Tour de France 2025 Route Preview – A classic edition packed with legendary climbs and decisive time trials

The 112th edition of the Tour de France promises to be a true throwback: entirely within French borders, loaded with iconic climbs, and featuring two crucial individual time trials. The race kicks off on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Lille and wraps up three weeks later with a spectacular finale on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. From the towering Mont Ventoux to the legendary Col du Tourmalet, this year’s route promises fireworks for climbers, time trial specialists, and fans alike. At Cycling-Classics.com, we dive into every aspect of this exciting route in our full Tour de France 2025 route preview.

Balanced and Brutal: What to Expect from the Tour de France 2025 Route

With 51,550 meters of elevation gain, this year’s Tour is not for the faint of heart. Riders will face:

• 7 flat stages

• 6 hilly stages

• 6 mountain stages, including 5 summit finishes

• 2 individual time trials: one flat and one uphill TT

There are two rest days scheduled to allow riders to recover, but the route offers little breathing room elsewhere. The Col de la Loze, reaching an altitude of 2,304 meters, marks the highest point of the Tour and could be decisive in the battle for yellow. Notably absent from the 2025 parcours is Alpe d’Huez, which will be missed by many fans.

Tour de France 2025 Opens in Lille, Stays Entirely in France

The Grand Départ takes place in Lille, in the Hauts-de-France region. The early stages offer opportunities for sprinters, and this year’s Tour avoids the cobbled roads of Paris-Roubaix. Expect high speeds and fierce competition for the first yellow jersey.

As the race progresses, the peloton will move into more punishing terrain, featuring legendary climbs like:

• Mont Ventoux (photo below)

• Col de la Loze

• Col du Tourmalet

• Col de la Madeleine

• Col du Glandon

The Mountains: Pyrenees, Alps, and the Climbers’ Paradise

The first mountain block arrives in the Pyrenees, with back-to-back stages featuring:

• A mountain TT to Peyragudes

• A summit finish in Luchon–Superbagnères

• A brutal ride to Hautacam

These stages will test GC contenders early and offer little room for error. The second major mountain challenge comes in the Alps, where riders tackle the Glandon, Madeleine, and the epic Col de la Loze, before finishing at La Plagne.

The climb to Mont Ventoux comes in stage 16 and could spark major attacks as the Tour enters its final phase.

The Grand Finale in Paris (With a Twist)

After a transitional stage from Nantua to Pontarlier on the penultimate day, the peloton will head to Paris for the final stage. But unlike previous editions, the traditional bunch sprint on the Champs-Élysées will be replaced by a cobbled uphill finish on Montmartre—a dramatic and unpredictable end to a demanding race.

Tour de France 2025 Stage Overview

• Stage 1 (July 5): Lille to Lille – 185 km

• Stage 2 (July 6): Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer – 212 km

• Stage 3 (July 7): Valenciennes to Dunkirk – 178 km

• Stage 4 (July 8): Amiens to Rouen – 173 km

• Stage 5 (July 9): Caen to Caen – ITT, 33 km

• Stage 6 (July 10): Bayeux to Vire-Normandie – 201 km

• Stage 7 (July 11): Saint-Malo to Mûr-de-Bretagne – 194 km

• Stage 8 (July 12): Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval – 174 km

• Stage 9 (July 13): Chinon to Châteauroux – 170 km

• Stage 10 (July 15): Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore (Puy de Sancy) – 163 km

• Stage 11 (July 16): Toulouse to Toulouse – 154 km

• Stage 12 (July 17): Auch to Hautacam – 181 km

• Stage 13 (July 18): Loudenvielle-Le Louron to Peyragudes – Uphill TT, 11 km

• Stage 14 (July 19): Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères – 183 km

• Stage 15 (July 20): Muret to Carcassonne – 169 km

• Stage 16 (July 22): Montpellier to Mont Ventoux – 172 km

• Stage 17 (July 23): Bollène to Valence – 161 km

• Stage 18 (July 24): Vif to Col de la Loze (Méribel) – 171 km

• Stage 19 (July 25): Albertville to La Plagne – 130 km

• Stage 20 (July 26): Nantua to Pontarlier – 185 km

• Stage 21 (July 27): Mantes-la-Ville to Paris – 120 km

Don’t Miss More Tour de France 2025 Content

At Cycling-Classics.com, we’ll keep you up to speed with everything related to the Tour de France 2025:

• Detailed stage previews

• Rider favourites and GC rankings

• Fantasy tips for each week of the race

• Tactical analysis of key mountain stages

Start with our Stage 1 Preview – Grand Départ in Lille and Stage 1 Favourites, and follow along as the race unfolds!

And have a look inside or Tour de France 2025 Fantasy Tips special, the Tour de France 2025 stages and the Tour de France 2025 route preview!

Also, have a look at our Flemish and Dutch colleagues from Voorjaarsklassiekers.be. Have a look at their previews: parcours Tour de France 2025, de etappes Tour de France 2025, Scorito Tour de France 2025!