GC analysis from Tour de France Femmes stage 8 unveils the stage's queen: Col de la Madeleine crowns the queen of the Tour
The final stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2025 has all but decided the destination of the yellow jersey, with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot leading the race by a significant margin heading into the finish.
Ferrand-Prevot, a French rider known for her versatility across multiple disciplines of cycling, has been wearing the yellow jersey throughout the race and has shown her strength during the high mountains. Her dominance was evident during the climb on Saturday, where she had no answers from her competitors, including Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Vollering, the main favourite for the race, narrowly missed winning the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 due to a crash but arrived highly motivated with a strong French team supporting her. Despite her struggles on the descent and being dropped multiple times this week, she remains optimistic about her future Tours.
Niewiadoma-Phinney, the defending champion, had a relatively quiet week but enjoyed a strong performance during the high mountains. The Polish rider is 1:03 off Ferrand-Prevot in the standings, while Vollering is 22 seconds behind Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Sarah Gigante, an Australian rider who recently ascended to another level at the Giro d'Italia, put in the first significant GC attack of the stage, 11.7km from the top. She managed to gain a significant gap on her competitors, including Vollering and Ferrand-Prevot, who lost three minutes during the Col de la Madeleine stage. Gigante is now within striking distance of the podium, 1:34 away from Ferrand-Prevot.
Cédrine Kerbaol is also within striking distance of the podium, 1:34 away from Gigante. The French rider has been active near the top of the general classification during the race and will be looking to make a move in the final stage.
The Col de la Madeleine, a 18.9km climb that was always expected to be the decisive hour of the race, has significantly changed the standings of the race, with gaps now measured in minutes rather than seconds.
In addition to Ferrand-Prevot, Vollering, Niewiadoma-Phinney, and Gigante, other top contenders for the yellow jersey include Juliette Labous and Niamh Fisher-Black, who have been active near the top of the general classification during the race.
The winner of the Tour de France Femmes was decided on the Col de la Madeleine, but the race is not yet over, and there's still plenty left to play for in the final stage.
Sources: - Tour de France Femmes 2025 official preview - Cyclingnews live report on stage 9 - Domestique Cycling analysis of GC favourites
Sports enthusiasts will be eagerly anticipating the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2025, as the winner appears to be imminent given Pauline Ferrand-Prevot's significant lead in the race. Meanwhile, the battles for the podium and other victories in individual stages remain open, providing an exciting conclusion to the event.
