"The objective is to enter the legend of the Tour" - Race organiser discusses dream to further expand Tour de France Femmes

Today marks 100 days until the Grand Départ of the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes, which will begin on Saturday 26th July. For the first time in its history, the women’s Grande Boucle will kick off in the Morbihan region of Brittany.

The 2025 edition will span nine stages, one more than in previous years, highlighting the event’s ongoing growth and ambition. At a presentation held today, Cyclism’Actu caught up with Franck Perque, who offered insight into the upcoming route and what fans can expect.

"A short and dynamic format for punchers, this will be the case on the first stage with only 79km and three times the ascent of Cadoudal," Perque explained of the race’s opening day in Brittany. "We wanted to be quickly in the tempo. The riders will certainly have to be in shape from the start, we cannot afford not to be.

“The girls who will be fighting for the general classification will have to be vigilant. We can lose the Tour every day, we saw it again last year with the fall of Vollering, but we will have to be vigilant from this Grand Départ, with potential breaks and gaps.

"Lotte Kopecky is particularly strong on this type of stage, and she has made it her main objective. But we also think of the French women, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Evita Muzic, Juliette Labous..."

As for the general classification picture, Perque believes the race will start to take shape very early.

"I think we'll have an idea of the profile of the overall winner on Saturday, after La Madeleine. And the next day, those who have been trapped will want to express themselves and reshuffle the cards in Joux-Plane. The objective is to enter the legend of the Tour, so we'll look for the legendary passes, like the Tourmalet and then the Alpe d'Huez before that."

With nine stages now on the schedule, the race continues to push its boundaries. Asked how far the Tour de France Femmes can go, Perque remained open-minded.

"I don't know, but we're not ruling anything out. We had to evolve, and we'll continue to do so. If we want to be part of the event that's the benchmark, we need to have a significant number of days and demanding courses to showcase the best. I don't have a specific number in mind, but 9 days is already significant, and we'll see later."

Before wrapping up, he also gave a nod to home favourite Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, hinting that she could be a serious contender, "We can't rule anything out, we saw her on Saturday at Paris-Roubaix. Given her physical qualities, there's no doubt: she'll be there, she's already proven it at the start of the season."