Tadej Pogacar feels reassured after analyzing the route of his new challenge. The Slovenian phenomenon likes the mountainous profile of the Tour de France 2025, presented this Tuesday at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. The 112th edition of the Grande Boucle will start on July 5 in Lille and finish on the 27th of the same month in Paris. The capital, after the exception of last year caused by the organization of the Olympic Games, will once again host the conclusion of a race that, unlike recent years, will be entirely held in French territory.
Mont Ventoux, Tourmalet, Hautacam, La Plagne, iconic peaks, will return to the choreography of a race in which Pogacar is pursuing his fourth title and will compete against stronger rivals than in 2024. Jonas Vingegaard will return without the deficits of the short preparation of the last season, and Remco Evenepoel will play his cards with more experience.
In July, all eyes will be on the UAE rider, born to break records. At 26 years old, only Eddy Merckx had more victories. The Slovenian has already surpassed Bernard Hinault, the French legend, who will be honored in the first week of the race when the peloton passes through the rugged paths near Yffiniac, the hometown of The Badger, who in 2025 will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his last victory in the race. Since then, no Frenchman has stood on the top step of the podium.
A time trial in Caen of 33 kilometers and the ascent to the Muro de Bretaña will cause the first major selection. The first week will also remember the figures of Jacques Anquetil and Luison Bobet (the centenary of his birth is commemorated), the first to win three consecutive Tours: 1953, 1954, and 1955.
After crossing the Massif Central, a tough trio in the Pyrenees will be faced. The first challenge is a finish in Hautacam, the second a 11-kilometer uphill time trial in Peyragudes, and the third in a brutal sequence: Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyrosourde, and Superbagnères. This last peak has not hosted the finish since 1989 when Robert Millar beat Pedro Delgado.
A challenging stage that made an impact at the Palais des Congrès, where Mark Cavendish was present, who holds the record of 35 partial victories and, at 36, aims to continue adding more successes. Also in attendance were, among others, Julian Alaphilippe, Valentin Madouas, Lenny Martínez, Jasper Philipsen, and Biniam Girmay.
After the expedition through the Pyrenees, Mont Ventoux will be tackled (stage 16). A mountain that has been climbed since 1951 on 18 occasions, 10 of them as a finish line. The last winner in that lunar landscape was Wout van Aert in 2021.
The grand finale will ignite in the Alps. The 18th stage could be decisive with climbs to Glandon, Madeleine, and a finish in Loze. The following stage will start in Albertville and finish at the never-ending La Plagne: 19.1 km at 7.2% gradient.
On the other hand, the Women's Tour, which goes from eight to nine stages, will take place from July 26 to August 3.