Organizers of the Tour de France Femmes have confirmed that there will be an increase of stages from 8 to 10 starting with the upcoming 2025 edition of the race, which is great news for women’s professional cycling. The decision has been made because of the increased popularity of the new women’s Tour after its return in 2022.

The expansion plans were announced by race director Marion Rousse at the press conference in Paris, where she described it as “the next step in development of this wonderful event. ” The two new stages will give the race the opportunity to cover more regions of France and at the same time pose a stiff challenge for the best female riders in the world.

Though the exact path has not been announced yet, Rousse suggested some interesting ideas concerning the new format of the race. For 2018, we are considering adding a team time trial stage into the race and also paying a visit to Mont Ventoux, she said. ’The aim is simple: to construct a challenging and diverse parcours that would present the best of the best of the women’s cycling scene. ”

This has been welcomed by riders and teams alike with the announcement of the news. SD Worx’s Demi Vollering, the defending champion, described the course as “a dream come true” and said that the longer race distance would indeed provide more opportunity to position for important parts of the race and to recover in between them.
It also means higher prize money and media attention.

The overall prize money will increase from 250 000 € to 400 000 €; the winner of the competition will receive 50 000 €. Also, race organizers have said that they have received commitments from broadcasters for live broadcasts of all the ten stages, a big improvement from the current situation.
This growth is attributed to the increased women cycling which has gained professionalism in the recent past.

The Tour de France Femmes has also been very instrumental in raising the profile of the sport and giving opportunity for the best female cyclists in the world to perform.

As for the future there are already discussions about the possibility of even more expansion. There have been some voices that have been raised within the sport demanding that the women’s Tour should be like that of the men’s race which is 21 stages. As it stays a dream for future, the transition to 10 stages is more than a step forward in the event’s development.

With the women’s peloton getting deeper and stronger, the expanded Tour de France Femmes is set to produce even more exciting racing and more heroines. As each July the attention of cycling fans is concentrated on France, the development of the women’s race along with the men’s race is another step towards the equality of women and men professional cyclists.