the smallest winning margin in Tour history, women or men.

That the first three placegetters, all from different teams, finished within 10 seconds of each other, and the top 10 within eight minutes – contrast that to the men’s event, where, over 3,498km, 9’18 separated the podium and almost half an hour the first ten riders – demonstrates a depth of field very much on par with the men.

La course est difficile…

One more than the year previous for a total of nine stages over 1,165 kilometres, but unlike yesteryear, no double-stage days or an individual time trial.

As with the men’s TdF, there’ll be the same number of teams (comprising 15 UCI Women’s WorldTeams and seven Continental Teams) and the same classifications – being yellow, green, polka dot and white for best young rider.

The Grand Départ for this year is in the cycling heartland of Brittany, and kicks off Saturday, 26 July with a short though plenty punchy 79km road stage from Vannes to Plumelec.

Entering the finale, three times up the 1.7km Côte de Cadoudal as part of a 13.9km finishing circuit – repeated twice – will inevitably see a reduced selection scrapping for the first maillot jaune. With a hat-trick of stages designated as “flat” to follow, so long as they and their team have their wits about them, it could be the same rider in yellow till at least the following Wednesday (Stage 5).

Speaking of Hump Day, whether a reordering occurs will depend on the proclivities of those in the peloton. With 1,800m of elevation gain concentrated mostly in the final 40km in the form of three categorised climbs but no ascent longer than 3.3km, it’s likely a modest group of baroudeurs will contest line honours.

Those small hills (or côtes) get upsized on Stage 6 over 124km, run entirely in the department of Puy-de-Dôme, the largest being the midway ascent of the Col du Béal (10.2km at 5.6%). With two shorter climbs to follow and “running through a wild landscape of volcanic rock, there will be no respite at all on the road to Ambert”, forewarns race director Marion Rousse.

The seventh stage is designated as “hilly”, and it is – but only for the final 50 clicks. The Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%), its summit located 17.7km from the finish, combined with the fast and technical descent into Chambéry, will prove decisive.

The queen stage, however, is indisputably on Saturday.

The 112km ninth, and penultimate, leg is either up or down, boasting 3,600m of elevation gain. That it finishes atop the tougher southern side of the 18.6km Col de la Madeleine, figuratively described as “beautiful, but heartbreaking”, is certainly un plat qui se mange froid (a dish served cold).

A small consolation: the first half of the Madeleine is the hardest.

The overall winner is 95 per cent certain to be discovered here rather than the day following, which Rousse views as “a good opportunity for those behind in the (overall) standings to try to turn things around”.

But this is Le Tour, the dastardly Col de Joux-Plane is on le menu du jour, and strange things can happen.

Podium Pick

2023 champion Vollering, who switched teams to FDJ-Suez after last season, will surely seek to avenge her loss to Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto).

After announcing her retirement in 2021, four-time Giro Donne champion Anna van der Breggen is back with Team SD Worx–Protime. And missing last year’s race due to illness, there’s also the presence of 2025 Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ).

So let’s just say it’ll be 28-year-old Demi in a ding-dong against three 30-somethings in Niewiadoma, van der Breggen and Longo Borghini.

Aussie Watch

It’s been a slim couple of years for Australian women on the WorldTour calendar, but if there are two that can do well overall it’s Niewiadoma’s team buddy Neve Bradbury (winner of the queen stage and third GC at last year’s Giro Donne) and Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance–Soudal), seventh overall at the 2024 TdF Femmes and recently third overall at the Giro d’Italia.

Seven Aussie riders are lining up at the start line on Saturday, representing six different teams:

Neve Bradbury – CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto

Sarah Gigante – AG Insurance – Soudal Team

Amanda Spratt – Lidl Trek

Brodie Chapman – UAE Team ADQ

Ruby Roseman-Gannon – Liv-AlUla Jayco

Emily Watts – St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 WE

Lucie Fityus – St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 WE