The second stage of the 2025 Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche, scheduled to run from Saint-Rambert-d’Albon to Saint-Donat-sur-l’Herbasse, was cancelled on Wednesday following a prefectural decree issued by the local authorities. Organisers confirmed that the safety of the riders, followers, public and the event caravan remained the overriding priority.
The cancellation came after warnings of disruption linked to the nationwide “Block Everything” protests, which were expected to cause significant travel and security issues in the northern part of the Drôme department. Confusion had surrounded the stage since Tuesday afternoon, with police services making it clear they would not be able to guarantee security along the route.
Despite this, race director Louis Jeannin and his team had still prepared for a normal start, with their own motorbike marshals in place. During the presentation ceremony of stage 1, Jeannin had even claimed he had the prefecture’s support.
On the morning of stage 2, the peloton assembled in Saint-Rambert-d’Albon as usual. Team presentations went ahead, giving the impression that racing would follow, but just before the scheduled roll-out, the official decision to cancel was announced.
“Unfortunately, the movement is developing strongly in the northern sector of the department, where the stage is taking place,” Jeannin explained at the start. With the risk of blockages deemed too high, riders and staff returned directly to their hotels and campsites.
The cancellation means the general classification remains unchanged from stage 1, when Lotte Kopecky powered to victory on the uphill finish in Laudun-l’Ardoise. The World Champion outsprinted Eleonora Ciabocco of Picnic PostNL to claim the win, with SD Worx-Protime teammate Mischa Bredewold in third place. That result gave Kopecky the first leader’s jersey of the race, level on time with Ciabocco, and placed Bredewold four seconds back in third overall.
The Tour de l’Ardèche, now in its 23rd edition, has long been one of the toughest late-season stage races on the women’s calendar, often used by riders as preparation for the World Championships. While the organisers insisted that the cancellation was unavoidable, they also confirmed that the rest of the event is still set to continue, with stage 3 due to start in Avignon on Thursday.
