Tour de France Femmes 2025 (July 26th- August 3rd)

[awavey]

This years Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift with 9 stages, kicks off on Saturday, with 3 stages in Bretagne, 2 of which designed for the sprinters, out of 3 flat finishes overall, for the Grand Depart before heading across the Massif Central with all the mountain stages back ended again with Col de la Madelaine on the penultimate stage on the following Saturday in the Queen stage of the tour, and Col de Joux Plane on the final stage noted as one of the six most challenging climbs in the French mountains,but most of the times in the Tour or Dauphine it gets used as the finale to a stage, here its placed roughly halfway during the stage, with Col du Corbier and a finish in Chatel les Portes du Soleil still for the race to climb

 

[Devil's Elbow]

 

[awavey]

Canyon SRAM

https://twitter.com/x/status/1946165634909270324

View: https://x.com/WMNcycling/status/1946165634909270324


Team SD Worx

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947950521383555190

View: https://x.com/teamsdworx/status/1947950521383555190


UAE Team ADQ

https://twitter.com/x/status/1948050125160403349

View: https://x.com/UAETeamADQ/status/1948050125160403349


FDJ (United) Suez

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947688314137444791

View: https://x.com/FDJ_SUEZ/status/1947688314137444791


Lidl Trek

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947968092274905575

View: https://x.com/LidlTrek/status/1947968092274905575


Liv Alula Jayco

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947206595647250932

View: https://x.com/GreenEDGEteam/status/1947206595647250932


EF Education Oatly

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947609452602892782

View: https://x.com/EF_Oatly/status/1947609452602892782


Movistar

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947309072891474327

View: https://x.com/Movistar_Team/status/1947309072891474327


AG Insurance Soudal

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947593255022952937

View: https://x.com/agsoudal/status/1947593255022952937


Ceratizit W

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947247152452837685

View: https://x.com/ceratizit_wnt/status/1947247152452837685

Cofidis

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947280692200481010

View: https://x.com/TeamCOFIDIS/status/1947280692200481010


Fenix Deceuninck

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947678820649337326

View: https://x.com/FenixDeceuninck/status/1947678820649337326


Arkea B&B

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947606546718064939

View: https://x.com/arkeabbhotels/status/1947606546718064939


St Michel Preference Home

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947702477198905605

View: https://x.com/Auber93Cyclisme/status/1947702477198905605


Winspace Orange Seal

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947694672081785253

View: https://x.com/WinspaceCycling/status/1947694672081785253

 

[awavey]

Lol give me a chance, I was saving those for nearer when the race actually started

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Lol give me a chance, I was saving those for nearer when the race actually started

No offence intended, I was just trying to make sure the profiles didn’t get buried on a later page. The problem with the forum software not allowing for stickying posts in a thread.

 

[RedheadDane]

The problem with the forum software not allowing for stickying posts in a thread.

Technically you can. You can just make a post saying something like:
Profiles will be posted here later.

 

[RedheadDane]

Hey, @Armchair Cyclist. Can you sticky this?

 

[pmcg76]

I have been quiet on the femmes side recently, but have been following things. 3 Irish in the race this year so even more reason to follow. If Vollering is in shape, difficult to see beyond her unless something happens like last year. I think her team are strong(and hopefully loyal) with Muzic, Labous and Chabbey in support. Who will be the big rivals? I would say Longo-Borghini, Niewiadoma, Van der Breggen( but needs to be better than Giro) Reusser says she has been ill. Dark horses, Sarah Gigante who was very impressive in the mountain stages at the Giro and maybe Puck, but with all her MTB, the GC might not be a target this year. Ferrand-Prevot, Rooijakers hard to say.

Looks like 2 uphill finishes on the first 2 stages, but I could easily see Wiebes win the first 5 stages unless she clashes with her team-mate Kopecky, a very real prospect.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I have been quiet on the femmes side recently, but have been following things. 3 Irish in the race this year so even more reason to follow. If Vollering is in shape, difficult to see beyond her unless something happens like last year. I think her team are strong(and hopefully loyal) with Muzic, Labous and Chabbey in support. Who will be the big rivals? I would say Longo-Borghini, Niewiadoma, Van der Breggen( but needs to be better than Giro) Reusser says she has been ill. Dark horses, Sarah Gigante who was very impressive in the mountain stages at the Giro and maybe Puck, but with all her MTB, the GC might not be a target this year. Ferrand-Prevot, Rooijakers hard to say.

Looks like 2 uphill finishes on the first 2 stages, but I could easily see Wiebes win the first 5 stages unless she clashes with her team-mate Kopecky, a very real prospect.

Wiebes was expected to win multiple stages last year, but it failed to happen. Although she obviously had a vision issue.

 

[Andy262]

It almost looks like Wiebes designed the first four stages for herself. Could they not have made one of these a bit more hilly and interesting? Even bearing in mind Wiebes can get over the hills tolerably well.

 

[pmcg76]

It almost looks like Wiebes designed the first four stages for herself. Could they not have made one of these a bit more hilly and interesting? Even bearing in mind Wiebes can get over the hills tolerably well.

By right, I should detest Wiebes as the top sprinter, but fact is she is a proper mukti-talented cyclists who can win several ways which makes designing stages that don't suit her more difficult. In contrast to the one dimensional sprinters, she gets a begrudging respect from me. Still hoping to see varied winners this race though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Cadoudal is an odd one, it has enough in it to become a puncheur finish but it can also be survived by the sprinters, depending on how things are raced. If you look at the GP Morbihan and GP Plumelec races amongst other finishes here you can see Anna van der Breggen (2016 Euros), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig among the list of winners, while on the men's side you have things like Alejandro Valverde at the 2008 Tour and Alexis Vuillermoz in the 2017 GP here... but also guys like Sagan, de Lie and women like Christine Majerus who won in durable-sprinter style.

It does offer opportunity to be outside the scope of a Lorena Wiebes if raced accordingly, but I suspect it being day 1 means many will be happy just to keep their powder dry.

 

[MagliaNera]

I'm looking forward to the TDFF, but I am not a big fan of overlapping with the men's TDF for an entire weekend. Even though the stage times don't overlap, it does take away a lot of attention in the run-up, for which this thread with barely 10 posts is a case in point... Last year, it was not a problem at all for the race to be detached from the men's TDF calendar.

For GC, I don't see anyone really challenging Vollering unfortunately with this relatively hard route and full team support. With Reusser not feeling great, Kopecky and ELB announcing to go for stages and AvdB at a meh climbing level at the Giro, that only leaves Niewiadoma and maybe PFP as primary challengers. Niewiadoma hasn't really had a great season so far, but maybe her Tour de Suisse is an indication that she has built form just at the right time. Of course there are also lots of secondary GC riders who could surprise.

With this GC field I could actually see ELB reconsidering her strategy before the mountains, I think she would have a decent chance of a podium finish.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

By right, I should detest Wiebes as the top sprinter, but fact is she is a proper mukti-talented cyclists who can win several ways which makes designing stages that don't suit her more difficult. In contrast to the one dimensional sprinters, she gets a begrudging respect from me. Still hoping to see varied winners this race though.

It should have been quite easy to put in a time trial instead of one of the flatter stages.

Cadoudal is an odd one, it has enough in it to become a puncheur finish but it can also be survived by the sprinters, depending on how things are raced. If you look at the GP Morbihan and GP Plumelec races amongst other finishes here you can see Anna van der Breggen (2016 Euros), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig among the list of winners, while on the men's side you have things like Alejandro Valverde at the 2008 Tour and Alexis Vuillermoz in the 2017 GP here... but also guys like Sagan, de Lie and women like Christine Majerus who won in durable-sprinter style.

It does offer opportunity to be outside the scope of a Lorena Wiebes if raced accordingly, but I suspect it being day 1 means many will be happy just to keep their powder dry.

I'm not sure it helps that the lap is longer than in Morbihan, so you get more "rest" in-between the Cadoudal ascents. The circuit tomorrow is harder, but the climbs might still not be tough enough to drop someone who's proved she can survive the Amstel course.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It should have been quite easy to put in a time trial instead of one of the flatter stages.



I'm not sure it helps that the lap is longer than in Morbihan, so you get more "rest" in-between the Cadoudal ascents. The circuit tomorrow is harder, but the climbs might still not be tough enough to drop someone who's proved she can survive the Amstel course.

This is true, but the fact the sprint is at the top of the hill rather than a kilometre or so further down the road makes this finish more of an issue relative to Amstel for her. The gradients near the top aren't bad so should be within her remit, it's just as to whether she has the chance to get the full acceleration at the hilltop or if some of the more punchy types will be better served and it becomes more one for Kopecky among the SD Worx squad.

The Poza de la Sal finish Wiebes won in Burgos is probably the best analogue for a stage she's survived on this kind of finale - that was 1,6km @ 5,9%, this is 1,7km @ 6,2%. The good news for her is the last 300m are good gradient for her, the bad news is that the steepest 300m of the climb are immediately before that so is likely where the puncheurs go, if any indeed do.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

By right, I should detest Wiebes as the top sprinter, but fact is she is a proper mukti-talented cyclists who can win several ways which makes designing stages that don't suit her more difficult. In contrast to the one dimensional sprinters, she gets a begrudging respect from me. Still hoping to see varied winners this race though.

It makes sense, though - stages a little tougher than the average sprint but not quite for the puncheuse proliferate in women's cycling, so improving your results in them will earn you more money.

Even more benefit if you can have the team force the yellow jersey to lead you out in them rather than consider her own potential gains, and you can see no consequences for crashing her out and racing on for 8th place on the road.

 

[Didinho]

Couldn’t they have this after the men’s editorial? What’s up with this late start, I guess the women themselves doesn’t like this. Waiting the whole day. If it rains it can get darker.

Should be a sprint today with the stronger riders. Thinking more about Kopecky than Wiebes on the Cadoudal. A 4 minute effort with a steep part. Everyone wants yellow so it could be too hard for Wiebes, I hope.

 

[Didinho]

What’s the weather forecast during the stage? Gonna be chaos nonetheless in such a short stage.

 

[yaco]

Why is the stage 78KM? is this a junior race?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Why is the stage 78KM? is this a junior race?

It's late in the day.

 

[yaco]

It's late in the day.

They could have started an hour earlier they you have a 120km stage.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They could have started an hour earlier they you have a 120km stage.

They obviously wanted to start after the men had finished. I think that is respectful to both races.

 

[Didinho]

Crash before the real start. No riders waving hands for safety.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I was hoping we could avoid a crash in the neutral zone, but it wasn't to be.

 

[Sciatic]

They needed a flagger at that spot (or the riders needed to do a better job of calling it out for those following)