2025 Tour de France to Be Held Exclusively in France for the First Time in Five Years

The 2025 Tour de France will mark a return to an all-French route for the first time since 2020, celebrating its 112th edition with 21 stages starting in Lille on July 5 and culminating in Paris on July 27. This race will highlight the 50th anniversary of the Tour’s finish on the iconic Champs-Elysées, a tradition that was interrupted in 2024 due to the Paris Olympics.

Race director Christian Prudhomme emphasized the importance of bringing the Tour back to its roots after several years of starting abroad, with previous Grand Departs in Copenhagen (2022), Bilbao (2023), and Florence (2024). The 2025 route will cover a total distance of 3,320 kilometers (2,063 miles), featuring two time trials and six mountain-top finishes. Prudhomme noted that the first week would primarily take place on flat terrain but warned that it won’t be an easy ride, as the route includes strategic traps and fewer traditional sprint stages.

The upcoming Tour will see a fierce rivalry as Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates, the 2024 champion, aims for his fourth title, facing off against two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard once again.

In conjunction with the men’s race, the women’s Tour de France Femmes will expand to nine stages, scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 3. Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma emerged victorious in this year’s edition, marking a significant milestone in the women’s cycling calendar.