Tour of Britain 2025, September 2-7

[Berniece]

Tour of Britain 2025
We are saying farewell to Geraint Thomas. He's riding his last race ever as a professional, and chose Tour of Britain for obvious reasons. Besides that it's also the return of Remco Evenepoel after he quit the TDF 5-6 weeks ago.

Parcours
Stage 1
The opening stage is over 160 kilometers long and takes the riders from Woodbridge to Southwold. This stage takes place entirely in the county of Suffolk, located on the east coast, between well-known cities like Norwich and Ipswich. There are just over 1,100 meters of elevation gain along the way, but that won't deter the stronger sprinters. In Southwold, a sprinter looks set to take the first leader's jersey.

Stage 2
The second stage of the Tour of Britain also starts in Suffolk. The stage starts and finishes in Stowmarket and features over 1,000 meters of elevation gain. Unlike the opening stage, this one does feature a categorized climb. The finale leads up Semer Hill, but it's only a mile and a half at a 2% gradient. Expect another sprint finish.

Stage 3
Stage three is over 130 kilometers long and takes the peloton from Milton Keynes to Ampthill. The second half of the stage features two local laps. As a result, the course includes the Hillfoot climb (700 meters at 4.3%) twice. The final climb is 17 kilometers from the finish in Ampthill, but these climbs aren't particularly challenging. For the third day in a row, the sprinters appear to be preparing for a bunch sprint.

Stage 4
The longest stage of the Tour of Britain starts in the Warwickshire region. The program features a ride of over 190 kilometers with over 2,000 meters of elevation gain. Most of this elevation gain occurs in the last 40 kilometers, making the finale potentially exciting. The finale begins with the short and steep Sun Rising Hill (900 meters at 10%).

Then it's on to Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, where three local loops of 12.5 kilometers await. The decisive climb on that loop is a 1.4 kilometer climb at 5.7%. After two previous passes, the finish line is set on the third pass over the summit in Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. The finale was identical in 2019, with Mathieu van der Poel taking the stage win.

Stage 5
For the fifth stage, the organizers have planned a stage of over 130 kilometers. The route leads from Pontypool to The Tumble in South Wales. It can be considered the queen stage, with five categorized climbs along the way. First up are Llangwm, Itton Hill, and Old Ross Road, followed by the first climb of The Tumble (4.9 km at 8%).

That's also where the finish line ultimately lies, but after this first passage, another hour of racing awaits. First, there's a long valley, where the peloton makes a large circuit, before riding up The Tumble again (4.9 km at 8%). This time, the finish line is set, and seconds are expected to be saved.

Stage 6
In honor of Geraint Thomas, the final stage of his professional career will start at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport. From there, it will head to Cardiff in an undulating stage. It's nowhere truly flat and nowhere truly challenging, yet there are over 1,700 meters of elevation gain. The climb of Caerphilly Mountain (1.4 km at 9.7%) will be the deciding factor in the sprint. The summit is less than 10 kilometers from the finish.

The stage winner, the overall winner, and Geraint Thomas will then be honored in Cardiff.

Top competitors

Complete startlist

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Brennan to win 5 stages. Onley or Remco to win stage 5 and the GC.

 

[Netserk]

Brennan to win 5 stages. Onley or Remco to win stage 5 and the GC.

I don't think Kooij came here as lead-out.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

I don't think Kooij came here as lead-out.

You think Brennan did?

 

[Netserk]

You think Brennan did?

Unfortunately, yes. Pologne was a mess after the first stage, I don't think it's wise to have them in the same race. I think he should have been in France today.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Unfortunately, yes. Pologne was a mess after the first stage, I don't think it's wise to have them in the same race. I think he should have been in France today.

Agreed. But would Visma really have Brennan come to his own Tour, give him the 1 bib, and then have him lead out Kooij for 4 out of 6 stages? Surely not.

 

[AlpRaid]

funny to see Cat 2 climbs that are a full 0.9 km in length.

 

[hayneplane]

Agreed. But would Visma really have Brennan come to his own Tour, give him the 1 bib, and then have him lead out Kooij for 4 out of 6 stages? Surely not.

It’s the level of race and opposition sprint field where they could split the sprint stage leadership to 2 each and still expect to win all 4. 1,2 and 3 are all more suited for Kooij but Stage 4 is a clear cut Brennan finish where the likes of Onley and Gregoire could also feature.

 

[Brullnux]

Brennan to win 5 stages. Onley or Remco to win stage 5 and the GC.

Caerphilly Mountain is really quite steep, it peaks out at 20% so it's closer to an Ardennes climb than the stuff Brennan tends to win on. If someone goes hard there then Brennan will be dropped, and it's probably under ten minutes from the top to the finish so I don't think they'll be caught.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Don't get Visma's lineup at all. Aside from double bunking Kooij and Brennan, surely you'd send Uijtdebroeks to the only non-Vuelta stage race with a MTF in this part of the calendar?

 

[Netserk]

Don't get Visma's lineup at all. Aside from double bunking Kooij and Brennan, surely you'd send Uijtdebroeks to the only non-Vuelta stage race with a MTF in this part of the calendar?

Especially after I saw how weak the route of Slovakia is.

 

[Berniece]

Don't get Visma's lineup at all. Aside from double bunking Kooij and Brennan, surely you'd send Uijtdebroeks to the only non-Vuelta stage race with a MTF in this part of the calendar?

Indeed a weird decision. Between those two Kooij is the fastest so you would let him do the first 3 stages. But the stages after it are too hard for Brennan, maybe stage 6 if they go slow but I doubt it. So what’s the point of Brennan besides playing domestique.

 

[Brullnux]

Indeed a weird decision. Between those two Kooij is the fastest so you would let him do the first 3 stages. But the stages after it are too hard for Brennan, maybe stage 6 if they go slow but I doubt it. So what’s the point of Brennan besides playing domestique.

Stage 4 is a lot easier than Stage 6, Trentin came second there in 2019. 2023 was the only time Caerphilly Mountain was in the Tour and Carlos Rodriguez won – granted, it was a much tougher stage overall, but to give a flavour of the climbs.

It's a shame, to be honest, that the final stage doesn't look more like the one in 2023.

 

[Berniece]

Stage 4 is a lot easier than Stage 6, Trentin came second there in 2019. 2023 was the only time Caerphilly Mountain was in the Tour and Carlos Rodriguez won – granted, it was a much tougher stage overall, but to give a flavour of the climbs.

It's a shame, to be honest, that the final stage doesn't look more like the one in 2023.

Yeah but with that uphill sprint not sure he has a chance

 

[Brullnux]

Yeah but with that uphill sprint not sure he has a chance

That uphill sprint is where Trentin came second and Cimolai came fourth. It is a lot like the Tour of Norway finish he won vs Van Gils

 

[KZD]

Indeed a weird decision. Between those two Kooij is the fastest so you would let him do the first 3 stages. But the stages after it are too hard for Brennan, maybe stage 6 if they go slow but I doubt it. So what’s the point of Brennan besides playing domestique.

Not sure Kooij is the fastest of the two anymore after watching Brennan beat Milan twice in the Deutschland Tour.

Because stages 4 and 6 could be too hard for Brennan it would make sense Kooij lead out Brennan in one of the sprint stages, likely stage 2 that has a slight uphill finish.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Stage 4 is a lot easier than Stage 6, Trentin came second there in 2019. 2023 was the only time Caerphilly Mountain was in the Tour and Carlos Rodriguez won – granted, it was a much tougher stage overall, but to give a flavour of the climbs.

It's a shame, to be honest, that the final stage doesn't look more like the one in 2023.

Caerphilly mountain was also included in 2913 race, two ascents followed by a finish in Caerphilly, stage winner was Sam Bennett.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

funny to see Cat 2 climbs that are a full 0.9 km in length.

Are they supposed to use the same categories as the Tour when there are not the same climbs in Britain as in Grand Tours?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Caerphilly Mountain has been in a few times, that format was used three years consecutively in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2011 and 2013 it was reduced sprints each time, Thor Hushovd and Sam Bennett the respective winners, in 2012 Leopold König and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke got away and König won the stage with Tiernan-Locke taking the yellow jersey.

Like, there are still some notable flaws to the route - again the Suffolk start is unlikely to produce any great interest across the two stages, and again they ride past the base of one of the few hills that could be of value there (it's directly after the descent from the only categorised climb in stage 2) as well as this little ramp which is only about 10km from Stowmarket - not enough to stop it being a sprint but enough to offer at least a platform to spring from which is close enough to the finish to tempt.

Even so, the route is still 1000% improvement over the last few years, because while the first three stages are almost inevitable sprints unless weather or - probably unfortunately more likely - crashes impact the race (hopefully the run-ins are safer than many we've seen in these East Anglian stages over the years, remembering the progressively tightening chicanes in the last kilometre in the Norwich and Bury St Edmunds stages of the Women's Tour a few years ago, the road furniture in the Felixstowe finish and so on), the second half of the race features opportunities to make differences on all three stages. Unfortunately they're all stupidly short and they're that short for no good reason either.

It's still a long, long way from being the best that could be offered, don't get me wrong (they could make them an actual length becoming of a professional race rather than half the race at espoir distance max, or sequence the climbs much better in the Tumble stage to create something much tougher, for example), and it is worth noting that these are all areas and regions we are already well familiar with and so much of the péloton wiill already know (Caerphilly Mountain having been off the menu for several years until recently is therefore kind of a positive), but at the end of the day compared to the last couple of editions of the race this is a huge, huge positive step.

 

[Brullnux]

Caerphilly mountain was also included in 2913 race, two ascents followed by a finish in Caerphilly, stage winner was Sam Bennett.

I completely forgot how many times it has been used, thanks for the correction. Quite surprising that Bennett won a sprint from a 15 man bunch!

I think there's enough quality uphill in the startlist to drop Brennan on the climb, especially as it's last chance saloon for GC. It is a shame that it's just a simple up and down, though, given the nature of modern riders to attack from far out.

 

[AlpRaid]

Are they supposed to use the same categories as the Tour when there are not the same climbs in Britain as in Grand Tours?

No. That wasn’t my point. Sorry if I was unclear. I was just laughing at the fact that something that wasn’t even 1 km long translates to category two in this race.

 

[search]

I haven't checked in detail yet, but looks like the first couple of stages will have pretty strong wind and potentially some rain as well. Could turn out to be a harder race than it looks.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I completely forgot how many times it has been used, thanks for the correction. Quite surprising that Bennett won a sprint from a 15 man bunch!

I think there's enough quality uphill in the startlist to drop Brennan on the climb, especially as it's last chance saloon for GC. It is a shame that it's just a simple up and down, though, given the nature of modern riders to attack from far out.

Not really my memory, just I was roadside that day.

 

[tobydawq]

Caerphilly mountain was also included in 2913 race, two ascents followed by a finish in Caerphilly, stage winner was Sam Bennett.

Good going for a man at the age of 923.

 

[Wyndbrook]

No. That wasn’t my point. Sorry if I was unclear. I was just laughing at the fact that something that wasn’t even 1 km long translates to category two in this race.

At 5k the tumble will be the longest climb in the race. Strava KOM is 12 minutes 44 seconds by Edoardo Zardini when he won in 2014.