Tour de France: The 21 Stages
The Tour de France, the most important race of the year, is just around the corner. To start warming up and building our Fantasy team, let’s review the route the riders will face over three weeks. Unlike recent years, this time the race does not leave France during the three weeks.
Broadly, the 2025 Tour route consists of seven flat stages, six hilly stages, two individual time trials, and six high-mountain stages, mostly concentrated in the second half of the race. In this article we’ll go over each stage in detail to get an idea of which will be decisive days. Let’s get to it!
Stage 1: Lille > Lille: 185 km. / +1012 m.
The race starts with a flat stage in Lille that offers a golden opportunity for a sprinter to wear the first yellow jersey.
Stage 2: Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer: 209 km. / +1905 m.
Long stage with a hilly profile. The final climbs should be too selective for pure sprinters, so an explosive puncheur is likely to be the second leader of the race.
Stage 3: Valenciennes > Dunkerque: 178.02 km. / +763 m.
The second opportunity for sprinters.
Stage 4: Amiens Métropole > Rouen: 173.98 km. / +1659 m.
Second chance for puncheurs. If the day’s breakaway does not include dangerous riders for the yellow jersey, it might succeed.
Stage 5: Caen > Caen: 33.03 km. / + 182 m.
The first of the two individual time trials. Since the other is an uphill time trial, this is the only opportunity for the big specialists. We’ll likely see another change of leader after this stage.
Stage 6: Bayeux > Vire Normandie: 202.38 km. / +2907 m.
After the gaps created by the time trial, this long and tough stage seems destined for a breakaway, so there will surely be a fierce fight to get into it.
Stage 7: Saint Malo > Mûr-de-Bretagne (Guerlédan): 195.86 km. / +2024 m.
Stage for puncheurs with a finish on the Mûr-de-Bretagne (2 km at 7%).
Stage 8: Saint-Méen-le-Grand > Laval (Espace Mayenne): 171-63 km. / +1179 m.
The first of two consecutive opportunities for sprinters.
Stage 9: Chinon > Châteauroux: 174.09 km. / +942 m.
The second consecutive royal sprint; anything other than a bunch sprint would be a big surprise.
Stage 10: Ennezat > Le Mont-Dore (Super Sancy) 165.79 km. / +4313 m.
The first mountain stage of the race. Although the stage doesn’t include big climbs, with 8 categorized ascents and a demanding finish at Puy de Sancy (3.4 km at 7.6%), we’ll probably see a battle among GC contenders.
Stage 11: Toulouse > Toulouse: 156.57 km. / +1562 m.
A flat stage according to the organizers, but the final part has many short climbs that will likely split the peloton. A breakaway win is possible.
Stage 12: Auch > Hautacam: 181 km. / +3783 m.
The race reaches the Pyrenees with a stage that includes the Col du Soulor (11.8 km at 7.7%) before the finish at the legendary Hautacam (13.5 km at 7.9%), where the GC riders will have to show their strength.
Stage 13: Ludenvielle > Peyragudes: 10.93 km. / +645 m.
Uphill time trial on the first-category climb of Peyragudes (8.1 km at 7.8%). The favorites will have nowhere to hide anymore.
Stage 14: Pau > Luchon-Superbagnères: 182.64 km. / +5020 m.
A brutal stage with over 5000 meters of climbing, including the iconic Col du Tourmalet (18.9 km at 7.4%), Col d’Aspin (5 km at 7.4%), Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 8.1%) and the finish at Superbagnères (12.6 km at 7.5%). A day for the best climbers of the race.
Stage 15: Muret > Carcassonne: 169.01 km. / +2299 m.
Rolling profile ideal for a breakaway to succeed before the second rest day.
Stage 16: Montpellier > Mont Ventoux: 171.25 km. / +2858 m.
A single-climb stage ending on the mythical Mont Ventoux (15.6 km at 8.7%). We’ll see if the GC riders let the stage win go to the breakaway.
Stage 17: Bollène > Valence: 160.73 km. / +1592 m.
After several tough days for them, the sprinters’ teams will not let this opportunity slip.
Stage 18: Vif > Courchevel ( La Loze): 172.06 km. / +5640 m.
The queen stage of the race with the legendary climbs of Glandon (21.7 km at 5.1%), Madelaine (19.3 km at 7.8%) and the final on La Loze via Courchevel (26.3 km at 6.5%). The wearer of yellow after this will probably win the Tour.
Stage 19: Albertville > La Plagne: 130.44 km. / +4610 m.
The second consecutive Alpine stage with the finish located at La Plagne (19.1 km at 7.3%). The last opportunity to turn the Tour around, although it seems unlikely that the winner from the day before will falter here.
Stage 20: Nantua > Portarlier: 185.08 km. / +2913 m.
Rolling stage likely decided by a breakaway of riders who saved energy in prior days.
Stage 21: Mantes-la- Jolie > Paris - Champs Elysées: 132.36 km. / 1104 m.
The traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris includes for the first time this year three passages over the cobbled climb of Montmartre (1 km at 4.8%), which was used in the road race circuit of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A bunch sprint is not guaranteed.
Image: © Tour de France / A.S.O.