"You put two steep walls in the final kilometres and it is great" - TDFF director declines calls for even more challenging parcours
CyclingMonday, 10 August 2026 at 23:00
The Tour de France Femmes successfully concluded yet another action-packed edition which did not lack epic performances, fascinating stories, nor unexpected twists. Ultimately, it was Demi Vollering who stood on top of the standings at the end of ninth stage, but fans already wonder whether the race could expand both in length and difficulty.
This year, riders had to complete 1,170 kilometers and overcome 18,800 altitude meters spread across nine stages in order to complete the 2026 edition and participate in the battle for overall title. These numbers are quite comparable to 2025, although there was time trial on the course year prior.
And yet, despite all the spectacle, voices have emerged across the peloton for even tougher routes, including multiple mountain top finishes and queen stages which would feature multiple high-altitude mountain passes.
"We could make it harder, and the competitors would be completely capable of doing it, but I am not looking to over-escalate the difficulty," Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse told RMC Sport. "That is my personal point of view, informed by my experience as a broadcaster."
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One of the directors serious concerns is something she has witnessed at the men's Tour in the past; that favourites tend to approach the stages much more defensively, perhaps in respect of the obstacles yet to overcome, and would still wait to open the battle in the final parts of the stage where not much damage can be done.
"Sometimes, when you make stages too difficult, it actually kills the suspense because everyone just watches each other," she added, citing Saturday's stage as a preferred blueprint. "A stage like Saturday is magnificent to watch, you put two steep walls in the final kilometres and it is great. We don't necessarily want to make it harder."
No big changes planned
The 2026 edition was in any case a massive success commercially. Moving the race start after the men's race finale proved an effective step with France 2 recording an average audience of 3.1 million and a peak of 5.1 million viewers on the queen stage featuring Mont Ventoux summit.
"We feel like we take a step forward every year," Rousse said. "It was only our fifth edition, but what I have seen since the start in Switzerland is genuinely the Tour de France. It is exceptional because we started from very far behind."
"There was a small challenge with five days between the finish of the men's race and our own start, and we wondered if it would work as well," Rousse acknowledged. "It worked even better, so it's brilliant."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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