The Tour de France Femmes that ended on Sunday has reignited the debate on the duration of the women's Grand Tours. Ten stages? Two weeks? Three, like the men's race? With or without a rest day?

Let's start our analysis from 2022 (the season in which Amaury Sport Organisation brought the Tour back to life): we note that the French race went from eight stages in the edition won by Van Vleuten to nine fractions this year. The Giro d'Italia – with various names and organizations – went from ten racing days four years ago to nine this season. The Vuelta Espana Femenina, on the other hand, in the same period of time went from five to seven after the eight-stage edition in 2024.

In recent days, several athletes have stepped in to fuel the debate. When asked by French colleagues, Cédrine Kerbaol stated: "I would be happy if our Tour de France were already three weeks long. However, my teammates don't share this opinion and, since I need their help in the races we face, perhaps it would be best to proceed gradually. Maybe bringing it to a duration of two weeks in the coming editions would be a good step forward".

Elena Cecchini also called for doing things gradually, saying on Sunday to Eurosport microphones: "There will certainly be a need for more stages in the future, but gradually. We're already making many steps forward, the right ones, but it takes time to consolidate them".

The Friuli native from SD Worx Protime, in her final Tour de France of her career, also stated: "If there are more stages, there will also be a need for easier days. And it would be nice to have a final stage to celebrate the yellow jersey, a bit like what happens in the men's race".

Marion Rousse also made her voice heard, and while not explicitly speaking about the number of stages, she told RMC colleagues: "Every year the Tour de France Femmes raises the bar. The growth rate of our race is incredible and the popular success it's having is remarkable".

And further: "I'm convinced that we could have a Tour de France Femmes with an even tougher route, the athletes would be capable of handling it, but I'm not in favor of a continuous increase in difficulty. Sometimes by making the route harder, you 'kill' the suspense, because all the athletes play it safe. There's no real necessity to do more".

The discussion continues and will continue as women's cycling evolves. Meanwhile, rumors are becoming more insistent that the 2027 edition of the Tour de France Femmes could have more stages than the one just concluded.