The fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts on Saturday and it’s set to be a blockbuster with a route that is designed to spark fireworks from the off. 

Since 2022, the race has grown into the most important race on the calendar, adding more stages and more challenging parcours. This is thanks to the growing interest in the race, and the sponsors like Zwift supporting the event, which recently highlighted the increasing influence of the race on sport, media, and participation numbers.

The 2025 startlist is packed with all the stars of the peloton, from the maillot jaune contenders to the fastest sprinters, from the very best climbers to the stage hunting specialists. We take a look at the contenders for the overall title and those who will light up the race.

The contenders for the Tour de France Femmes 2025

Demi Vollering (FDJ‑Suez)

Demi Vollering arrives in Vannes as a perennial key contender. She was victorious in 2023 and was runner‑up in 2024 — just four seconds shy of the title, in what was one of the greatest races ever. Her stage racing campaigns in 2025 have been near‑flawless: wins at Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana in February, La Vuelta España Femenina and Itzulia in May, and the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina in June, but she hasn’t won a stage race outside of Spain — she was second at the Tour de Suisse in June. Now riding for French team in FDJ‑Suez, she will want to rectify this and bring home some success in France. In her new team she can rely on the support of Evita Muzic and Juliette Labous, a strong pairing who are completely dedicated to their leader. After a quiet July spent training post‑Suisse, Vollering is gunning for yellow once more.

Vollering won la Vuelta in May (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Kasia Niewiadoma‑Phinney (Canyon//Sram Zondacrypto)

The defending champion returns to the scene of her greatest triumph and Niewiadoma-Phinney is determined to stamp her authority once again. Her build‑up has been solid enough: a win in the Polish nationals, top‑10s in the Tour of Flanders and La Flèche Wallonne, and a third‑place overall at the Tour de Suisse provide some confidence, but so far she hasn’t been able to match the likes of Vollering at stage races in 2025. That said, her season to date is at a similar level to where she was going into her victorious Tour last year. With a Canyon//SRAM squad headlined by Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Chloé Dygert, Ricarda Bauernfeind, and Neve Bradbury, the Polish rider has both the firepower and support to defend the maillot jaune. 

Can Niewiadoma-Phinney defend her Tour title? (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team)

The Swiss powerhouse has often been an under‑the‑radar threat, but won’t be this year after an impressive 2025 so far. A time‑trial specialist who has found comfort in the mountains, Reusser beat Vollering at the Tour de Suisse in June, which prompted calls that she is now the main challenger to the FDJ rider. Reusser also starred at the recent Giro d’Italia, leading for five days before finishing second. Her shift to Movistar has breathed new life into her GC capabilities — posing a serious threat, especially on hilly terrain.

Reusser was second at the Giro earlier in the month (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

The rider who beat Reusser at the Giro was Elisa Longo Borghini. The Italian is a rider whose performances are built on consistency and grit. Consecutive Giro triumphs confirmed this and as the most important race of the year approaches, she will want to continue her strong form. Her UAE team might not be as strong as the squads from FDJ or Canyon, but she can’t be counted out. Her Classics strength will mean she is unlikely to lose any time in the first few days of the race, so it will likely come down to whether or not she can compete with the likes of Vollering and Reusser on the long climbs in the Alps. 

Can Longo Borghini carry her Giro form to the Tour? (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Other riders to watch out for 

Outside of the main yellow jersey contenders, there are a number of top riders looking to leave their mark on the biggest race of the year, be it by a top GC result or fighting for stage wins.

One of the top riders of the last decade is Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) who is a multi-terrain specialist, and could compete over a number of days in this year’s race. A rider, who is also a threat over several stages is Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), a stage winner from last year and an impressive winner of La Flèche Wallonne this year, who could target both GC and stage wins. As could her teammates Yara Kastelijn and Pauliena Rooijakkers, who was third last year and was fourth at the Giro.

Pieterse is a threat in lumpy stages as her win at Flèche proved (Image: ASO/Thomas Maheux)

Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) is a strong climber and will suit the final weekend in the Alps, as well as the Massif Central parcours. Likewise, climber Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) will be a favourite on the longer climbs, especially after her storming wins at the Giro. The team also have Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes winner, Kim Le Court, in their ranks, who is a Classics-style rider well-suited to the 2025 route. Le Court, whose meteoric rise is showing no signs of slowing, told Rouleur: “We haven't decided fully yet if I will go for the general classification or stage wins. But of course, who wouldn’t want the yellow jersey?”

The Belgian Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx‑Protime) is also a versatile wild card, who started the year with the goal of straddling both GC and stage winning opportunities. But, on the climbing form shown this year, it is more likely she will be going for the latter, and SD Worx have said they won't be focused on the GC this year. They could be bluffing, as through Anna van der Breggen, they have an option for a potential top 10 result. 

Kopecky was at the Giro earlier in July, will she go for stages or the GC at the Tour? (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Outside the GC battle, SD Worx will be looking to win bunch finishes and some of the lumpy stages with their sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who is also a favourite for the green jersey. She will face strong competition from the likes of versatile riders like Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), as well as the sprinters like Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek). In fact the whole Lidl-Trek squad through the likes of Shirin van Anrooij, Emma Norsgaard and Lucinda Brand, will be contenders for several stages. As are EF Education-Oatly with Olympic road race champion Kristen Faulkner and the French daredevil descender and GC threat Cédrine Kerbaol, who won a stage last year.

Prediction

We think Demi Vollering will secure her second yellow jersey, but she will face stiff competition throughout the nine stages.