Overview
- Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt confirmed she will start the Tour de France Femmes when the race begins on Saturday, August 1, and says she has followed an 'extreme' preparation while working closely with team nutritionists.
- Organisers set a demanding nine-stage course of about 1,175 km and roughly 18,795 metres of climbing with stage 7 finishing on Mont Ventoux and the finale circling Col d'Èze four times.
- The favourites list is unusually deep and balanced with Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Anna van der Breggen, Antonia Niedermaier, Marianne Vos, Paula Blasi and Ferrand-Prévôt all seen as legitimate contenders.
- Teams have clarified leader-domestique roles and ramped up professional prep—examples include Franziska Koch riding for FDJ United–Suez in service of Demi Vollering and full-team altitude and wind-tunnel programmes.
- The edition reflects faster professionalisation in women's cycling with more varied winners, tighter margins and greater public scrutiny of athlete preparation that raises questions about welfare, tactics and how teams manage peak form.