When Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney held off a spectacular chase from Demi Vollering on Alpe d’Huez last summer to win the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift yellow jersey by four seconds, it was one of the most dramatic days in the recent history of women’s cycling.

It is no wonder then that race organisers ASO have added even more mountains to the 2025 edition of the race, which begins this Saturday in Brittany before travelling southwest through the Massif Central to the Alps.

This year’s Tour features a record 17,240m of climbing, with three days in the high mountains packed into the final four stages.

It is also the longest edition since the race was brought back in 2022, up to nine stages from eight last summer.

“The level in women’s cycling is rising and that’s why we have nine stages instead of eight. And nine hard ones,” said race director Marion Rousse when the route was unveiled in Paris last October.

The first two stages are typically Breton in style, with barely a stretch of flat road in profiles resembling spring classics which could see general classification action right from the go.

Back-to-back flat stages for the sprinters follow before the road starts trending upwards.

The Col du Beal on stage six is the first major mountain of the race, with the queen stage on day eight finishing atop the highest point of this year’s Tour – the 18.6km-long, 2,000m altitude Col de la Madeleine.

And then there’s the Col du Joux Plane firmly in the middle of the final day.