Tour de France Femmes set for first Mont Ventoux ascent

Ventoux gives the race a clear historical marker

The Tour de France Femmes begins in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday, and the headline feature is what comes later: the race is set for its first ascent of Mont Ventoux.

That matters because route choices shape how a race is read before a pedal stroke is taken. A start in Lausanne gives this edition an immediate international frame, while the first inclusion of Ventoux gives the race a clear historical reference point. For riders, teams, and followers, that kind of route decision is not just scenery. It changes the way the event is discussed, anticipated, and judged.

The key point is not simply that Ventoux appears on the route, but that this is the Tour de France Femmes doing it for the first time. In a race still building its own modern identity, adding a climb with that level of symbolic weight is a meaningful step in how the event positions itself.

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