The Tour de France Femmes is the biggest stage race on the women's calendar, eight days of climbing, sprinting, and yellow jersey pressure across French roads each summer.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is an eight-day women's stage race held each August in France. Launched in 2022, it has quickly become the marquee stage race on the women's WorldTour calendar.
Also known as: Le Tour Femmes | TDFF
Annemiek van Vleuten won the inaugural edition in 2022. Demi Vollering, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot have each claimed the yellow jersey since.
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The Tour de France Femmes matters because it draws the strongest field in women's stage racing and compresses Grand Tour pressure into eight intense days. The route typically includes serious mountain stages, sprint opportunities, and at least one time trial, creating multiple ways to win or lose the yellow jersey. The race has produced close overall battles, late lead changes, and breakout performances since its first edition. It sits at the center of the women's calendar in both prestige and tactical stakes.
The Tour de France Femmes is won through climbing power and time-trial strength, but the compressed format leaves little room for recovery or tactical patience. The race typically opens with flatter stages that favor sprinters and positioning, then builds toward mountain stages in the Alps, Pyrenees, or Massif Central that separate the overall contenders. A time trial often appears mid-race or late, rewarding all-rounders and punishing pure climbers. Because the race runs only eight days, every stage carries outsize consequences. Crashes, splits, and small time gaps in the opening days can decide the final podium. The climbs are shorter than the men's Tour but often steeper and more explosive, favoring riders who can accelerate repeatedly rather than grind a steady tempo. The yellow jersey frequently changes hands, and the winner is rarely decided until the final mountain stage.
The final stages climb into the French mountains, with summit finishes that decide the yellow jersey. Altitude and gradient separate the pure climbers from the rest.
Flat stages in the opening days give sprinters a platform before the road turns upward. The race rewards teams that can compete across both terrains.
The route builds from flat or rolling opening stages toward a mountain crescendo. Each day gets harder, and the GC takes shape progressively across the final three stages.
The race shares many of the same roads, climbs, and finish towns as the men Tour de France, carrying that heritage into the women calendar.
Most recent winner: Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
The inaugural modern edition ended with Annemiek van Vleuten winning on the Super Planche des Belles Filles, launching the new race with a statement of climbing authority.
Kasia Niewiadoma held on through the mountains to win the tightest GC battle in TDFF history, defending a slender margin through the final mountain stage to claim the yellow jersey.
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot added the Tour de France Femmes to her collection of world titles across multiple disciplines, confirming her versatility on the biggest stage.
Won the inaugural 2022 edition with a dominant mountain performance. Her victory on the Super Planche set the standard for what winning the TDFF looks like.
Won in 2023 with climbing superiority that left the field racing for second. Her victory confirmed the race as the premier stage-race test in women cycling.
The 2024 winner held on by four seconds in the most dramatic GC battle in the race young history, proving that tactical resilience could beat pure climbing power.
The 2025 winner brought a unique multi-discipline pedigree to the race, winning with a combination of mountain strength and racing intelligence.
The Tour de France Femmes shares the same mountain roads that have defined the men race for over a century. Summit finishes on legendary climbs give the race weight beyond its young age.
The opening edition climb that crowned Van Vleuten. A steep Vosges summit that has become a defining test in the race short history.
The legendary Tour de France climb has featured in the women race, connecting the TDFF to over a century of Grand Tour climbing history.
The iconic 21 hairpins have been used as a summit finish in the TDFF, creating a direct link between the women race and the men most famous mountain arena.
The Beast of Provence is scheduled for the 2026 edition. When included, it adds the most storied standalone climb in French cycling to the women calendar.
