Favorites stage 1 Tour de France Femmes 2025 | An iconic finish, just ask Valverde, Sagan, and Van der Breggen!

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The Tour de France for women begins in Vannes, a city with a population exceeding 50,000, situated on the Breton coast. Here, at 5:15 PM local time – after the men's race in Nantua on Saturday has finished – the women will set off on a short ride of only 78.8 kilometers, which should usually finish before 7:30 PM local time.

From Vannes, we will head south for a short while, then turn around and head north via the D127, D779, and D150. In the meantime, the first mountain points will be awarded on the Côte de Botsegalo, an 800-meter climb with an average gradient of 5.3 percent.

After 47.3 kilometers, the riders will arrive at the final circuit in and around Plumelec, which must be completed three times. The final climb, the 1.7-kilometer-long Côte de Cadoudal, has a gradient of 6.2 percent and offers different opportunities each time. The first time is the intermediate sprint, the second time a third-category mountain sprint, and the third time the finish.

The finish is a familiar one. In 2008, the Tour de France started there with a stage, where Alejandro Valverde took the yellow jersey. In 2016, the European Championships were held there, with Peter Sagan and Anna van der Breggen winning. Every year, it is also the scene of the finish of the GP du Morbihan for men and women, where Arnaud De Lie, Benoit Cosnefroy, Grace Brown, Silvia Perisco, and Eleonora Gasparrini have won in recent years. And every time, it is just as spectacular!

Climbs
29.3 km: Cote de Botsegalo (0.8 km a 5.3%)
65.1 km: Cote de Cadoudal (1.7 km a 6.2%)

Times
Start: 5:25 PM local time (11:25 AM EDT)
Finish: 7:27 PM local time (02:27 PM EDT)

The weather conditions could play a role on Saturday, as temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius and rain are forecast for Brittany. The wind will be blowing from the west.

With the finish on the Côte de Cadoudal (1.7 km at 6.2%), this stage could go either way, as seen in the European Championships, the GP du Morbihan, and the first stage of the 2008 Tour. The fact that this is a stage race and not a one-day race could make a significant difference: no one wants to lose time on the first day.

And so it will naturally be made more difficult, which favors the better climbing fast women, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) over Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek. Kopecky and Wiebes' team can also compete against women, such as Mischa Bredewold and Femke Gerritse.

The women in the GC will therefore also have to be on their toes, and why shouldn't Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Marlen Reusser (Movistar), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Kimberly Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance Soudal Quick-Step), or Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) not already be able to dish out a few blows here?

This finish will also be right up the alley of Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Deceuninck and other classic types such as Liane Lippert (Movistar), Chloé Dygert (Canyon//SRAM), and Noemi Ruëgg (EF-Oatly). And many more!

Top favorites: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck)
Long shots: Elisa Balsamo, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mischa Bredewold, Anna van der Breggen, Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime), Kimberly Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance Soudal Quick-Step), Kasia Niewiadoma, Chloé Dygert (Canyon//SRAM) and Noemi Ruëgg (EF-Oatly)