The Tour de France is set to embrace a more classic format in the upcoming year, moving away from the unconventional finish that took place outside Paris last July. The route for the 2025 edition was revealed recently, featuring a predominantly flat first week followed by intensive climbing during the final ten stages, setting the stage for another intense rivalry between reigning champion Tadej Pogacar and his foremost challenger Jonas Vingegaard.
After three successive starts outside of France, the Tour will be entirely within the country’s borders in 2025, ensuring that riders do not venture beyond its limits. The race will commence in Lille on July 5, with the first three stages held in the cycling-enthusiastic region of northern France. Subsequently, the peloton will journey southward, passing through Brittany and the Massif Central.
As part of the challenges, competitors will face a second individual time trial in the picturesque Pyrenees mountains. The concluding week will feature three mountainous finales at iconic locations including Mont Ventoux, Col de la Loze— the highest point of the race at 2,304 meters— and La Plagne in the Alps.
Notably, last year’s finale occurred outside of Paris for the first time since 1905 due to scheduling conflicts with the Olympics. As a result, the race concluded in Nice instead of on the traditional Champs-Elysées. For 2025, however, the world-famous avenue will reclaim its role as the grand finale, marking its 50th time as the finish line for the Tour’s 3,320-kilometer (2,063-mile) journey.
Organizers emphasized that this significant 50th milestone serves as a key theme for the event, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the polka-dot jersey awarded to the best climber and the category for the best young rider.
Additionally, the women’s race is scheduled to commence on July 26, starting in the town of Vannes in Brittany. With nine stages covering a total distance of 1,165 kilometers (724 miles), the fourth edition will traverse the Massif Central and conclude in the Alps, featuring daunting peaks such as the Col de Joux-Plane and Col de la Madeleine.
Highlighting the men’s competition, there will be a series of three challenging Pyrenean stages, including the significant individual time trial to Peyragudes on Stage 13 and a return to Luchon-Superbagnères.
The ascent of Mont Ventoux, a notoriously difficult climb where British cyclist Tom Simpson tragically passed away in 1967, is expected to be a rigorous test for the riders during Stage 16. This rocky expanse, often described as a “moon-like” landscape in Provence, offers little respite in terms of shade or vegetation, earning it the description of “a god of evil” from French philosopher Roland Barthes.
Ultimately, the Alpine stages are anticipated to be crucial in determining the overall victor of the 2025 Tour de France.