PREVIEW | Tour de France Femmes 2025 stage 3 - Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Balsamo to face off on first bunch sprint
Cycling
On Monday, the sprinters finally get their moment in the spotlight at the Tour de France Femmes. It’s been a longer wait than in 2024 for the world’s fastest women like Lorena Wiebes, but the upcoming stages are set to deliver plenty of high-speed action.
Stage 3 covers a 163,5-kilometre route with just over 1,000 metres of elevation gain — relatively flat by French standards, though far from entirely level. The peloton will leave Brittany behind, setting off from the floral village of La Gacilly in the Morbihan department, home of cosmetics magnate Yves Rocher and a former Grand Départ location back in 1985.
Stage 3: La Gacilly - Angers, 162 kilometers
The peloton will make its way eastward from La Gacilly into the scenic Loire Valley, wrapping up the day in the lively student city of Angers. Famed for its imposing 13th-century Château d’Angers and the magnificent Tapestry of the Apocalypse, the finish location offers both historical grandeur and modern flair.
Although the profile appears largely flat — with the highest point of the day just 108 metres above sea level — the riders won’t have it entirely easy. In total, they’ll tackle 1,320 metres of elevation, with rolling terrain that never truly lets up.
The first challenge of the day comes after 34 kilometres: the Côte de Richardière, a short climb of 1.7 km at 4.7%, where the first mountain points will be up for grabs. From there, the peloton sweeps through the town of Châteaubriant, whose medieval roots are reflected in its name, before racing along broad, open roads toward the finale.
All signs point to a classic bunch sprint in Angers, where speedsters will battle it out against a backdrop of centuries-old architecture, student energy, and the vineyards of the Loire. It’s the first real sprint opportunity of the Tour — and it’s bound to deliver fireworks.
Prediction Tour de France Femmes 2025 stage 3:
*** Lorena Wiebes
** Elisa Balsamo
* Marianne Vos, Ally Wollaston, Laura Tomasi, Linda Zanetti, Agniezka Skalniak-Sójka, Amalie Dideriksen, Chloé Dygert
** Elisa Balsamo
* Marianne Vos, Ally Wollaston, Laura Tomasi, Linda Zanetti, Agniezka Skalniak-Sójka, Amalie Dideriksen, Chloé Dygert
Pick: Lorena Wiebes
How: Regular bunch sprint, flawless leadout from Kopecky and Bredewold.
Original: Rúben Silva
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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🤩 The official route of the #TDFF2025 avec @GoZwift! 🤩 Voici le parcours officiel du #TDFF2025 avec Zwift ! #WatchTheFemmes
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