The Grand Depart 2025
We promised seriously fun (and often flat’n’fast) cycling, guaranteed sunshine, lots of Tour history and that holiday feeling for the Grand Depart … and I think it’s safe to say these first few stages of the ’25 tour have delivered!
As the group gathered in our Lille hotel there was all the usual nervousness, but also a noticeably happy and fun vibe. We love seeing our alumni reunited, (sometimes years since they last rode together) but we also delight in the welcome that is given to all our new faces too. We’re just one big happy family with a shared goal – to ride our hearts out and raise funds for youngsters who don’t have the advantages in life that we have all enjoyed. We are greater together than the sum of our parts and the tone has been set for the Tour!
If you didn’t already know how gorgeous the North of France is, you do now! The Grand Depart gave us wall-to-wall sunshine days and blue skies. We’ve cycled through beautiful countryside with wheat and sunflower fields and gorgeous villages, stunning churches, abbeys and past the utterly brilliant (often hilarious) TDF decorations that adorn the route. Many of our Loopers have also visited more cemeteries than they perhaps have visited in their lives to date (granted – possibly because of the discovery of almost guaranteed cold water supplies for topping up bidons).
Stage 2 was the longest stage of this year’s tour at 209km and was a tough one for sure – a sweaty business with some nastily steep climbs in the final leg on weary legs. But it was also a day for group riding which helped to make sure that this wasn’t going to be the longest time spent on a bike on this tour (we can expect that in the mountains).
By stage 3 the temperatures were getting seriously high – sometimes topping out at 40 degrees. Regular dousings of water at feed stops helped some – ice cream stops helped others – but the smiles just kept on coming. It was a superb day to be riding a bike and as the finale for our Grand Depart Loopers, we couldn’t have asked for more. We were genuinely sorry to say goodbye to these wonderful riders on Tuesday morning, but I have a feeling many of them will be back!
But if we thought that stage 3 was hot, stage 4 was like cycling in an oven. By now, keeping sufficiently hydrated and avoiding heat stroke was the main focus of survival. Feed stop 3 (lunch) was swiftly taken under cover to get the riders out of the midday heat and give their bodies a chance to cool down before heading back out for the final 2 stints (between feedstops) to the hotel which included more energy-sapping climbs. By this stage of the day, these were as much a mental challenge as a physical one for anyone already seriously suffering in the heat. Bravo to those brave hearts who battled through!
We were delighted to be joined on the road by Andrew and Rick Wates (William Wates’ Dad and brother) on this stage – both riding alongside us for a time. We always appreciate their unwavering support and it’s a huge pleasure to have them both with us. They are a true inspiration to us all, and their enthusiasm and commitment helped get us through this stage, not least by reminding us why we’re all here.
A handful of new riders joined us on stage 4 for our Tour de France Adventure Loop, and a 2-day immersion into the Tour. Having got through that monster of a stage, they had only to tick off a swift 33km time trial on stage 5 to complete their challenge. This should have been easy, but we arrived into Caen through a massive heat-wave-breaking thunder storm and torrential rain. For sure, this is a beautiful route out of Caen and into the countryside on fast, fresh tarmac (will be great to watch the pros riding it next week), but it can be hard to appreciate the beauty when all you can see is the spray from the wheel in front! This was a stage to just ‘get done’, and the reward was that we transferred to our luxurious 5 star hotel in Bayeux into glorious sunshine once more (meaning we could dry everything!).
With the departure of the Tour de France Loopers, we were back down to a hard core of just our Grand Loopers, and First Halfers for the next few stages.
Stage 6 was the 2nd longest stage of the tour ’25 at 201km. But unlike the challenging heat of the earlier stages, the thunder storm had worked its magic and brought the temperatures back down to a far-more-manageable mid 20s. For the strongest riders, this meant a fast-moving front peloton that ate up the miles through truly gorgeous countryside. For others, the fatigue is building and the aches and pains are starting to show. For those towards the back of the group, this was a very long day and a late finish followed by a transfer to the hotel in St Malo. Well done everyone! The reward? We roll out from the hotel in the morning (no early transfer – luxury!).
As we go to print, our Loopers are riding through Brittany under blue skies with stunning coast feed stops to enjoy. That holiday feeling is back and we’re having the ride of our lives!
To our Grand Depart and TDF Adventure Loopers – folks – you did us proud! That was a tough first few stages by any standards and you can all head home feeling suitably chuffed with yourselves.
Just as importantly, we have already raised over £410,000 for the William Wates Memorial Trust – an incredible achievement! So to all you riders AND your wonderful supporters, a heartfelt thank you for working so hard to raise so much money. You’re all, frankly, brilliant. Chapeau!!
We’ll post our next blog in a few days time – meanwhile you can follow us daily on Facebook or Instagram and you can also catch our daily Video Diary directly on our Youtube channel.
Huge thanks to the most excellent Alex C-W for his Sky Sport-worthy daily interviews with our riders, giving the low-down of each stage. Merci!
Vive Le Tour!
