Three mountain finishes, two long individual time trials and another Montmartre spectacle at the finale in Paris: Next year’s 114th Tour de France has plenty to offer, covering 3,479 kilometres from Edinburgh to the Champs-Élysées and 53,400 metres of climbing, although five-time champion Tadej Pogacar would surely have hoped for an even tougher route.
The Slovenian superstar may have to wait until the ninth stage for the Yellow Jersey, when the first mountain finish at the Grand Colombier takes place. This was announced at the route presentation at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. Further mountain finishes await in Les Saisies and in the Pyrenees at the Col du Portet. Stage 18, with 5,400 metres of climbing and the crossing of the Tourmalet, is also the queen stage. Other highlights include the mountain stages to Sallanches – where next year’s World Championships will also take place – and the tricky stage through the Massif Central to Mende.
Is Lipowitz there?
A route that Florian Lipowitz is also likely to enjoy, but will the German cycling star even be on the start line? Red Bull team manager Ralph Denk recently left open the possibility of the 2025 Tour third-place finisher taking part, especially as time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel is likely to claim the captain’s role following his second-place finish this year. With two time trials totalling 71 kilometres, the incentive for the Belgian is particularly great. The Giro d’Italia may well be a target for Lipowitz.
It all kicks off on 2 July – a Friday this time – in Edinburgh. After one stage each in Scotland, England and Wales, the first of three rest days is already on the agenda due to the transfer. This is already the fifth overseas start in six years.
The finale on 25 July in Paris will feature the Montmartre spectacle, just as it has for the past two years. As the route involves three ascents of the hill, a pure sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées is less likely. Last year, classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel edged out the sprinters by the narrowest of margins after breaking away with Pogacar.
Women’s tour from Leeds to the Puy de Dôme
The Women’s Tour also gets underway in the UK on 30 July. Following the start in Leeds, there will be three stages on the island, culminating in a team time trial in London. The race then moves on to France. The absolute highlight is the mountain finish on the final stage on 8 August at the Puy de Dôme. The enormously steep volcanic mountain in the Massif Central is likely to pose a particular challenge for Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier, who finished fourth last year.
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