'We can make the race harder, but do we want to?' Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse backs variety over difficulty for future route design

2026 Tour de France Femmes: race director Marion Rousse during the last stage.

Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse has pushed back against the idea that future race routes will automatically be harder than previous editions, pointing out that the 2026 Tour benefited enormously from having a wide variety of stages.

Speaking to French media as the 2026 race drew to a close in Nice, in comments reported by Ouest-France, Rousse reminded journalists that the diversity of stages in this year's edition had helped make for an exceptionally entertaining race to watch.