Tour de France Femmes facts for kids
 2026 Tour de France Femmes |
|
| Tour de France Femmes official logo.svg | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | July |
| Region | France |
| Local name(s) | Tour de France Femmes (in French) |
| Nickname(s) | La Grande Boucle, Le Tour Femmes |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Women's World Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Amaury Sport Organization |
| Race director | Marion Rousse |
| History | |
| First edition | 24 July 2022 |
| Editions | 5 (as of 2026) |
| First winner |  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) |
| Most wins | Demi Vollering (NED) (2 times) |
| Most recent | Demi Vollering (NED) |
The Tour de France Femmes is an exciting yearly bike race for women that takes place all over France. It's organized by the same group, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), that runs the famous men's Tour de France. This race is a big part of the UCI Women's World Tour, which features the best women cyclists in the world.
Many people consider the Tour de France Femmes one of the most important and longest races on the women's cycling calendar. It's a stage race, meaning riders compete in several daily races, and their times are added up to find the overall winner. The first modern edition of this race happened in 2022.
The race usually happens in July and August, right after the men's Tour. Riders compete to have the fastest total time, and the leader gets to wear the special yellow jersey (called maillot jaune in French). Besides the overall winner, there are also competitions for sprinters (green jersey), climbers (polka dot jersey), and young riders (white jersey). Winning a single stage is also a huge achievement!
Contents
The History of Women's Cycling in France
For many years, there have been different professional bike races for women across France, similar to the men's Tour de France. The very first one was a single event way back in 1955. Then, from 1984, a women's Tour de France was held regularly, though its name changed several times. It was known as Tour de France Féminin, Tour of the EEC Women, Tour Cycliste Féminin, and Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale. A famous French rider named Jeannie Longo won these races three times in a row from 1987 to 1989, becoming a cycling star.
However, these early races often faced big challenges. They struggled to find enough money, didn't get much attention from the media, and had problems with their name because of the organizers of the men's Tour de France. The last of these older races took place in 2009. One rider, Emma Pooley, even joked that it felt more like a "Small Loop" than a "Great Loop" (which is what "Grande Boucle" means).
How "La Course" Paved the Way
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In 2013, some amazing professional cyclists like Kathryn Bertine, Marianne Vos, and Emma Pooley, along with triathlete Chrissie Wellington, started a group called Le Tour Entier. This name means "the whole tour," and their goal was to ask the ASO (the organizers of the men's Tour) to create a proper women's Tour de France.
Their efforts gained a lot of media attention, and over 100,000 people signed a petition to support them. Because of this, the ASO launched a new race called La Course by Tour de France in 2014. This race was held at the same time as the men's Tour. The first La Course was a one-day race on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, just before the men's final stage. In later years, it moved to different places like Pau and famous mountain passes, always alongside the men's race. The ASO believed this was the best way to highlight women's cycling.
While La Course was praised for giving women's cycling more visibility by being linked to the Tour de France, some people felt it wasn't enough. They criticized it for not being a "full Tour de France," saying it was often overshadowed by the men's race and didn't always have challenging enough routes. The ASO explained that it was difficult to organize both a men's and women's Tour at the exact same time due to logistics, and that any new race needed to be financially stable.
The Modern Tour de France Femmes
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In June 2021, the ASO finally announced a brand-new women's stage race: the Tour de France Femmes. The first edition of this exciting event took place over eight days in July 2022, right after the men's 2022 Tour de France. The ASO also shared that Zwift, a popular online cycling platform, would be a main sponsor. Live television coverage was provided by France Télévisions and the European Broadcasting Union, allowing many people around the world to watch.
The director of the men's Tour, Christian Prudhomme, said that they had learned from past challenges of women's races. The goal for the Tour de France Femmes was to create a race that would be financially strong and last for many years.
The professional women cyclists were incredibly happy about the launch of this new race. Anna van der Breggen said it had "long been a dream for many of us to compete in a women's Tour de France." Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig added that it was "a day that we’ve waited for, for a long time."
Understanding the Race Classifications
The Tour de France Femmes has the same exciting competitions as the men's Tour:
- Yellow Jersey (maillot jaune): This is for the overall leader, the rider with the fastest total time across all stages.
- Green Jersey: This is for the best sprinter, awarded to the rider who earns the most points by finishing stages quickly and winning special "intermediate sprints" during stages.
- Polka Dot Jersey: This jersey goes to the "Queen of the Mountains," the rider who earns the most points by being the first to reach the top of designated climbs.
- White Jersey: This is for the best young rider, given to the fastest rider under 23 years old (or under 24 for the 2026 edition).
The jerseys are made by Santini. Major sponsors like LCL, E.Leclerc, and Škoda also support the event. The race offers a prize fund of €250,000, making it the richest race in women's cycling. A report by Zwift showed that the race has "the biggest audience in women’s professional cycling."
Exciting Editions of the Race
The First Race: 2022
The route for the first edition was announced in October 2021 by race director Marion Rousse. The race began in Paris, with a stage finishing on the famous Champs-Élysées on the same morning as the men's final stage. The eight-day race ended with a tough climb to the finish line at La Planche des Belles Filles.
The first race took place in July 2022. Annemiek van Vleuten won the week-long event by almost 4 minutes, even though she was feeling unwell early in the race. Marianne Vos won the green jersey for points, and Demi Vollering took the polka dot jersey for mountains, also finishing second overall. The public, media, and riders all loved the race, with huge crowds and high TV viewership. It was the first official women's Tour de France since 1989, and it received a lot of media attention worldwide.
The 2023 Race
The route for the 2023 Tour was announced in October 2022 and was praised by the riders. This race started in Clermont-Ferrand on the same day the men's Tour finished. It then headed south through the Massif Central mountains towards the Pyrenees. The final stage was an individual time trial in Pau. Like the first edition, it was an eight-stage race. Demi Vollering won the race, beating her rival Annemiek van Vleuten with a powerful stage win on the famous Col du Tourmalet. Lotte Kopecky won the points classification and finished second overall. Kasia Niewiadoma earned the polka-dot jersey for mountains and finished third overall. Once again, the race was highly praised by everyone. Race director Marion Rousse said that the 2023 edition "was the year of confirmation," proving the first race wasn't just a one-time curiosity.
The 2024 Race
The route for the 2024 Tour was announced in October 2023. Because the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics happened right after the men's Tour, the women's race took place in the short break between the Olympics and the 2024 Summer Paralympics. This edition had its first Grand Départ (big start) outside France, beginning in Rotterdam, with three stages in the Netherlands. The route then went south towards the Alps, ending with a tough climb to the top of the iconic Alpe d'Huez. Kasia Niewiadoma won the race, beating Demi Vollering by only four seconds after Vollering had a crash on stage 5. Marianne Vos won the green jersey for points for the second time, and Justine Ghekiere won the mountains classification. The race was again praised, with Cycling Weekly noting that the very close finish showed the "extraordinary level of competition in women's cycling."
The 2025 Race
The route for the 2025 Tour was announced in October 2024. This race had its Grand Départ in Brittany in north-west France and was extended to nine days. French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the race by over three and a half minutes, after winning two stages in the Alps. Vollering finished second overall, with Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney in third. Ferrand-Prévot became the first French winner of the Tour de France Femmes. Lorena Wiebes won the green jersey for points, and Elise Chabbey took the polka-dot jersey for mountains. This race was also widely praised, with large crowds in Brittany, record TV audiences in France, and great recognition for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. L'Équipe newspaper said her victory created "unprecedented enthusiasm in women's cycling."
The 2026 Race and Future Plans
In June 2025, it was announced that the 2026 edition of the race would have its Grand Départ in Switzerland, with stages starting in Lausanne, Aigle, and Geneva. The race started a week after the men's race, which allowed resources to be shared between the two events. The Guardian newspaper noted that this new separate date showed how quickly the race had become popular, especially after Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's win. The route for the 2026 edition was announced in October 2025, and it featured a challenging climb to the summit of Mont Ventoux. Zwift also announced that they extended their sponsorship of the race until 2029. Starting in 2026, the UCI (the world cycling body) began awarding more ranking points to the Giro d'Italia Women, Tour de France Femmes, and Vuelta Femenina, making these three races even more important.
In March 2025, it was announced that the 2027 edition of the race will start in the United Kingdom. More details were shared in January 2026: the 2027 race will begin in Leeds, with the first three stages all taking place in the United Kingdom. The 2027 Tour de France (men's race) will also start in the UK, marking the first time both races have started in the same country outside France.
Race Winners
Since 1955, many different professional women's bike races across France have been held as a women's version of the Tour de France. You can find the winners for those older events in their specific articles.
Here are the winners of the modern Tour de France Femmes:
| Year | Rider | Team | Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) |
Movistar Team | 26h 55' 44" | + 3' 48" |
| 2023 | Demi Vollering (NED) |
SD Worx | 25h 17' 35" | + 3' 03" |
| 2024 |  Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) |
Canyon–SRAM | 24h 36' 07" | + 4" |
| 2025 |  Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) |
Visma–Lease a Bike | 29h 54' 24" | + 3' 42" |
| 2026 | Demi Vollering (NED) |
FDJ United–Suez | 30h 54' 51" | + 1' 18" |
Secondary Classifications
While the overall winner (yellow jersey) gets the most attention, the race also has other exciting competitions:
- The points classification goes to the rider who earns the most points for finishing stages well and winning intermediate sprints. Sprinters often win this.
- The mountains classification gives points to the first riders who reach the top of specific climbs.
- The young rider classification is for riders under 23 years old (or under 24 for the 2026 edition). The winner is the fastest young rider overall. For the 2026 race, the age limit for this jersey was changed during the event, which caused some confusion.
| Year |  Points Classification |
 Mountains Classification |
 Young Rider Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Marianne Vos (NED) |
Demi Vollering (NED) |
Shirin van Anrooij (NED) |
| 2023 |  Lotte Kopecky (BEL) |
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) |
Cédrine Kerbaol (FRA) |
| 2024 | Marianne Vos (NED) |
Justine Ghekiere (BEL) |
Puck Pieterse (NED) |
| 2025 | Lorena Wiebes (NED) |
 Elise Chabbey (SUI) |
Nienke Vinke (NED) |
| 2026 | Lorena Wiebes (NED) |
Puck Pieterse (NED) |
 Antonia Niedermaier (GER) |
Yellow Jersey Statistics
This table shows how many days a cyclist has worn the yellow jersey and how many times they have won the overall Tour. Bold years mean they won the Tour that year. This table was updated after stage 9 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.
| Cyclists who are still active |
| Cyclists who won the Tour de France |
| Rank | Name | Country | Yellow jerseys |
Tour wins |
Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marianne Vos |  Netherlands |
8 | 0 | 2022, 2025 |
| =2 | Demi Vollering | Netherlands |
6 | 2 | 2023, 2024, 2026 |
| =2 | Lotte Kopecky |  Belgium |
6 | 0 | 2023 |
| 4 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney |  Poland |
5 | 1 | 2024, 2026 |
| 5 | Kimberley Le Court |  Mauritius |
4 | 0 | 2025 |
| =6 | Lorena Wiebes | Netherlands |
3 | 0 | 2022, 2026 |
| =6 | Marlen Reusser |  Switzerland |
3 | 0 | 2026 |
| =8 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Netherlands |
2 | 1 | 2022 |
| =8 | Charlotte Kool | Netherlands |
2 | 0 | 2024 |
| =8 | Pauline Ferrand-Prévot |  France |
2 | 1 | 2025 |
Multiple Stage Winners
This list shows riders who have won more than one stage in the Tour de France Femmes. This table was updated after stage 9 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.
| Cyclists who are still active |
| Cyclists who won the Tour de France |
| Rank | Name | Country | Stage wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorena Wiebes | Netherlands |
7 | 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 |
| 2 | Demi Vollering | Netherlands |
6 | 2023, 2024, 2026 |
| =3 | Marianne Vos | Netherlands |
3 | 2022, 2025 |
| =3 | Marlen Reusser | Switzerland |
3 | 2022, 2023, 2026 |
| =5 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Netherlands |
2 | 2022 |
| =5 | Charlotte Kool | Netherlands |
2 | 2024 |
| =5 | Maeva Squiban | France |
2 | 2025 |
| =5 | Pauline Ferrand-Prévot | France |
2 | 2025 |
| =5 | Kimberley Le Court | Mauritius |
2 | 2025, 2026 |
Race Starts Outside France
The start of the Tour is called the Grand Départ. Here are the editions of the Tour de France Femmes that started, or are planned to start, outside France:
- 2024: Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 2026:
Lausanne, Switzerland
- Future Starts
- 2027:
Leeds, United Kingdom
See also
In Spanish: Tour de Francia Femenino para niños
- Giro d'Italia Women – a stage race in Italy
- La Vuelta Femenina – a stage race in Spain
