Two more high-profile withdrawals have hit the peloton on the final day of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, with both Chloé Dygert and Brodie Chapman confirmed non-starters for Stage 9. The 124km finale from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel already promised to be a decisive day in the mountains, but several teams are now down to their bare minimum.
Photo Credit: GettyFor Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, Dygert’s absence means they’ll start with just four riders. The American, who had been key to the team’s efforts throughout the week, notably finishing 5th on Stage 4, won’t take the start today. The team wrote this morning:
“The team is down to four riders today, with @chloedygert30 not taking the start of the final #TDFF2025 stage. A huge thanks to Chloé for her monster pulls and selfless work all week.”
That leaves Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, currently 4th overall, alongside Ricarda Bauernfeind, Neve Bradbury and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig to try and close out the race. Any support for Niewiadoma-Phinney’s GC ambitions will now be even harder to come by on the climbs of the Joux Plane and Corbier.
UAE Team ADQ are also running on fumes, with just three riders remaining in the race. Two-stage winner Maëva Squiban is joined by GC hopeful Dominika Włodarczyk, who sits 7th overall, and Lara Gillespie. Their hopes for a third stage win or defending Włodarczyk’s GC spot will now depend on tight coordination among the depleted trio.
Chapman, who was riding in support for Team Jayco AlUla, confirmed her withdrawal on Instagram, citing illness:
“Unfortunately I will not start stage 9 of @letourfemmes today. After wiping out half our team this pesky virus finally got to me. I was really hoping I could survive and finish off what has been an incredible tour for our team, but developing a fever last night put an end to that dream.
Thanks to the team for taking the right decision – even though it pains me to go home when we are so close to the finish. Get up girls! Time for a break and then back to more racing.”
Chapman had battled through the race with quiet determination. Her best finish came on Stage 5, where she crossed the line in 54th. She was 77th on GC after Stage 8’s summit finish on the Col de la Madeleine.
Both absences highlight how attritional this Tour has been, particularly with illness affecting multiple squads. The final day’s racing now comes down to survival and seizing opportunity for what’s left of several teams.
Main photo credit: A.S.O./Thomas Maheux
