Favorites stage 7 Tour de France Femmes 2025 | Daredevils spot their chance on nasty descent

Once again, we head over flat roads towards the mountains. The start will be in Bourg-en-Bresse, after which the riders will head south towards the Alps.

The first 100 kilometers are virtually flat, including the intermediate sprint. In Groslee-Saint-Benoit, after 73.2 kilometers, there will be a sprint for points, provided that no large group has broken away by that point.

From there, the road climbs slightly, after which the riders will face the first climb of the day. The Côte de Saint-Franc is 3.8 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.9%, so it's pretty tough. After a fast descent, the Côte de Berland quickly follows. This climb is not long, but it is steep.

Anyone who thinks they can descend from the top will be disappointed. The road continues to climb until the riders reach the foot of the final climb. The Col du Granier is an 8.9-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 5.3%, which will be the last difficulty of the day. Although...

On Friday, too, the finish is only after the descent. This time it is a reasonably technical descent, as can be seen from the map of the final section below. Sharp turns, hairpin bends, speed bumps, roundabouts,... They are all included in the last five kilometers. At the start of the last kilometer, there are two more corners, after which the finish is on Avenue Alsace Lorraine.

Climbs
111.8 km: Côte de Saint-Franc (3.8 km at 6.9%)
124.5 km: Côte de Berland (1.2 km at 7.2%)

Times
Start: 1:40 p.m.
Finish: 5:45 p.m.

We are getting used to it by now, but on Friday, enjoyable racing weather is expected in France. At the start, it will be around 25 degrees Celsius with a slight tailwind. Wonderful!

Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) crashed earlier in this Tour, but seemed to have recovered well on Thursday. The Dutch rider should therefore be the woman to beat on the climbs. However, her rival Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) will not make it easy for her, as the Polish rider is extremely strong on the climbs. The same goes for Kimberly Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal), who has shown some impressive form so far.

From a French perspective, there will be dangerous contenders lurking in the shadows—riders such as Cédrine Kerbaol, for example. The EF Education-Oatly rider lost some time earlier on and will be keen to make up for it. And where better to do that than on the descent? Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) is also a very dangerous rider on this type of terrain.

From the Dutch perspective, Anna van der Breggen and Pauliena Rooijakkers, who is not known for her descending skills, have done well in the rankings so far. The riders from SD-Worx Protime and Fenix-Deceuninck, respectively, have been on top of their game so far. The latter has another dangerous teammate in Puck Pieterse.

AG Insurance-Soudal also has Sarah Gigante in addition to Le Court, although she is known as one of the weaker descenders. Also to watch out for are Niamh Fisher-Black, Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek), Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ), Liane Lippert (Movistar), Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ), and Mavi Garcia (Liv Jayco AlUla).

Top favorites:Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto)
Outsiders:Kimberly Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)
Long shots: Pauliena Rooijakkers, Puck Pieterse (both Fenix-Deceuninck), Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), Niamh Fisher-Black, Riejanne Markus (both Lidl-Trek), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco)