On Saturday, the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes is here! And just like last year, there’s a strong Canadian contingent. Each one of the pro women going from this country could fare well in different ways, whether that’s a big stage result—or the overall.

The Canucks in France

World champ Magdeleine Vallières-Mill (Sherbrooke, Que.) is set to lead the charge after an impressive Giro d’Italia—she always does well when the roads go up, and you know she’ll be in the mix on the climbs. She may serve as a lieutenant for French teammate Cédrine Kerbaol on the tough days, but if she has freedom, look for her to perhaps grab a stage win as well as be up there for the GC.

Another strong contender is Isabella Holmgren (Oro-Medonte, Ont.), who continues to establish herself as one of the peloton’s brightest young climbers. She arrives with a strong Lidl-Trek team, led by Elisa Balsamo. Victoria’s Sarah Van Dam will be looking for a big result with Visma–Lease a Bike, although her main focus will be helping defending champ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Van Dam is a great all-rounder—a solid climber with a killer kick.

Kiara Lylyk in white jersey in Volta a Portugal Feminina

Alison Jackson is there with her St Michel–Preference Home–Auber93 team, and you know she will animate the race when she can. If she gets in a move, her finishing sprint could see her snag a dub—she’s already won a stage at the Vuelta a España Femenina, among her many results.

National time trial champion Nadia Gontova is there with her Liv AlUla Jayco team, and a brand new maple leaf skinsuit. Finally, Kiara Lylyk is there for her second Tour de France Femmes with her Mayenne Monbana My Pie team. The Guelph, Ont., rider has been having a solid 2026, and it’s great to see her back at the TdFF.

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes

This year’s Tour looks set to be the toughest since the race “returned” in 2022. The nine-stage, 1,175-km route packs in nearly 19,000 m of climbing, a 21-km individual time trial and a summit finish on the legendary Mont Ventoux before wrapping up in Nice.

The opening stages should offer opportunities for puncheurs, sprinters and breakaway specialists, but the general classification battle is expected to heat up in the mountains. The Ventoux showdown will likely prove decisive before one last demanding stage into Nice gives anyone still within striking distance a final chance to attack.

Defending champion Ferrand-Prévot returns to defend her title against a stacked field that includes Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Marlen Reusser, Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky, Puck Pieterse and Kerbaol.

As always, Canadian Cycling Magazine will have full stage reports, news and analysis throughout the race. Plus, you can catch all the action on FloBikes.com.