Key events
Top five on stage nine
1. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)
2. Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +20secs
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto), +23secs
4. Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +23secs
5. YDominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ), +33secs
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins stage nine and the yellow jersey
Ferrand-Prévot crosses the line and then drops to the floor in tears. What a result for the talented rider! Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney cross the finish line in second and third place respectively.
1km to go: Ferrand-Prévot rides under the flamme rouge and 29secs so do Vollering, Fisher-Black and Niewiadoma-Phinney. It’s going to be another victory for Ferrand-Prévot! She soaks up the cheers and crosses the line with a massive grin.
2km to go: This could be Ferrand-Prévot’s pain face but to me it looks as if she’s smiling slightly. She’s just storming away! What a great move from the French rider.
3km to go: Ferrand-Prévot has taken off and it looks as if the stage win as well as the yellow jersey is all hers. Vollering, Niewiadoma-Phinney and Fisher-Black are together but 17secs back. Vollering attacks again.
Michael has got in touch from Poland about Gigante. He says:
It’s heartbreaking to see Gigante lose out on a podium place in this way, especially after her superhuman efforts yesterday. She doesn’t deserve all the hate that people have been spewing online about her descending skills, especially as she’s still faster downhill than anyone leaving such comments online.
Thanks for the live blog, and keep up the good work!
Agreed. It’s a shame to hear about all the online abuse. The commentators on TNT Sports also mentioned this earlier. I think Gigante can be very proud of her Tour efforts.
6km to go: Fisher-Black tries to get on to Ferrand-Prévot’s wheel but the French rider’s attack was just too powerful. She’s created an 11sec gap in a flash! Behind Vollering tries to flick Fisher-Black through and she finally obliges.
Ferrand-Prévot attacks!
7km to go: Vollering attacks! Everyone in the yellow jersey except her teammate Labous stay with her. Now Ferrand-Prévot launches! The crowds have gone wild.
10km to go: Everything is as was. The six in the yellow jersey group, which is leading, continue to ride together. Labous is still on the front.
In other news, Van der Breggen has been awarded the day’s most combative rider.
15km to go: Fisher-Black raises her arm for a gel and the six continue as they were. Labous is driving the yellow jersey group at the moment.
Col du Corbier QOM climb result:
1. Vollering, 10pts
2. Ferrand-Prévot, 8pts
3. Niewiadoma-Phinney, 6pts
4. Włodarczyk, 4pts
5. Labous, 2pts
6. Fisher-Black, 1pt
17km to go: The six in the yellow jersey group are together and just taking turns. It’s a gradual uphill now until a small bump shortly before the road rises again to the finish in Châtel. Gigante is now 3mins behind. Ferrand-Prévot looks pretty relaxed.
23km to go: Labous and Włodarczyk are distanced slightly but manage to get back to the yellow jersey group. Gigante is 2mins 23secs behind. According to the Tour race centre Élise Chabbey is “now mathematically assured of winning the mountains classification, being the first Swiss rider to achieve it”. She just has to finish the stage.
28km to go: The yellow jersey group have reached the summit of the Col du Corbier and are now on the descent. Vollering leads them out but then Niewiadoma-Phinney takes a turn on the front and pushes the pace. Ferrand-Prévot is in third position. Gigante has just reached the summit more than 2mins behind.
30km to go: The yellow jersey group are 1.4km from the summit of Col du Corbier. Gigante catches up with Van der Breggen and then passes her.
I mentioned earlier how vast the crowds are today on this mountain stage. You can see the number of spectators out in force here:
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Van der Breggen is caught by yellow jersey group
33km to go: And Van der Breggen is caught. The yellow jersey group continue and go past the SD Worx-Protime rider. Gigante is 2mins 4secs behind the lead group now.
34km to go: Van der Breggen’s lead is down to 15secs and the yellow jersey group are now visible over her shoulder.
Result of the Col de Joux Plane QOM climb:
1. Van der Breggen, 15pts
2. Vollering, 12pts
3. Niewiadoma-Phinney, 10pts
4. Fisher-Black, 8pts
5. Ferrand-Prévot, 6pts
6. Gigante, 4pts
7. Włodarczyk, 2pts
8. Labous, 1pt
Alistair has emailed in from Lyon about Squiban and says:
Squiban’s best chance for Queen of the Mountain is to descend like hell from Joux-Plane which she knows how to do, and nick it at the Col du Corbier.
What a great race!
41km to go: Gigante has lost significant time on this descent. She’s now 1min 37secs behind the yellow jersey group, which includes Ferrand-Prévot, Vollering, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Labous, Włodarczyk and Fisher-Black. Van der Breggen only has a 30sec lead now. Surely, she’s going to be caught soon.
49km to go: This sweeping Alpine descent is beautiful. Watching some of the riders descending is also a pleasure, although it does make me tense a bit. It looks fun but there’s so much at stake for these riders. The crowds in Morzine are out in force. Van der Breggen is focused and keeps pedalling alone. The yellow jersey group are 40secs behind her.
Jess has messaged in to say “bonjour” from Megève where she watched the riders come through today. She shares that she got a beep from both the Movistar and UAE Team ADQ team cars, but sadly not from Visma-Lease a Bike. She said it was “exciting to see the caravan and everyone whiz past!” and has kindly shared the below photograph. Thanks Jess! Enjoy.
56km to go: Vollering attacked but couldn’t get away. Labous was dropped but has caught back on and gone straight past the yellow jersey group. She’s flying down the descent! Niewiadoma-Phinney responds and Gigante is distanced (she’s often considered a more tentative descender). Van der Breggen’s lead is being eroded.
58km to go: The yellow jersey group are riding tightly together and ready to respond to any moves. Niewiadoma-Phinney has a cut on her leg from when she came down at the start of the Col de Joux-Plane. Van der Breggen’s lead has been trimmed down to 1min.
60km to go: Van der Breggen is just over 3km away from the summit of this brutal climb. Her lead is dropping slightly and is down to 1min 23secs. The yellow jersey group now consists of seven riders: Ferrand-Prévot, Gigante, Vollering, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Fisher-Black, Labous and Włodarczyk.
On the topic of Squiban and the polka dot jersey, Beau emails in to say:
Squiban needs to make a big charge here to pick up any more points. She’s less than a minute back of the yellow jersey group, but she has to pass a lot of riders.
Good point. Also, the yellow jersey group aren’t going to knock off the pace, especially as Gigante keeps attacking.
62km to go: At the front, Van der Breggen rides her tempo – she has 1min 50secs on the yellow jersey group. But then, Gigante attacks again and quickly reduces that gap to 1min 33secs.
Alba Teruel Ribes withdraws from the race
According to the Tour race centre, Alba Teruel Ribes (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) has just left the Tour route and withdrawn from the race.
64km to go: Gigante attacks. Ferrand-Prévot is firmly on her wheel. Niewiadoma-Phinney, Vollering, Fisher-Black, Labous, and Wlodarczyk are also there. This reduces the group to just seven, with the yellow jersey group now 1min 15secs behind Van der Breggen.
Marc has been in touch from Mauritius where he has been following Kim Le Court Pienaar’s exploits in the Tour de France Femmes. He says:
Almost 10,000 kms away from Mauritius, we followed Kim Lecourt and the Tour with your help. She is now a star here and she made a statement that we could also compete with the best of the big countries on their terrain.
67km to go: Niewiadoma-Phinney is paced back to the yellow jersey group by her teammate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto). Kerbaol and Vallieres are still trying to get back. On TNT Sports, former professional cyclist Audrey Cordon-Ragot says she remembers this climb, the Hors catégorie Col de Joux-Plane, being one of the worst she’s ever done.
67km to go: Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) slides out on a corner, along with her teammate Magdeleine Vallieres. Niewiadoma-Phinney comes down too. But they’re quickly up and trying to get back to the peloton.
68km to go: Van der Breggen has started the tough Col de Joux-Plane climb (HC, 11.6km at 8.5%) and is being cheered by the huge crowds lining the road. The peloton follow 1min 43secs behind.
73km to go: Wiebes and Chabbey are back with the yellow jersey group. And just in time, as the intermediate sprint is up. Wiebes sweeps forwards and gets 20pts to add to her green jersey lead.
79km to go: Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto) gets down on to the drops and tries to acclerate away from the yellow jersey group but is swiftly brought back. Van der Breggen’s lead remains steady at about 1min 30secs.
Côte d’Arâches-la-Frasse QOM climb result:
1. Van der Breggen, 10pts
2. Squiban, 8pts
3. Vollering, 6pts
4. Ferrand-Prévot, 4pts
5. Brand, 2pts
Squiban now has 36pts and is edging closer to Chabbey’s 44pts for the polka dot jersey.
85km to go: The top 10 GC riders are all present in the yellow jersey group. When Squiban accelerated to get the QOM points, Chabbey’s teammate Demi Vollering also upped the pace to try to take points away from the French rider and defend her teammate’s polka dot jersey. Van der Breggen has extended her lead to 1min 34secs.
90km to go: Not far to go until the summit of the Côte d’Arâches-la-Frasse and van der Breggen has almost a minute on the peloton. It’s a brave move from van der Breggen if she’s eyeing up the stage win. There’s a long way to go. At the front of the peloton, Squiban pushes to get some QOM points.
Van der Breggen attacks before first categorised climb
92km to go: Van der Breggen is determined. She keeps plugging away and creates an 20sec gap. Wiebes and Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) have dropped back. Ferrand-Prévot is safely tucked in to the front of the peloton.
94km to go: Van der Breggen tries a number of small attacks as the riders head towards the sweeping alpine climb. So far, she hasn’t managed to get away.
98km to go: Ferrand-Prévot and Gigante have made it back, plus the breakaway have been caught. So, the riders are all back together as they head towards the category one Côte d’Arâches-la-Frasse (6.2km at 7.1%).
102km to go: Ferrand-Prévot has been distanced! She’s in a group that’s 40secs behind the peloton. The breakaway are only 19secs ahead.
105km to go: Kopecky and Brand have made it across, so, along with Gerritse and van der Breggen, there are now three SD Worx-Protime riders in the breakaway. Van der Breggen is 12th placed on GC and is 9mins 25secs behind Ferrand-Prévot, so perhaps she’s hoping for a stage win as that’s too much time to make up for the yellow jersey.
111km to go: Gerritse and van der Breggen have been working together in the break and have managed a slim 23sec gap from the peloton. Brand (Lidl-Trek) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) are coming up the road to join them.
Chloe Dygert and Brodie Chapman withdraw from the race
Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto) and Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) did not start stage nine so are withdrawn from the race. I haven’t seen a reason given yet but will update when I hear more.
120km to go: Wiebes’ group have been caught by the peloton. The riders are birefly back together before Femke Gerritse and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) attack!
122km to go: Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) surges forward but her move is followed by the peloton. Wiebes is 20secs ahead and Julie Bego (Cofidis), Sarah Van Dam (Ceratizit Pro Cycling) and Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez) bridge across to join her.
The racing has begun!
124km to go: Marion Rousse has waved the flag and racing is officially under way! Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) is straight off.
Today’s rollout has begun
Stage nine of the Tour de France Femmes 2025 is under way. The peloton have rolled out from Praz-sur-Arly. There’s a short 2 km neutralised section before the racing begins.
Here is another description of today’s stage, this time via the Tour race centre:
The ninth and final stage begins with a long descent, promising sparks from the first kilometres. Three major climbs will then provide further fireworks on this 124.1km Haute-Savoie course: the Côte d’Arâches-la-Frasse (category one, 6.2km at 7.1%), the Col de Joux Plane (Hors Categorie, 11.6km at 8.5%), and the Col du Corbier (category one, 5.9km at 8.5%).
Of course, Joux Plane is the biggest challenge with its gradient that sometimes reaches 11%. At the summit, there are still 58km and the Corbier to cover, the summit of which will still be quite a long way from the finish (29km). The finale takes the form of an interminable uphill false flat littered with delicious changes in slope. The slightest failure will be dearly paid for.
The important role of teammates promises to be crucial. The game of pawns placed in the breakaway could be decisive as the finish approaches. So many scenarios could play out. The race is still far from over.
And who’s wearing which jersey:
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Yellow jersey: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), 26hrs 16mins 11secs
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Green jersey: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), 210pts
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Polka dot jersey: Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez), 44pts
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White jersey: Nienke Vinke (Picnic-PostNL), 26hrs 39mins 50secs
Here’s a reminder of the top ten on GC after stage eight:
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Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), 26hrs 16mins 11secs
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Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), +2mins 37secs
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Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +3mins 18secs
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Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), +3mins 40secs
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Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), +4mins 11secs
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Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), +4mins 26secs
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Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ), +5mins 2secs
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Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +5mins 52secs
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Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez), +5mins 58secs
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Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez), +7mins 14secs
Here is the route profile of stage nine of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift:
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Stage nine: Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel, 124km
Here’s a look at today’s stage, Sunday 3 August: Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel, 124.1km, with the race director of the Tour de France Femmes, Marion Rousse:
This “100% Haute-Savoie” finale offers a good opportunity for those riders who are behind in the standings to try to turn things around. The action will begin on the Côte Arâches-la-Frasse (6.2km at 7.1%) and continue, of course, on the Joux Plane (11.6km at 8.5%) and then on the Col du Corbier (5.9km at 8.5%). The climb towards the finish, at Pré la Joux, is steep as it passes through Châtel on the leg-breaking Route de la Bechigne.
Preamble
It’s the final day of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025! Today, the riders will face a 124.1km mountain stage with 2,820m of elevation gain. It’s a relentless parcours with two category one climbs and a Hors catégorie climb – the most difficult type of climb in a race. With the background of the Haute-Savoie region, we can look forward to an action-packed day for the peloton with beautiful alpine landscapes.
After Pauline Ferrand-Prévot shook up the GC rankings yesterday, it will be interesting to see if the French rider can hang on to the yellow jersey or if the next closely ranked in the classification, Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) or Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM) pull of a big move. Second placed Gigante is 2mins 37secs behind, so she’d have to crack Ferrand-Prévot. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, pedictions and questions for this stage. You can email me via the link at the top of the page.
Today’s action will kick off at 3.20pm CET/2.20pm BST. Here is Jeremy Whittle’s stage eight race report from Saint-François Longchamp: