Tour de France – “Rauer” start and hammer stages at the end

After many elimination abroad, the Tour de France 2025 leads through France without exception. The “big bow” begins with a big part in the north of the harsh, in the second half very heavy mountain stages are waiting for the professionals. The route requires a lot of patience and tactical skill from the favorites.

Something new more often: the 176 drivers of the Peloton 2024 in Tuscany had to conquer some seriously profiled stages with climbing potential, in 2025 it goes very differently on the three -week tour: The first week in northern France is tailored to the sprinters.

Already on the first day, when the start and finish in Lille is located, one of the fastest men should slip into the yellow jersey. And with the right support of his team, he could keep it on his shoulders for a few days – depending on how the placements are on the following stages. May after day there will be an exciting second game for the leadership jersey. The bonus customers at the destination of every stage (10,6,4 for the three first places) could be decisive.

“Hidden” meter in the north

It usually goes there in more or less flat terrain on the first nine days of the tour, which this time has 3,320 kilometers overall and leads exclusively through France. However, if you think that the drivers can make themselves comfortable in the first part, you should be bad. At the beginning there are also some of the 51,550 vertical meters to be mastered, even if they are more “hidden” for the peloton at the beginning.

And: the weather and terrain play a major role in the north. Cool temperatures are possible, strong winds are likely and sometimes guaranteed bad roads. It is important for the overall victory, especially for the favorites: be careful not to get into a tricky situation.

Two time trials – more different could not be

The highest concentration is required from day one, especially on the 5th stage: Then a 33 -kilometer -long time trial takes place around Caen on completely flat terrain. It is the first of two on the tour and it is tailored to so -called “rouleans” – strong endurance types that can maintain an extremely high pace for a long time. The light climbers will be horrified before this day – they have to be patient, get “their” time trial in the second part of the tour. Then an eleven kilometer long classic mountain time trial is on the program.

There is something for everyone again, whereby the route planners have remained true to their trend of the past few years: the daily sections are basically not as long as it did once, but more varied and more spectacular. It only goes twice more than 200 kilometers, the longest stage can be mastered on the second day at 212 kilometers.

Wait 26 mountain passes

But of course: the Tour de France is really exciting in the mountains – there will be spectacular decisions on the narrow mountain roads. The highlights will be pending when the Tour Tross moves south after the first week, where this time the climbs in the central massif, the Pyrenees, in the Alps and in the Jura will attract the audience.

Mont Ventoux, La Plange, Col de la La Loze, Hautacam or the Tourmalet are also in the program for the drivers such as the Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine or the Cormet de Roseland. A total of 26 passes, climbs or summit arrivals must be mastered.

On the 10th day it goes into the mountains

It starts on July 14th, the French national holiday when a very difficult stage will lead across the central massif. 4,400 meters of altitude are spread over seven climbs of the 2nd category, it actually goes up and down. The final climb over 3.5 kilometers up to the mountain station on the Puy de Sancy will offer a first real real strength of the Favorietn. Because the holiday falls on a Monday, the traditional first day of rest was postponed for this date by one day.

However, this is only the start of a true firework of hard mountain stages in the second half of the tour. From July 17th, three hammer stages are waiting in the Pyrenees, including the mountain time driving already mentioned over eleven kilometers high for the Peyragudes ski station.

Up to the “giants of Provence”

After the Pyrenees, the transition towards Alps follows with the “Gigenaten of Provence” on July 21. It then goes up to the legendary Mont Ventoux – where everything can happen. The last 16 kilometers through the stone desert in thin air and possibly great heat are tough.

Just two days later, the presumably thinned driver field is facing the royal stage: it goes into the Alps over 5,500 meters of altitude. Huge climbs like that on the Col du Glandon and then on the Col du Madeleine will show who is the strongest on the 2025 Tour de France. On the “royal stage” it goes over 26.5 kilometers high up to the Col de la Loze, where the finish line is located at 2.304 meters.

Beware of the exclusion

And the next day, the ordeal is basically repeated: then there are 4,600 meters in the tour book on the last Alpine stage. However, they are distributed over only 130 kilometers – if you are no longer in strength, you will actually threaten to exclude the time limit two days before the end of the tour.

Everyone will somehow want to prevent this – even the sprinter that could strike again on the last two stages. Only on a flat stage to Pontarlier, finally at the grand finale on the Champs-élysées, which this time will be the classic end point of the Tour de France again.