We're in the first fortnight of September, it's thus high time to turn our attention to the rumours surrounding the route of the forthcoming edition of the Tour de France, the Tour de France 2025!

Whereas last year I indicated that publication came a little early because there were quite some rumours, and because I'd had a little more time, this year it's quite the opposite! At the time of publication of the first version of this article, the number of rumours is still extremely low... and this is largely due to the fact that the Tour's organizer, Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) is finalizing the route much later this year, due to a busy period between the Tour de France, the Olympic Games and the Tour de France Femmes!

That said, the annual "rendez-vous" is back: it's here that we're going to try and document all the rumours and other information to compile the complete route of the Tour de France 2025 before the official announcement at the Palais des Congrès in Paris on Tuesday October 29.
All this is being built up bit by bit and, as usual, solely on the basis of fairly reliable rumours, putting aside (awaiting confirmation so that they can be integrated or not, in the event of a denial) those that are not ... and as usual, ideally we'll all be able to build together the route of what will already be the 112th edition of the Tour de France!

This Tour de France 2025 will take place from Saturday July 5 to Sunday July 27, 2025.

What we already know: the Grand Départ will take place in Lille and the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, passing through Lauwin-Planque, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Valenciennes and Dunkirk before departing from Amiens

It has been known for almost a year that the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025 will take place in Lille and the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. In total, 3 stages will take place in the region, ending with the start of stage 4 in Amiens (in the current Hauts-de-France region, like the three first stages).

The program for the Grand Départ will be classic, with the usual opening of the welcome desk and press center on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, and the presentation of the Tour de France 2025 teams in Lille on Thursday, July 3, 2025, followed from Saturday, July 5, 2025 by the first 3 stages and the start of Stage 4 on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, which make up the Grand Départ.

• For more information on the Grand Départ in Nord-Pas-de-Calais/Hauts-de-France, see below (stages 1, 2 and 3 and the start of stage 4) or go directly to The Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025 dans le Nord: detailed maps on OpenStreetMap

Apart from the Grand Départ program, we also know one other thing for sure about the Tour de France 2025: after an exceptional finish in the city of Nice, with a time trial in the final stage (due to the Olympic Games starting just one week later in Paris), it will be back to Paris for the final finish of this 112th edition of the Tour de France.

And fewer stages for sprinters?

What we also know is that Thierry Gouvenou, the man who builds the route of the Tour de France at Amaury Sport Organisation, revealed in an interview at the end of stage 18 of the Tour de France 2024 at my microphone for velowire.com x Radio Sports that, in the future, he will try to favor stages for attackers. Indeed, as Gouvenou explained on that occasion: "The sprinter stages have disappointed us a little bit, and we're not going to continue to use them as much.

The route of the Tour de France is decided several years in advance, so it's possible that he won't be able to fully achieve this objective for the Tour de France 2025, but it's reasonable to believe that there will be fewer sprinter stages in 2025!

• See "Thierry Gouvenou, event director and Tour de France route architect, promises fewer sprinter stages in future

The route of the Tour de France 2025: what's certain ✅ and what the rumors are about the route of the 112th Grande Boucle!

1/ Saturday, July 5, 2025 - Lille Métropole ✅ > Lille Métropole ✅ - 185 km

This first stage of the Tour de France 2025 will take place around Lille Métropole. Passing through Lens, Béthune and Hazebrouck before returning to Lille Métropole, the riders will have a few hills to climb, but they're unlikely to prevent a sprinter from taking the first Yellow Jersey of the Tour de France 2025, by winning this first stage.

• Consult the detailed route and profile of the first stage of the Tour de France 2025 on OpenStreetMap: Lille > Lille

2/ Sunday, July 6, 2025 - Lauwin-Planque ✅ > Boulogne-sur-Mer ✅ - 209 km

On to Lauwin-Planque, just outside Douai, for the start of stage 2 of the Tour de France 2025. This long stage will take in Douai, Arras and then on to the coast, then Montreuil-sur-Mer and on to the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer. With a few hills en route, but above all two hills fairly close to the finish, it's possible that the sprinter who took the Yellow Jersey the day before will already have to relinquish his distinctive tunic to the winner of this 2nd stage.

• Consult the detailed route and profile of the second stage of the Tour de France 2025 on OpenStreetMap: Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer

3/ Monday July 7, 2025 - Valenciennes ✅ > Dunkerque ✅ - 172 km

Stage 3 of the Tour de France 2025 is the last stage for which we now know the start and finish towns. It will start in Valenciennes, and although the riders will pass very close to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, A.S.O. has decided, unlike 3 years ago, not to introduce any cobbled sectors in this stage, which will pass through Orchies and Mons-en-Pévèle, Béthune, Isbergues and Cassel, where the only hill of the day will be climbed, 35 kilometers from the finish. The finish will take place in Dunkirk and will probably be a sprint, but perhaps a little less massive than the first stage?

• Consult the detailed route and profile of the third stage of the Tour de France 2025 on OpenStreetMap: Valenciennes > Dunkerque

4/ Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Amiens Métropole ✅ > Rouen ?

After the start of stage 4 from Amiens, we move on to the part of the Tour de France 2025 which is the raison d'être of this publication: the one about which nothing is officially known, but about which rumors are starting to emerge! According to Le Courrier Picard, this stage will most certainly head for Normandy, perhaps via the Picardy coast.

La Voix du Nord goes even further, mentioning a possible finish in Rouen. Some hotels in Rouen seem to be fully booked, which could indicate that the finish will indeed take place there, with a start the next day in the same city, or nearby.

5/ Wednesday July 9, 2025 - near Rouen ??? > Caen ? or Caen > Bayeux (or vice versa) as a time-trial ?

For the start of this 5th stage, we should logically also be looking at Rouen, even if it's not clear whether the start of this stage will take place in the same town.

Where La Voix du Nord merely mentions that the Tour could stay in the region for another day before heading for Brittany, France Bleu seems to have an idea about the finish of this 5th stage.
Indeed, in an article dedicated to the events organized around the city's millennium (it will be 1,000 years old), the hope of hosting a stage of the Tour de France 2025 in Caen is mentioned. Aristide Olivier, the Mayor of Caen, doesn't necessarily give more information on this subject, but a mayor who knows the date of the presentation of the Tour de France 2025 route might have an interest in it: "We'll have to be patient on this one, as the 2025 route will be unveiled on October 29 in Paris. Let's keep hope, fingers crossed, only a few weeks to wait for.

The town of Caen has seen the Tour de France many times before, but the last time it visited was in 2006, when a stage from Beauvais saw the victory of Oscar Freire. If the Tour visits in 2025, it will be 19 years since the last visit, bearing in mind that prior to 2006, the blank period had lasted no less than 28 years, with the previous visit dating back to 1978! The Calvados département last saw the Tour de France in 2015, with a start in Livarot.

In the interview found in the Ouest France article, the same Aristide Olivier is a little more talkative, saying in particular that he has been "very active on this subject since 2015 when we presented our candidacy", before evoking his hopes:"If the Tour returns to Normandy, I have high hopes that it will pass through Caen, whether as a starting town, a finishing town, or even both" and his optimism: "Our discussions with them went well, but we're not the only ones in this situation. We're reasonably optimistic, but I don't have any written trace or letter stating that Caen has been selected and that we can move on to the next stage".

Strangely enough, hotels seem to be booked in Caen on the evening of July 8th, but not for the night of the 9th to the 10th. Yet it's not possible for the distance between Amiens and Caen to be covered in a single stage. On the other hand, it is possible that Caen will be the starting point for this stage ... possibly in the form of a time-trial to Bayeux (or vice versa), as mentioned in La Manche Libre... it remains to be seen what the rumours will say on this subject in the days and weeks to come!

6/ Thursday July 10, 2025 - Fougères ? > Saint-Méen-le-Grand

Starting with stage 6 on this Thursday, July 10, 2025, the Tour de France 2025 should then arrive in Brittany, which according to La Voix du Nord will see at least two stages, not least because 2025 will be the 40th anniversary of Bernard Hinault's last victory, France's last overall victory in the Tour de France!
La Chronique Républicaine, a local weekly in Fougères, cites sources that mention Fougères in the stage forecasts, on "July 10" or "July 11, 2025". Even though the article contains a headline, " Fougères not a candidate for 2025", it's explained just below, and this headline just seems to correspond to the words of the town's Mayor, Louis Feuvrier: "Following the Tour de France 2021, I sent a letter to the director to thank him and indicate that we would be happy to welcome him in the future. We did not apply specifically for 2025". No specific bid, then, but an open bid that is still in progress... When you consider that Ouest France refers to the first stage in Brittany as being 100% Ille-et-Vilaine, Fougères could indeed be a possible candidate for the start. In 2021, the Tour de France had a finish in Fougères, with a victory by Mark Cavendish (see photo).

As for the finish, Ouest France reports that it should take place in Saint-Méen-le-Grand, the commune of Louison Bobet, winner of three Tour de Frances, the last in 1955, marking the seventieth anniversary of his last success.

7/ Friday, July 11, 2025 - (near) Saint-Brieuc ? Yffiniac ? > Mûr-de-Bretagne

Very soon after the end of the Tour de France 2024, Ouest France was already talking about a possible arrival of the Tour de France 2025 at a usual location in Brittany, at the top of the Mûr-de-Bretagne climb. The Mayor of Guerlédan (of which Mûr-de-Bretagne is a part), Eric le Boudec, would not confirm this, saying: "I have not been officially informed" or "For the moment, I have had no contact with the Tour organization". Before going on to say: "We'll see in September", which is a bit stupid of course, given that the presentation of the Tour de France 2025 route takes place on October 29, 2024!

Last time, in 2021, as part of the Grand Départ that Brittany had brought forward due to the incompatibility of the schedule for the Grand Départ in Denmark that year, the Tour de France stage arrived at the top of this 2-kilometer, 6.9% climb, which had been climbed twice, in a stage from Perros-Guirec, won by a particularly in-form Mathieu van der Poel, who also took the Yellow Jersey that day. According to Ouest France, the Tour de France could return 4 years later!

Ouest France had already mentioned this possible stage finish in its article of June 10, 2024. At the time, the paper mentioned a possible departure from Saint-Brieuc, in the town or the surrounding area, information which it has not republished recently. However, if it is in the immediate vicinity, it could be in Yffiniac, where Bernard Hinault is originally from.

8/ Saturday, July 12, 2025 - ???? > ???

For the 8th stage, we've lost all trace of the Tour de France 2025 to identify the towns between which this stage takes place.

9/ Sunday July 13, 2025 - ???? > Châteauroux

There are no rumors of this 9th stage in the media either. However, velowire.com can exclusively tell you that this stage will most probably arrive in Châteauroux!







At the time of publication of this article, there has been no press coverage of a possible arrival in Châteauroux, so we'll have to wait the next few days and weeks to see if it's confirmed ...

10/ Monday 14 July 2025 - ???? > ???

July 14 and the French national holiday mean that the first rest day of the Tour de France 2025 will logically not be on Monday, but on Tuesday of the second week.

At this stage, however, I can't really think of a sufficiently interesting stage on the emerging route for the national holiday! At this stage, no information has been rumoured on this 10th stage. It is highly likely, however, that it will be followed by a transfer ...

R1/ Tuesday, July 15, 2025 - Toulouse ?

As there are no solid rumors about the stages surrounding this first rest day of the Tour de France 2025, it's difficult to be sure where the riders will rest on this occasion. According to CYRILLE95 in comment #4 on the publication of the detailed maps of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025, hotels have been booked in Toulouse from July 14 to 16, 2025. This could correspond to a transfer at the end of the July 14 stage, then the rest day on site on Tuesday, July 15 and a stage departure in the area on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

11/ Wednesday July 16, 2025 - ??? > ???

12/ Thursday July 17, 2025 - ???? > ???

13/ Friday July 18, 2025 - ???? > ???

14/ Saturday, July 19, 2025 - ???? > ???

15/ Sunday, July 20, 2025 - ???? > ???

No information on these stages has yet been rumoured.

However, in La Dépêche's review of the Tour de France 2024, the newspaper announced a return to the Hautes-Pyrénées (65) for the Tour de France 2025, with two stages expected, including one in an unprecedented format ...

The unprecedented format in question obviously brings to mind a time trial, in this case an individual one, in view of the race's position in the calendar (a team time trial being relatively rare on the Tour de France and above all having to be scheduled in the first third of the race, even if A.S.O. has already obtained an exemption to this rule previously).
On May 29, ici (France Bleu/France 3) reported that the Mayor of Bagnères-de-Luchon, Eric Azémar, had mentioned the possibility of a stage finish in Bagnères-de-Luchon on France Bleu Occitanie. Luchon has already been a stage town 58 times, and the last time it was a stage town was in 2018, 7 years before the Tour de France 2025, with a stage finish from Carcassonne and the victory of Julian Alaphilippe.
This time, the bid is for a finish at Superbagnères, the ski resort above the town, where the Tour de France hasn't returned since 1989! ici reports that the conditions for such a finish are now in place, following the refurbishment of bridges that were previously too narrow, and with a new gondola lift that will facilitate the evacuation of riders, followers and spectators into the valley after the finish. And the joint France Bleu and France 3 media outlet goes even further, evoking a dream of a time trial on this 18-kilometer climb, as in 1962 and 1979.

R2/ Monday July 21, 2025 - ???? > ???

At this stage, no information has been rumoured on the location or even the date of the second rest day. However, it is quite likely that it will be Monday July 21, 2025 (looking at previous years when July 14 fell on a Monday, this logic was applied in 2014 and 2008, but not in 2003 [the second day of rest was then also a Tuesday], bearing in mind that in 1997 and 1991 there was only one rest day).

16/ Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - ??? > ???

17/ Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - ???? > ???

18/ Thursday, July 24, 2025 - ???? > ???

19/ Friday, July 25, 2025 - ???? > ???

For these stages too, no precise information has yet been rumoured.

The only real rumour at this stage is that of a finish in Valence: while Le Dauphiné Libéré initially announced that the Tour de France stage would arrive in the Valence-Romans conurbation, a rumor that arose in conjunction with the announcement of the 2025 European Road Cycling Championships (to be held in the Drôme-Ardèche region from October 1 to 5, 2025, with the final stage of the road races taking place west of Valence), Le Dauphiné Libéré newspaper on Wednesday clarified what it had said on Tuesday, indicating that the stage would take place in the city of Valence itself. At this stage, the paper doesn't provide any details on a possible date for this finish, and for the moment, a quick check with hotels in the town doesn't seem to confirm this rumour.

La Voix du Nord is also talking about the return of one of the race's most legendary climbs, Mont Ventoux, recalling that the mountain nicknamed the Géant de Provence or Mont chauve has not seen the Tour de France since 2021 (starting from Sorgues, and with a double ascent of this mythical climb for the stage won by Wout van Aert, but with a finish in Malaucène!), but nothing really seems to confirm this rumour and locally there's no single media which mentions this rumour so far.

There is also talk of a so-called battle for the Colle delle Finestre (Finestre Pass) in Italy between the various Grand Tours, and more specifically between the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) and the Tour de France 2025. And so a return to Italy, after the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2024. Indeed, while it is said that the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) starts from Italy (and the Tour of Italy from Albania), according to a publication by Torino Cronaca, both the [[Tour of Italy]] and the Tour de France would be interested in a stage finish at the summit of the Col du Finestre in 2025.

As far back as March 2024, in the Indiscreto section of the RadioCorsa program, Beppe Conti had mentioned the possibility of the Tour de France 2025 coming to Varese, and in a publication of Varese News, the Mayor of Varese, Davide Galimberti, had confirmed his interest in the event. At the beginning of July, the same Beppe Conti had already indicated that a finish at the Col du Finestre would complete this visit to Italy, while the finish of the last stage of the Tour de l'Avenir there was then scheduled for August 24. After the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2024 in Italy, I must admit I find it a little hard to believe in this visit to Italy at the moment!

20/ Saturday July 26, 2025 - ???? > ???

21/ Sunday July 27, 2025 - ???? > Paris Champs-Elysées ?

For the final stages, there are also no rumours at present.

A table of the Tour de France 2025 stages based on rumours

Here's the list of stages that could form the route of the Tour de France 2025 according to all these rumors. As usual, there's no interest in copying the table and reproducing it elsewhere, as only this table will be updated regularly as soon as new rumors emerge! Any copy of the content (even partial) of this article is strictly forbidden.

#	date	start	finish	remarks
1	sa. July 5, 2025	Lille Metropole	Lille Metropole	185 km ?
2	Sun. July 6, 2025	Lauwin-Planque	Boulogne-sur-Mer	209 km ?
3	Mon. July 7, 2025	Valenciennes	Dunkerque	172 km ?
4	ma. july 8, 2025	Amiens Métropole ?	Rouen ?
5	me. July 9, 2025	near Rouen ???	Caen ?	or Caen > Bayeux as a time trial?
6	thurs. July 10, 2025	Fougères ?	Saint-Méen-le-Grand
7	Fri. July 11, 2025	(near) Saint-Brieuc ? Yffiniac ?	Mûr-de-Bretagne
8	sa. July 12, 2025	???	???
9	di. july 13, 2025	???	Châteauroux
10	Mon. July 14, 2025	???	???
R1	Tue. July 15, 2025			rest at ????
11	me. july 16, 2025	???	???
12	thurs. july 17, 2025	???	???
13	Fri. july 18, 2025	???	???
14	sa. july 19, 2025	???	???
15	di. july 20, 2025	???	???
R2	Mon. july 21, 2025			rest at ???
16	ma. july 22, 2025	???	???
17	th. July 23, 2025	???	???
18	th. july 24, 2025	???	???
19	Fri. july 25, 2025	???	???
20	sa. july 26, 2025	???	???
21	di. july 27, 2025	???	Paris Champs-Elysées ?

Tour de France 2025 map based on rumours

As usual, I will soon produce a rumor-based map of the Tour de France 2025 to make the whole route more comprehensible.

door Thomas Vergouwen
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