Tour de France Femmes 2025 stage three preview: One for the sprinters

Date: Monday, July 28
Distance: 162km
Start location: La Gacilly
Finish location: Angers
Start time: 13:50 CEST
Finish time: 17:33 CEST (approx.) 

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift says au revoir or kenavo (Breton for goodbye), Brittany, on stage three, as the peloton sets off from the enchanting village of La Gacilly, nestled in the Aff valley. This cobbled-street village blooms with flower boxes and artisan workshops. La Gacilly hosts France’s largest open-air photography festival, where over 1,000 large-format photos are exhibited along its picturesque streets and botanical gardens every summer. The peloton will pass through villages whose local markets offer crêpes and fresh charcuterie, and other Breton gastronomic delights.  In the finish city of Angers, you'll find the majestic Château d’Angers, home to the world’s largest medieval tapestry — the Apocalypse Tapestry.

There’ll be plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings for the most part as the peloton traverses gently rolling fields and wooded roads. The only significant climb, the Côte de Richardière (1.7km at 4.7%), appears about a third of the way in, and it won’t be enough to split the bunch. The remainder of the route is serene and scenic, following rivers and riding beneath leafy bosquets, crossing charming villages like Châteaubriant and passing through the pastoral heart of Pays de la Loire. As they approach Angers, the cityscape opens with the dramatic silhouette of the Château d’Angers, perched above the Maine river. Here, after 162km of racing, a bunch sprint is almost guaranteed.

Contenders

Stage three presents the first opportunity for the pure sprinters, and there's one name that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the contenders: Lorena Wiebes.

The SD Worx-Protime rider has been utterly dominant this season in the fast finishes and comes to the Tour having taken two wins and the points jersey at the Giro d'Italia a few weeks ago. Wiebes failed to find a victory in last year's race and will not want to miss a crucial opportunity in the early phase of this edition, particularly after narrowly missing out to lone breakaway winner Mavi García (Jayco-Alula) on stage two.

She won't be without competition, of course. Elisa Balasamo (Lidl-Trek) and Charlotte Kool (Picnic-PostNL) have been unable to beat Wiebes in a straight sprint this year, but have the capability to do so, and will be the favourites to pip the European champion to victory if anyone can.

Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) is a rising star in bunch finishes, but would perhaps be better suited to a more difficult finish with a smaller peloton.

Stage one winner Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) will want to score more points in the green jersey competition as well as double up on stage wins in the first three days of the Tour.

Prediction

We think Lorena Wiebes will score her first victory of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes.