A tough nine-stage route for the fourth edition of the women's Tour de France was revealed on Tuesday, with organisers saying the route reflects growing standards in the women's event.
"The level in women's cycling is rising and that's why we have nine stages instead of eight. And nine hard ones," Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse said on Tuesday.
The 1,165km route cuts a diagonal line across France from the Atlantic port of Vannes in the west to the Haute-Savoie ski resort of Chatel in the east on the Swiss border.
The women's Tour in 2024 was a huge success with its nail-biting decider on the Alpe d'Huez mountain and the 2025 route takes the intensity of that thrilling finale a steep further.
Organisers have followed with a stage eight 'Queen stage' climb of the Col de Madeleine before a last day jaunt over four mountains to Chatel.
"Stage eight at the Col de Madeleine ends with an 18.6km climb at 8.1 percent incline, that's quite something," said Rousse. "It's a dreadful climb".
"Whoever is leading then will have to prove their worth on a long last day run," she said of the final ninth stage over 124km with over 20km up inclines of around eight per cent.
The race opens in Brittany. Stage two in Brest should see large numbers of fans lining the road in one of the cycling's traditional heartlands, with a run to Quimper through the windy Finistere, at France's most westerly point.
The race also takes in Saumur, known for its wine, the historic city of Poitiers, the volcano laden Massif Central and the industrial centre of Clermont-Ferrand.