1. Mt Ventoux & other previous guesses: In our last blog we spoke about (= put money on!) Mt Ventoux, the D Day Beaches and the Mur de Bretagne. We’re still pretty confident in all those predictions with Mt Ventoux and Mur de Bretagne as good as confirmed (tweets by Mayors, local newspaper articles, tourist board confirmations).

 

2. Time Trials: The quantity and timing of time trials matters a lot to Le Loop cyclists. They’re an opportunity to enjoy a leisurely half day ride and visit a laundrette or dip in a hotel pool; in short, it’s almost like an extra rest day and having 2 (or dare we hope 3) rather than 1 makes a massive difference. For 2025 there are some credible rumours about a Team Time Trial stage during the first week. Also some fun-sounding rumours of an Individual Time Trial in the Pyrenees, finishing at the top of the Peyragudes climb. Both of those options would suit us extremely well – if the Tour would like to add another speedy flat time trial, I don’t think we’d offer many complaints!

 

3. The Mountains: We’ve repeated Ventoux enough and we’re adding a pretty confident Alpe d’Huez to our mountain list for week two. It’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll head for the Pyrenees before the Alps (controversial as the Alps have had a few years now as the climax stages) so the Tour organisers are going to work hard to make the Pyrenees stand out; expect at least one classic Tour stage along the lines of Superbagneres, Portet d’Aspet, Col de Menté & Port de Bales – and possibly that mountain time trial we mentioned above!

 

As for the Alps, along with Alpe d’Huez, it looks like a preceeding or follow-on stage might offer bucket list climbs of Col de Glandon, Madeleine and the recently tarmacked Col de la Loze near Meribel. If we take our time getting to the Alps (via Provence and Ventoux), it might be a quick 2-stage visit before a dash for Paris. We think it’s unlikely to be a long stay in this part of the country – we went twice to the Alps in 2024 so it’s another region’s turn to shine!

 

4. Provence: If we’re going up Ventoux, we’re definitely going to enjoy some Provencal sunshine and lavender fields! The first rest day still looks likely to be in or around Toulouse so a second rest day in Provence isn’t off the cards. That could be in the foothills of Ventoux itself or nearby in a small Provencal town… either way, the stages that lead us there and on to the Alps will be stunning; the region north of Avignon and south of Valence (both have excellent Eurostar links!) is the absolute best for undulating, scenic, glorious riding. 

 

5. What information are we still waiting for?: There aren’t so many hints yet as to what the stages around Toulouse will be like, despite all the information pointing towards a first rest day there. Nor do we have much of a feel for the weighting of time – will it be 5 stages in the Pyrenees or 2; 3 stages making our way gently from Carcassonne to Ventoux or a much tougher long-stage epic? 

 

We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled and we’ll share our findings in another few weeks. And remember, if you haven’t bought a deposit yet, there’s still time. Our Guaranteed Loops have sold out but our Priority Deposits are still available.

 

 

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