Tour de France 2025 route rumours and announcements

[Rob5091]

2025 Tour speculation starts here, baby! Yeah ... ok, it's a bit early, but all those sprint fans might be glad as we're off to Normandy (apparently).

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...firms-and-could-feature-paris-roubaix-cobbles

... the Grand Depart will be on the opposite end of the country, in the Hauts-De-France. It is very likely at this point that this will happen in the city of Lille by the border with Belgium.

Due to Lille's proximity with Roubaix, many wonder if the famous cobbles of northern France could be present in the opening days of the race. Ouest France, to which the ASO confirmed the Grand Depart in the region, reports that there will be four stages in the area, eventually with the peloton going down the Western coast of the country through Normandie and Bretagne. On the 30th of November an announcement will be made on the matter, coincidentally in the city of Lille...

 

[RobertCrawley]

Confirmed. It starts in Lille in 2025.

Tour de France 2025 : Lille accueillera le départ de la course

Après Copenhague en 2022, Bilbao en 2023 et Florence l’année prochaine, le départ de la Grande Boucle se fera de nouveau en France, depuis le département du Nord.

www.lemonde.fr

 

[Red Rick]

Alright. Consider me optimistic

 

[Rob5091]

I'm expecting an old fashioned parcours - some cobbles, an ITT, up the Mûr and some sprints. Then, on to the lumpy stuff. Remco and De Lie friendly.

 

[ice&fire]

I'd suggest an opening ITT on cobbles, just to see who crashes without being able to blame others

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I'd suggest an opening ITT on cobbles, just to see who crashes without being able to blame others

Nobody, because the riders would protest (conveniently after not having said anything upon the route announcement) and the GC times would be neutralised.

 

[Red Rick]

Nobody, because the riders would protest (conveniently after not having said anything upon the route announcement) and the GC times would be neutralised.

The additional part of the hilarity is cobbles would get so much safer by putting them in a TT. It's just gonna be up to you to get bike setup right

 

[KZD]

A Lille start should mean that the cobbles will feature, even though the Roubaix cobbles are the obvious choice, I would like to see some iconic Flemish cobbled climbs tackled.

Since next year's Tour skips the Vosges and we didn't have La Planche des Belles Filles this year, that climb should more than likely feature somewhere during the race.

Personally I would like to see L'Alpe d'Huez and Ventoux back.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Since next year's Tour skips the Vosges and we didn't have La Planche des Belles Filles this year, that climb should more than likely feature somewhere during the race.

If it should be in the race it better be in the first week as the first mountain stage. A MTF to (S)LPDB followed up with a proper medium mountain stage with downhill finish somewhere in Vosges or Swiss Jura could be decent.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

If it should be in the race it better be in the first week as the first mountain stage.

It won't. The first 4 stages are in Hauts-De-France. Normandy and Brittany are next in line.

Brittany has quite a few steep hills, but there are no mountains anywhere near.

The first 9 days will essentially be flat

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

It won't. The first 4 stages are in Hauts-De-France. Normandy and Brittany are next in line.

Brittany has quite a few steep hills, but there are no mountains anywhere near.

The first 9 days will essentially be flat

It could be on stage 8 and 9, the stages on the weekend before the first rest day. In my head I’m always splitting the weeks of a Grand tour by the rest days, which technically isn’t quite right.

Going to Brittany and Normandy could however probably mean they will go south and do the Pyrenees first?

 

[houtdffan]

seems gouvenou has been told to create a TDF, not the world climbing championships

 

[Tonton]

Could we be back to a '90s design where the route is all smoke and mirrors week one, pure crap, and a long ITT creates the first real gaps? Luxembourg '92 on stage 9, with different riders, and unlike '92, the big cats can all perform well in an ITT.

The return of a TdF 55-60 km ITT? I kinda like it!

After all these years I know better: someway, somehow, ASO will F the design up. But I also know that in some sort of a weird way that was not part of the plan, it will deliver. ...something...as usual. What? No idea...

Tadej Pogacar will win this bike race and I will give it an 8. That, I know.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

According to France Bleu... Jean-Marie Leblanc is back in charge.

... a total of four stages are planned in the Hauts-de-France region. The riders are expected to climb the Monts des Flandres and head towards Pas-de-Calais. There will be no cobbled sections. The peloton will leave the region with a final stage between Amiens in the Somme and Normandy, possibly Rouen.

First stage will be a sprinter fest from Lille to Lille.

Tour de France 2025 : la Métropole Européenne de Lille accueillera officiellement le grand départ - France Bleu

L'organisateur du Tour de France dévoile dans une vidéo ce mardi que la plus grande course cycliste du monde s'élancera de la Métropole Européenne de Lille en 2025. Le détail des quatre étapes dans les Hauts-de-France sera connu le 30 novembre.

www.francebleu.fr

My guess then is something like...

1 Lille › Lille
2 Hilly stage with Mont Cassel, Mont Noir, Mont Noir, Mont des Récollets etc.
3 My guess is a stage at the coast ... Boulogne-sur-Mer could be a possibility.
4 Amiens › Normandie

 

[Lexman]

4th stage would be Amiens Rouen but that's only 120 km...

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It could be on stage 8 and 9, the stages on the weekend before the first rest day.

Right. I assumed there would be 4 days entirely within Hauts-de-France, but that doesn't seem to be the case, with stage 4 finishing in Rouen or thereabouts. Medium mountains on the second weekend, or Friday at the earliest is indeed a possibility. (I assumed that there would be several stages in Brittany, as per usual)

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Could we be back to a '90s design where the route is all smoke and mirrors week one, pure crap, and a long ITT creates the first real gaps? Luxembourg '92 on stage 9, with different riders, and unlike '92, the big cats can all perform well in an ITT.

The return of a TdF 55-60 km ITT? I kinda like it!

After all these years I know better: someway, somehow, ASO will F the design up. But I also know that in some sort of a weird way that was not part of the plan, it will deliver. ...something...as usual. What? No idea...

Tadej Pogacar will win this bike race and I will give it an 8. That, I know.

2021 had the first mountains in stage 8 and it was pretty decent, and a TT in the first 7 days can set up the GC pretty nicely before the harder stages. The major problem is that hilly stages tend to be chaotic and big crashes can happen

 

[Netserk]

2021 had the first mountains in stage 8 and it was

a crashfest.

 

[wansteadimp]

Right. I assumed there would be 4 days entirely within Hauts-de-France, but that doesn't seem to be the case, with stage 4 finishing in Rouen or thereabouts. Medium mountains on the second weekend, or Friday at the earliest is indeed a possibility. (I assumed that there would be several stages in Brittany, as per usual)

One of Stage 8 or 9 should be reserved for a long pan flat weekend TT to Futurescope to celebrate 25 years since the last stage there.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

2021 had the first mountains in stage 8 and it was pretty decent, and a TT in the first 7 days can set up the GC pretty nicely before the harder stages. The major problem is that hilly stages tend to be chaotic and big crashes can happen

I would bet a whole lot of money if this route is similar to 2021 in the first days(trending towards likely), we would have a crash fest knocking out major contenders. In todays day and age, you almost have to have at least medium mountains very early on in a grand tour to avoid a numerous amount of contenders getting knocked out.

 

[gregrowlerson]

One of Stage 8 or 9 should be reserved for a long pan flat weekend TT to Futurescope to celebrate 25 years since the last stage there.

I doubt they want to do anything that potentially honour's that particular rider.

 

[Rob5091]

"no cobbled sections" Nooooooo!

I think we're looking at the groundwork for a "Lenny Martinez friendly" Tour - the new Pinot/Big French Hope. Expect lots of climbing in weeks 2 & 3 and next to zero TT kms.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I doubt they want to do anything that potentially honour's that particular rider.

THAT WAS 25 YEARS AGO????

JFC, I remember watching that...only seems like yesterday...

 

[Gigs_98]

A Lille start should mean that the cobbles will feature, even though the Roubaix cobbles are the obvious choice, I would like to see some iconic Flemish cobbled climbs tackled.

Since next year's Tour skips the Vosges and we didn't have La Planche des Belles Filles this year, that climb should more than likely feature somewhere during the race.

Personally I would like to see L'Alpe d'Huez and Ventoux back.

Honestly, it's pretty crazy that in 2025 it will have been 12 years since a mtf on top of the Ventoux. I know it's not 12 years without the Ventoux at all, but still.

 

[AmRacer]

The rumor has it, it will be a Remco friendly tour.