For Anna van der Breggen, the 2025
Tour de France Femmes was a race of two halves. The former Olympic champion and
world renowned climber made her long-awaited debut in the women’s Tour after
returning to competition, but things didn’t go as planned in the general
classification. Targeting a high overall finish, Van der Breggen instead had to
settle for 11th place, undone by one bad day on the queen stage to the Col de
la Madeleine.
“I had hoped they’d give me
more space, since I was already nine minutes behind in the standings. I needed
more than the two minutes I was given, but it’s good that I tried,” she told Wielerflits
after the final stage. “I wasn’t so happy after Saturday. After seven good
days, I had an off day on the worst possible day. I was very disappointed, but
it’s good that I’m feeling better.”
Van der Breggen’s best result came
on stage 5, where she sprinted to third, and she showed flashes of her old
strength in the final stage by attacking and going solo for a long stretch. But
she was reeled in on the final climb and finished 11th again, fitting for a
week that offered both promise and frustration.
Still, Van der Breggen remains
optimistic. This was her third Grand Tour since coming out of retirement, and
she’s using the experience to lay the groundwork for a stronger push next
season. “With three Grand Tours under my belt, I can build on that for next
year and try again then,” she said.
Part of what motivates her is the
new landscape of the women’s peloton, faster, deeper, and more professional
than ever before. “I know the level is very high with Pauline, but this is
motivating to see,” she said, referring to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s dominant
Tour win. “On the other hand, I also notice the pace is higher. You see more
teams riding together, the crews are more professional and ride in groups. The
level is very high.”