Tour de France Femmes 2025 - 9th stage: Praz-sur-Arly - Châtel Les Portes du Soleil | 124.1 kilometres | 2820 vertical metres
The ninth and final stage is in principle ideal terrain for breakaways. The highest difficulty of the day is the Col de Joux Plane (11.8 km, 8.5%), from which there are just under 60 kilometres to the finish. That's a long way, but doable with a group.
Whether the ninth stage is just about the stage win or the overall classification will depend on the starting position before the stage. If the gaps in the classification are small, attacks can be expected. A strong group, including GC riders, could carry a lead from the Col de Joux Plane to the finish.
On the way to the finish, the Col du Corbier (5.9 km, 8.5 %) is another tough climb - not very long, but steep enough to make a difference.
After the descent from Corbier, the route continues steadily uphill towards the finish, but with a gentle gradient. The finale in Châtel is a gradient of just under 5 per cent over the last four kilometres.
The central ascent is the Col de Joux-Plane - long and steep enough to allow good climbers to set themselves apart.
Assuming that the real action starts in the middle of the stage at the Col de Joux-Plane: What would then be the ideal bike on the stage to take a lead to the finish? We simulate the ride from the start of the Joux Plane to the finish.
The number of the day: 2:34 minutes
With the fastest bike, the journey time to the finish is 2:34 minutes shorter than with the slowest. At the top of the rankings are the bikes that score aerodynamically and are light. This is logical and to be expected.
But how much time is lost if the wrong wheel is chosen may surprise some people. Aerodynamics is an omnipresent topic in cycling. It is not for nothing that slipstreaming dominates the tactical action. Slipstreaming is applied aerodynamics.
If you set off alone, you must therefore do everything you can to minimise the riding resistance under your own power. The fastest possible bike is part of the equation.
The (almost) complete field at a glance*
The table shows the ranking of the fastest bikes on a long escape from the start of the Joux Plane.
*) The calculations are based on the bikes tested by TOUR in the laboratory and wind tunnel. The bikes at the Tour de France may differ in some details. Of course, we have not yet been able to analyse last-minute prototypes. Background to the simulation.
Our expert
Robert Kühnen studied mechanical engineering, writes about technical and training topics for TOUR and develops test methods. Robert has been refining the simulation calculations for years and they are also used by professional teams.
