We already knew the 2025 Tour de France would begin in Lille, simply an hour on the Eurostar from London. Nonetheless, final month’s route announcement revealed that it’s not simply the opening that will probably be in attain of British followers, with the primary eight levels all within the Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Brittany, and the Pays-de-la-Loire.
In consequence, subsequent 12 months’s males’s Tour will probably be one of many best for Brits to go to in years, probably one of the best because the Grand Départ in Normandy in 2016, when Mark Cavendish gained the primary stage, and with it the primary yellow jersey of his profession.
July 2025 might sound a good distance within the distance, however in actuality it’s simply eight months away, and will probably be with you faster than you assume. In consequence, here’s a information to the important thing levels you ought to be making an attempt to catch, or at the very least watch on TV subsequent summer season.
Stage two Lauwin-Planque to Boulougne-sur-Mer (209km) 5/07/25
Stage one is likely to be a hop, skip and a soar away from the Eurostar in Lille, however it is going to probably finish in a regulation bunch dash. Stage two, in the meantime, is the form of day which something might occur on. There are 4 categorized climbs, together with a remaining punch to the end; the terrain which could swimsuit Tadej Pogačar completely. Fortunately, Boulougne-sur-Mer can also be simply the opposite aspect of the Channel, a half an hour drive or a two-hour cycle south of Calais, the proper day trip to observe an thrilling Tour stage end.
The place to remain?
Should you’re going to do stage three to Boulogne, then you definitely would possibly as properly keep for stage three in Dunkirk, additionally accessible by bike, automobile or practice, and near Calais and the ferry or Channel Tunnel. My tip could be Saint-Omer, nearly equidistant between Boulougne and Dunkirk.
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(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Stage 5 Caen to Caen (33km) 9/07/25
A time trial is all the time an effective way to see the entire race, and with this stage beginning and ending within the Norman city of Caen, the house of William the Conqueror, it is vitally accessible from the UK. You may get a ferry from Portsmouth straight to Caen, or you would go through Cherbourg, and expertise the delights of Normandy. The flat 33km time trial shouldn’t open up too many gaps on the GC, however you would possibly see an early triumph for TT world champion Remco Evenepoel. Every thing will nonetheless be very tense.
The place to remain?
The following day begins in Bayeux, so it could be very value basing your self within the Calvados division. The area is properly outfitted for vacationers, having been on the forefront of Anglo-French historical past, from the Norman Conquest to D-Day. Caen itself is a superb little metropolis.
(Picture credit score: Getty)
Stage seven Saint-Malo to Mûr de Bretagne (194km) 11/07/25
One other stage helpfully near an Atlantic ferry port, the walled metropolis of Saint-Malo is served by direct ferries from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth, and may very well be the proper base for a little bit of Brittany exploring. If you wish to catch a stage begin, and a assured glimpse of the motion, maybe don’t go any additional than Saint-Malo itself, however the Mûr de Bretagne can also be very accessible, by automobile or by bike, however don’t count on to have the ability to get from the begin to the end through the stage. The Mûr is current within the race for the fifth time within the final fifteen years, and may present the aggressive Pogačar extra space to point out his velocity.
The place to remain?
With the subsequent stage beginning simply down the N164 in Saint Méen-le-Grand, this is likely to be the proper alternative to bask in a little bit of bikepacking, or discover a good Breton gite.
Stage 16 Montpellier to Mont Ventoux (172km) 22/07/25
That is clearly nowhere close to the UK, however Mont Ventoux is probably the simplest mountain to get to on this 12 months’s Tour de France, with not a lot distance between the Large of Provence and Montpellier or Marseille, each of which have airports served by British cities. It has been 12 years since a Tour stage final completed atop Ventoux, and so will probably be time for the celebrities of this era to sort out the powerful climb.
The place to remain?
Avignon, down within the Rhône Valley, appears completely positioned as a spot to remain after a day trip on the Tour, with its papal historical past and bridge to nowhere.
(Picture credit score: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP through Getty Photographs)
Stage 18 Vif to Courchevel/Col de la Loze (171km) 24/07/25
Two days later, the hardest day on the 2025 Tour de France will see over 5,500m of climbing within the Alps. Most likely one of many trickiest locations to get to throughout the three weeks, however Lyon actually isn’t that distant, notably should you can rent a automobile. Whether or not you make it up a number of the monster climbs depends upon your head for heights, however the views will clearly be unbelievable.
The place to remain?
A giant tip from me – by no means Albertville. Will probably be far more value your whereas going that bit further and staying the evening in Chambéry or Aix-les-Bains, should you make it down the mountains. If not, discover an out-of-season ski lodge.
Professional response to the route
(Picture credit score: © Zac Williams SWpix.com)
Talking to Biking Weekly final month, EF Training-EasyPost and former Tour de France rider James Shaw gave his ideas on a difficult route.
“I feel it’s good,” he stated. “It’s good that it is ending in Paris once more. It felt a bit just like the London Marathon not being in London earlier than.
“The Ventoux end will probably be cool. It opens up a breakaway day. Across the backside of Ventoux. there’s not a lot occurring till you get to the climb, so it brings the race so much nearer. There will probably be breakaway guys, being chased by the GC riders, it’ll be an thrilling remaining.
“With the beginning within the north, are we [Jasper] Philipsen’s solely alternative to perhaps the place yellow? It is likely to be a as soon as in a profession alternative for him.
“It’s gone a bit again to the outdated type of the primary week, with it being somewhat bit extra harmful,” he continued. “Within the final couple of years we’ve seen GC days on day two or three, which has made the primary week so much safer. So is it going to be a bit extra harmful that first week. Will probably be attention-grabbing.
“Once we take a look at the six or seven flat-ish days, we’d have known as them hilly 10 years in the past. It’s not the identical sport. You could possibly argue that favours Pog [Tadej Pogačar] somewhat bit extra. He’s additionally going to be fairly good on the Mûr de Bretagne. He’s head and shoulders above everybody else on the minute, even on the flat stuff, he’s good at Flanders as properly, and also you don’t see [Jonas] Vingegaard there.”
