Our 2025 Route Analysis
We’ve put the route under the microscope to pick out the challenges, highlights and the things you might have missed! Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Tour de France Route to help you choose your Loop!
Top Tip: We’ve summarised the Loops at the end of this Blog.
What makes the best Tour de France Route?
Le Tour Director, Christan Prudhomme told us all at the presentation in Paris that he is repeatedly told by his fellow countrymen that “the best Tour de France route is the Tour de France route that goes past my house!”. This year’s route is an homage to that sentiment.
What it means in reality is that this is a route that passes through the towns and villages where Le Tour is almost a religion – where the locals are passionate about cycling, the history of the tour and importantly, supporting the tour. So we can expect lots of fabulously decorated villages (always a highlight on tour for our riders) with great humour and ingenuity. This isn’t a tour about long, flat agricultural France, but people. It’ll be a chance to really experience the beauty of France, including areas you might not otherwise visit on the usual tourist trail.
This is going to be particularly apparent in the First Half of the Tour. Don’t be fooled into dismissing ‘the Northern Stages’ because you’ll be seriously missing out! What may not look so obviously glamorous on paper (none of the excitement of non-France stages that are always so appealing to our Loopers – Copenhagen, Bilbao and Florence being recent examples) will in fact be really stunning, varied and lovely cycling through France. It definitely won’t have the brutality of the mountains … which will come as welcome news to many! And for those of you in the UK – just an easy short hop away by train or ferry!
Stage 10, from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore promises to be one of the most beautiful stages of the entire tour.
Time Trials and Rest Days
We have to say that A.S.O. have done us a great service here. With Time Trials on stages 5 and 13, they’re really well spaced between the rest days that come after stages 10 and 15 which gives anyone riding these stages a much-needed respite: time to rest, wash and tinker with bikes, do some laundry and generally keep on tour of tour-life admin.
For those riding These are not small things – these can make a huge difference! Thank you A.S.O!
The Mountains
The 2025 Tour is ‘back-loaded’ with the mountain stages. Those taking on the 2nd Half had better not be shy of a good climb! For the Grand Loopers, they will benefit from a less gruelling first half, building up to the grunt-work of the 2nd half.
What we’re most excited about? 2 things: The BRILLIANT Pyrenees stages, and of course Mont Ventoux …
The Pyrenees hold a real treat in store for us. These are really interesting stages in the high mountains with truly spectacular views. With the well-placed TT in the middle, these stages become eminently ‘do-able’ without ever sacrificing ‘the big stuff’. Stage 14 will be pretty brutal at 183km with Tourmalet, Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and a summit finish at Luchon-Superbagneres all in the mix, but we’ll be working up to this crescendo! The Pyrenees Loop is going to be EPIC!
Mont Ventoux … well who doesn’t love a Tour year that includes the iconic Mont Ventoux – the ‘Giant of Provence’!? It’s going to feel like a big stage (172km – it’s not short!) made even bigger by culminating in the climb up Ventoux from Bedouin. Once summited, you’ll just roll down the other side of the mountain to our hotel in Malaucène.
The Alps won’t be holding back either! Stage 18 ticks off Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine and finally summits at Col de la Loze (another roll down the hill to our hotel in Courchevel) – 171km of either up, or down (and nothing in between). Stage 19 doesn’t hold back either! Tour favourite Cormet de Roselend features again (we love this climb) and the skiers amongst you will be familiar with the stage finish in the resort of La Plagne. At 130km, this might be shorter, but with stage 18 in your legs it’ll still be a tough stage. If you’re looking for a challenge, the Alps Loop could be it!
In Summary
The 2025 Tour is a story of 2 halves. The first half will be remembered for opening up glorious French towns, villages and countryside with gorgeous rides, banter between new (and old) friends and a generally great feeling about doing the sport you love, in a challenging event, with like-minded fellow cyclists.
The 2nd Half is more about the medal-earning challenges of epic climbs in dramatic scenery where the hours of training will pay off by the truckload. If you’re looking for a challenge, this is it!
We’ve finished putting the final details together and our 2025 Loops are now LIVE. Those who have paid a deposit for Guaranteed and Priority Loops have until Thursday 7th November to make their choice.
We release all remaining places to ride the 2025 Tour at 9am on Friday 8th November.
Grand Loop (sold out): stages 1-21
1st Half: stages 1-10
Grand Depart: stages 1-3
Tour de France Adventure: stages 4-5
2nd Half: stages 12-21
Pyrenees/Lite: stages 12-14 (incl. Tourmalet, Hautacam etc)
Mountains Week: stages 14-19 (incl. ALL the mountains)
Middle Mountains: stages 16-17 (incl. Mont Ventoux)
Alps/Lite: stages 16-19 (incl. Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine, Col de la Loze, Cormet de Roseland and more)
Happy Choosing!
Vive Le Tour!
