Ranking the yellow jersey favourites for the 2025 Tour de France Femmes - can anyone beat Demi Vollering to the title?
By Becky Hart
Published 24/07/2025 at 18:01 GMT+1
React to this story
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney famously won last year’s edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift by just four seconds from Demi Vollering, who left it all on the line on the very last stage at Alpe d'Huez in a bid to grab the maillot jaune but came up just short. While those two look set to duel yet again across the roads of France, who else could be battling for yellow this year?
Tears flow as Niewiadoma discovers she has won Tour de France Femmes
Video credit: TNT Sports
The fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift gets underway on Saturday - and what a race it could be.
The women are taking on an all-French route, with two tough mountain stages to finish the nine-day fight for yellow.
There is not much respite, the action should be non-stop and the scene is perfectly set, with a few favourites riding themselves into form at the right time - with every stage live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
But will we witness another epic between Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto), or can Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) back up her recent Giro d'Italia Women win?
And what about Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), riding this race for the first time since coming out of retirement - is she set for a support role or going to be given a chance to win?
With only 10 to choose, honourable mentions must go to some riders who are likely to light up the Tour without necessarily competing for the yellow jersey. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) will likely factor in the sprints in the early stages, as will veteran Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike).
- How to watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on TNT Sports and discovery+
- Tour de France Femmes 2025: Stage guide for the all-French fourth edition
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/10/29/4056673-82271113-2560-1440.jpg)
Tour de France Femmes 2025: Check out the full route in unbelievable detail
Video credit: TNT Sports
Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) was the Queen of the Mountains last year, but can she step things up and go for yellow? Then there is last year’s Olympic road race champion, Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) who can never be discounted.
All in all, there are plenty of storylines set to play out on the roads of France.
Here we rank the top eight favourites heading into the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (after a late rejig following Kopecky ruling out a tilt for the yellow jersey and Gaia Realini failing to make the Lidl-Trek squad)…
8. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-c8f925d5-8f9c-46e6-911c-f8b17d9934b2.jpeg)
Anna van der Breggen
Image credit: Getty Images
After Kopecky dismissed her own overall chances, SD Worx might look to Van der Breggan instead. The Dutch rider ended a spell of three years on the sidelines when she came out of retirement for this season onwards, immediately impressing with a second-placed finish at Strade Bianche.
Van der Breggen finished third in the GC standings in the Vuelta and then sixth at the recent Giro to underline her multi-stage credentials.
She has plenty of experience, but this will be her first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Interestingly, it did not look like she could stick with the likes of Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) on the climbs in the recent Giro - but with the extra miles in her legs, she might have ridden into better form for this one.
7. Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance–Soudal)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-7eebef25-9dc9-4eb6-adef-b8d48861ce0c.jpeg)
Sarah Gigante
Image credit: Getty Images
Gigante had a horror start to her season - surgery in December to correct an iliac artery endofibrosis diagnosis led to a period off the bike, before she managed to dislocate her shoulder on her comeback trail.
But the Australian looked in tip-top form at the recent Giro, riding away from the field to win both mountain stages. She wound up third overall and with the queen of the mountains jersey, riding herself straight into this conversation.
AG Insurance-Soudal also have Ghekiere in their ranks, so will be a strong presence in the mountains. But given Gigante’s form, she has to be seen as a big GC threat - she won’t be easily allowed up the road by the favourites, that is for sure.
6. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-0b6691c5-ac3a-4903-b6e0-27e453d64731.jpeg)
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
Image credit: Getty Images
Ferrand-Prevot won Paris-Roubaix earlier this season in style, before declaring that the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was her ultimate goal.
The Frenchwoman will be a popular crowd favourite in her first full season back on the road since 2018, but to temper expectations, she did also say that the aim was to win the yellow jersey within three years.
She has been training hard since withdrawing from the Vuelta, but her form remains a bit of an unknown heading into the Tour. She will likely be carrying Visma’s GC hopes though, with Vos hunting for stage wins.
5. Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-7fae595b-aa25-4424-8d16-744d3eb98447.jpeg)
Marlen Reusser
Image credit: Getty Images
Reusser was in pink at the Giro for five days, but found herself pipped by defending champion Longo Borghini.
Reusser finished just 18 seconds back from the Italian though, underlining her GC credentials as she spearheads Movistar’s hopes in France.
Having already won the Tour de Suisse this season, and also finished runner-up at the Vuelta - to Vollering - Reusser is one of the big favourites for the yellow jersey.
She defeated Vollering at the Tour de Suisse, more than proving she has what it takes to beat the best. Her move from being a super domestique at SD Worx to GC contender at Movistar is looking more and more astute as the season wears on.
4. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-8a7cb017-5e20-4989-a864-05f88e46f3a9.jpeg)
Pauliena Rooijakkers
Image credit: Getty Images
Rooijakkers finished on the podium last year at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and has just finished fourth at this year’s Giro.
As such, she has found some form at just the right time after a disappointing Vuelta.
But whether she can take the fight to Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney remains to be seen.
Her podium last year was built on that epic final stage, when she was the only GC contender able to go with Vollering on Alpe d’Huez. If she can summon anything like that form, she could be a force to be reckoned with.
3. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-a16acdcc-7e37-4ffb-9c23-4acaed6c92ba.jpeg)
Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney
Image credit: Getty Images
Last year’s champion, Niewiadoma-Phinney had a steady spring this year, finishing just off the podium at the Tour of Flanders and La Fleche Wallonne.
She finished on the podium at the Tour de Suisse behind Marlen Reusser and Vollering as she started to peak at the right time, opting not to ride the Giro as she tapers her form for the big one.
Her victory last season was undoubtedly the biggest of her career, and she has long been plotting how to defend the yellow jersey. In Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Antonia Niedermaier she has some strong team-mates to aid her, and she cannot be discounted from becoming the first rider to defend the yellow jersey.
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-54cb016f-2f15-45ad-ae8a-4493900ae782.jpeg)
Elisa Longo Borghini
Image credit: Getty Images
Straight off the back of defending her Giro title, Longo Borghini arrives at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in top form.
The Italian is riding for UAE this year having moved from Lidl-Trek and has already had a strong season - winning her team’s home tour, picking up more one-day victories in the spring and winning her own national road race to boot.
Add in the Giro victory where she out-paced Reusser, and it is clear Longo Borghini is a force to be reckoned with.
But will she come into the Tour match-sharp, or with too many miles in her legs? She’s had a big season already, but has not truly tested herself against Vollering yet.
1. Demi Vollering (FDJ)
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/17/image-5b282b06-adeb-48e4-bcc1-b28787a4158d.jpeg)
Demi Vollering
Image credit: Getty Images
Vollering was left devastated on the side of Alpe d’Huez last season, having ridden herself into the ground in a bid to defend her yellow jersey. In the end she finished an agonising four seconds adrift, admitting afterwards that the result felt "sour."
She’s tailored her season around this race, in a bid to reclaim the jersey she wants the most.
Wins at Strade Bianche and the Vuelta showed some very fine form, before she finished runner-up in the Tour de Suisse.
The Dutch superstar then opted to miss the Grio to concentrate on the Tour - and has been training non-stop. FDJ will likely boast a strong line-up too, with the likes of Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic in their ranks.
Team work was one of the things that ultimately cost Vollering last year, when no one from SD Worx aided her to catch back up after a crash on Stage 5.
This year, FDJ will be drilled to protect their team leader at all costs. That, combined with Vollering’s form, makes her heavy favourite to win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for a second time.
- - -
Stream the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement