Stage 20 | Saturday, 26 July 2025 | Nantua - Pontarlier | 184.2 kilometres | 2900 vertical metres
Jens Voigt's assessment of the 20th stage
The 20th and penultimate stage leads through the fourth mountain range in France - after the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and the Alps, the route now leads through the Jura. The route near the Swiss border is too difficult for the sprinters and too easy for the classification riders, despite 2900 metres of climbing. It will be a classic day for breakaways, on which a strong group with illustrious names will form. Everyone knows that: Today is usually the last chance for a stage win from a breakaway group. Very important: Right after the start, the route climbs for two to three kilometres and after ten kilometres the first and longest climb of the day begins to the Col de la Croix de la Serra with a length of 11.8 kilometres (3rd category). This is followed by Côte de Valfin (4th), Côte de Thésy (2nd) and Côte de Longeville (4th category).
This course opens up a second possible scenario: it could take until halfway through the stage for a breakaway group to successfully break away. At that point, riders from the top ten of the overall standings may sense an opportunity to make up time with a late attack and improve their position. By the way, if a stage win or a successful attack doesn't work out, the finish in Pontarlier is the unofficial capital of the legendary absinthe. Perhaps the racers can wash down the frustration of a last missed opportunity with this spirit.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of the 20th stage of the Tour de France 2025
- Neutral start: 12:05, sharp start 12:15
- Estimated arrival time: between 16:12 and 16:35
- TV broadcast: ARD 14:00-19:57, Eurosport 1 11:45-16:30
- Live stream: sportschau.de, Discovery Plus (fee required)
- All stages of the Tour de France 2025 at a glance
Highlights of the 20th stage
- 13:50: Intermediate sprint in Chaux de Dombief after 72 kilometres. Perhaps the last chance to make up ground in the battle for the green?
- 15:40: The Côte de Longeville is a possible springboard to a stage win. There is also information on stage 1 of the Women's Tour, which starts today in Brittany,
TOUR expert Jens Voigt
Nobody in the German-speaking world knows the Tour de France better: Jens Voigt competed as a professional in the most important cycling race a total of 17 times between 1998 and 2014. Only the Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel, the current record holder, has managed one more participation. Voigt knows the race from the perspective of the winner and the tireless helper in the team. He won two stages himself and wore the yellow jersey for one day each in 2001 and 2005. In 2010, as a team-mate in Team Saxo Bank, he accompanied Luxembourg's Andy Schleck to his overall victory (after the doping disqualification of Alberto Contador, who initially came first; editor's note). The 53-year-old Berliner currently works as a brand ambassador for the bike manufacturer Trek and as a pundit for the Eurosport channel.
For TOUR readers, the former pro gives his predictions for the course of the 21 stages, points out difficulties and things worth seeing. For each day's stage, he gives a tip on what role the course could play in the final standings in the individual classifications in Paris. If three of the jerseys are coloured, this means that this day could be decisive for this classification - i.e. overall classification (yellow), sprint/points classification (green) and classification of the best climber (red dotted jersey). We also give you the broadcast times of the TV channels in Germany (ARD and Eurosport) and their live streams - plus tips on when it might be particularly worth tuning in.
