2025 Women's Tour de France: “PFP” Effect, Four French Victories: Organizers Rub Their Hands
"I knew there was no better ambassador than her to make people dream!" The final victory in the Tour de France was not yet assured for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot , but Marion Rousse , the director of the Tour de France women, was already smiling on Sunday morning in the starting area of the final stage in Praz-sur-Arly. "We're reaching a new level in terms of difficulty this year," she told us before the event. It's clear that the "PFP" victory will also raise the level of enthusiasm for the women's version of the Tour de France.
The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) attempted to introduce a Tour de France into the women's cycling calendar, but after launching in 1984, the event was shut down for economic reasons after only six editions in 1989. Other cycling organizations subsequently attempted to launch similar events, but never managed to survive sustainably. It was not until 2022 that ASO took the risk of offering a race open to women again.
More people on the roads… and in front of the TVIf the first three editions of this new women's Tour de France had succeeded in bringing people to the roadsides, the crowds were even greater, from Brittany to Haute-Savoie for this 2025 vintage.
"It's crazy what we're experiencing at this edition," Marion Rousse rejoiced on Sunday, "and when you look at the TV audiences with a peak of over 5 million, all records have been broken for this fourth edition... I really have the impression that we've been adopted by the general public."
It is undoubtedly partly this satisfaction of seeing "her" race enter the hearts of the French that explains the tears of the race director, Saturday evening at the summit of the Col de la Madeleine. When she hugged her friend Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, just before handing her her first yellow jersey, Marion Rousse showed unusual emotion.
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"Pauline and I have known each other since we were kids," Marion Rousse recalled on Sunday, "and I don't think she or I imagined that one day we would find ourselves on the most beautiful race in the world, with so many people cheering for Pauline."
In a sign that the women's Tour de France was beginning to gain momentum, it expanded from 8 to 9 stages this year. We already know that it will still have 9 in 2026... but ASO often suggests that the event could be extended further in the future. Thanks to the "PFP" effect, maturity could arrive sooner than expected.
L'Est Républicain
