After completing an elongated loop of Lille on the opening day, riders will navigate a further 20 gruelling stages before proceeding along the Champs-Élysées almost three weeks later.
The route will pass through a series of urbanised areas, countryside stretches, and ski resorts, as it visits the four corners of France en route to the Paris finale. It encompasses four mountain ranges, eleven geographical regions, and a deluge of towns and cities, meandering its way across an eye-watering 3,338.8km (2,074.6 miles) of terrain. For the first time since 2020 (when COVID-19 restrictions were in full force), the race will not stray into neighbouring countries and is therefore exclusively contested on French soil.
The 2025 Tour de France – and all of the 111 past editions that have preceded it – is the ultimate test of a cyclist’s physical and mental endurance. Of the 184 racers who will compete in this year’s event, only a small handful have a realistic chance of attaining the coveted yellow jersey. Most pundits believe one of cycling’s ‘Big Four’ – comprised of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic – will scoop the ultimate prize, given this elite group’s dominance of the Grand Tour circuit in recent years. Slovenian speedster Pogacar is the clear bookies' favourite ahead of this season’s instalment of the world’s most famous road race, having been crowned Tour de France champion on three previous occasions.
In the sections that follow below, we explore each aspect of this year's Tour de France. This guide will provide information about competing teams & riders, stage routes, and the various coloured jerseys up for grabs, while also highlighting key dates and television coverage details.
What prizes are on offer?
The fight for the famous yellow jersey will undoubtedly receive most attention, as the progressive leader of the general classification table is recognised at the end of each stage – and, most importantly, at the conclusion of the race. However, the ‘maillot jaune’ is not the only coloured jersey in demand, with battles breaking out in the points, mountain, and young rider classifications between specialists in specific disciplines.
Here’s a quick summary of each of the six Tour de France jerseys/awards:
Yellow Jersey: Considered the most prestigious of the available jerseys, the yellow jersey (often referred to as the maillot jaune) is awarded to the rider with the quickest cumulative time after each stage. Therefore, the winner of the previous stage does not necessarily adorn the yellow jersey ahead of the next instalment of the race, as its transfer is purely dependent on whether the current leader has dropped down the rankings. Time bonuses are distributed to the races occupying the top three positions in each individual stage, with the winner receiving ten seconds, the runner-up six seconds, and third place four seconds. This time is then subsequently deducted from the riders’ overall split.
Green Jersey: The rider with the highest progressive points tally will be handed the green jersey – or ‘maillot vert’ in native tongue – ahead of each stage. Points are allocated based on finishing positions at the end of each stage, intervening sprint sections, and time trial performance, with the amount given out determined by terrain (i.e., flat, hilly, mountain – more on this to follow). As the green jersey is designed to pit the field’s strongest sprinters against one another, a higher number of points are awarded during flat stages as these routes facilitate faster racing speeds.
Mountain Jersey: Notably by its clean white background and vibrant red polka dots, the mountain jersey is worn by the rider who is quickest to reach the route summit in specially selected stages. Prior to the race, organisers identify which stages will offer mountain classification points, which are distributed in line with each rider’s climbing performance. The participant with the highest progressive points tally wears the mountain jersey at the start of each stage, regardless of whether that stretch incorporates a ‘categorised climb’
Young Rider Jersey: Introduced in 1975, the young rider jersey is exclusively contested by participants under 26 years of age (any 25-year-olds who are due to celebrate their birthdays after the event but before the end of the calendar year are also excluded). It follows exactly the same distribution model as the yellow jersey, with recipients in possession of the quickest cumulative time.
Team Classification Indicator: Although there isn’t a coloured jersey given to the race’s best-performing team, a clear marker is added to the apparel of their members. Riders belonging to the team with the fastest overall time, therefore observing the guidelines of the general classification, have a yellow background behind their jersey numbers.
Over the last 95 years following its inception, the team classification has used various calculations to distribute points and subsequently determine its winners. Since 2011, points have been awarded based on the finishing positions of teams’ strongest three riders in each individual stage, with any time bonuses and penalties dismissed. In time trial events (more on this to follow), slightly different rules are applied. The time of the team’s fifth rider to cross the finishing line is used for points calculation purposes, with the third or fourth rider’s effort counted if several members have dropped out. If the team is left with fewer than three participants, they will not be eligible to receive any points for that stage.
Combativity Award: The Combativity Award recognises the participant who has demonstrated the most determination, resolve, and aggression during each stage. As per the approach used to identify the team classification leaders, the current holder of the Combativity Award will receive an alteration to their regular race clothing as opposed to receiving a special jersey. In this case, jersey numbers are set against a gold background.
Although the recipient is primarily chosen by a judging panel of race officials, the results of an online public vote are also taken into account. At the end of the final stage, the ‘Super-Combatif’ Award – alongside a princely sum of €20,000 – is handed to the overall winner. This award hasn’t been distributed to the general classification winner since 1981, when Frenchman Bernard Hinault delivered a series of spirited displays to earn a third title in four years.
Routes and Stages
All stages are categorised under one of three terrains, with varying skill sets required to handle the challenges presented by each environment. The vast majority of cyclists have a particular preference of terrain, dependent on their level of speed, stamina, and climbing capacity. Sprinters are better equipped to exploit the flat stages, the punishing mountainous stretches suit climbing specialists, while ‘hilly’ sections demand a combination of pace and perseverance – ideal for the ‘puncheurs’ amongst the field.
There are 21 stages in total, consisting of seven flat, six hilly, and six mountain phases. The remaining two stages consist of time trial events, which see riders race individually against the clock. As these are typically contested over shorter distance courses on flatter terrains, time trials tend to favour sprint specialists. However, the 2025 Tour de France will host a mountain-based time trial in its thirteenth stage, somewhat levelling the playing field between Rouleur’s and climbing experts.
Participants will need to negotiate several mountain passes, as the route traverses the snow-tipped landscapes of the Massif Central, Pyrenees, Alps, and Jura ranges. The intimidating Col de la Loze represents the highest peak of the race, with competitors ascending the 2,304m mountain from its eastern base (facing the Courchevel ski resort) for the first time in Tour de France history. These treacherous parts of the journey account for a significant portion of the race’s overall elevation gain, which stands at a staggering 52,500m.
Across the event’s intensive three-week schedule, exhausted participants will only enjoy respite on two allocated rest days, which take place in Toulouse after stage 10 and Montpellier ahead of stage 16. However, riders may take some comfort in the fact that this summer’s course is the shortest for over two decades, with the 2002 Tour de France fought out over an expanse of 3,278km (2,037 miles).
The shortest stage of the race lands on 18th July, when competitors will undertake the aforementioned mountainous time trial in the French Pyrenees. Its route consists of just a 10.9km (6.8 miles) passage, connecting the commune of Loudenvielle to the Peyragudes resort. Comparatively, the longest single journey arrives early on in stage two, which incorporates a giant expedition across a hefty chunk of France’s Nord department. The stage begins in the small town of Lauwin-Planque, and requires riders to travel an eye-watering 209.1km (129.9 miles) to the coastal city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Overview of all 21 stages
Stage 1: Lille to Lille (extended loop around the city and its surrounding areas) – 184.9km (114.9 miles), Flat Stage, Saturday, July 5th
Stage 2: Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer – 209.1km (129.9 miles), Hilly Stage, Sunday, July 6th
Stage 3: Valenciennes to Dunkirk – 178.3km (110.8 miles), Flat Stage, Monday, July 7th
Stage 4: Amiens to Rouen – 174.2km (108.2 miles), Hilly Stage, Tuesday, July 8th
Stage 5: Caen to Caen (clean circular route around the city) – 33km (21 miles), Individual Time Trial, Wednesday, July 9th
Stage 6: Bayeux to Vire – 201.5km (125.2 miles), Hilly Stage, Thursday, July 10th
Stage 7: Saint-Malo to Guerlédan (Mûr-de-Bretagne) – 197km (122 miles), Hilly Stage, Friday, July 11th
Stage 8: Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval – 171.4km (106.5 miles), Flat Stage, Saturday, July 12th
Stage 9: Chinon to Châteauroux – 174.1km (108.2 miles), Flat Stage, Sunday, July 13th
Stage 10: Ennezat to Mont-Dore – 165.3km (102.7 miles), Mountain Stage, Monday, July 14th
Rest day: Toulouse – Tuesday, July 15th
Stage 11: Toulouse to Toulouse (a sweeping journey around Toulouse’s outskirts before a condensed, steep-gradient loop of the city centre) – 156.8km (97.4 miles), Flat Stage, Wednesday, July 16th
Stage 12: Auch to Hautacam – 180.6km (112.2 miles), Mountain Stage, Thursday, July 17th
Stage 13: Loudenvielle to Peyragudes – 10.9km (6.8 miles), Mountain Time Trial, Friday, July 18th
Stage 14: Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères – 182.6km (113.5 miles), Mountain Stage, Saturday, July 19th
Stage 15: Muret to Carcassonne – 169.3km (105.2 miles), Hilly Stage, Sunday, July 20th
Rest day: Montpellier – Monday, July 21st
Stage 16: Montpellier to Mount Ventoux – 171.5km (106.6 miles), Mountain Stage, Tuesday, July 22nd
Stage 17: Bollène to Valence – 160.4km (99.7 miles), Flat Stage, Wednesday, July 23rd
Stage 18: Vif to Courchevel (Col de la Loze) – 171.5km (106.6 miles), Mountain Stage, Thursday, July 24th
Stage 19: Albertville to La Plagne – 129.9km (80.7 miles), Mountain Stage, Friday, July 25th
Stage 20: Nantua to Pontarlier – 184.2km (114.5 miles), Hilly Stage, Saturday, July 26th
Stage 21: Mantes-la-Ville to Champs-Élysées, Paris – 132.3km (82.2 miles), Flat Stage, Sunday, July 27th
Teams
A total of 23 teams will compete at the 2025 Tour de France, with each consisting of eight riders. This figure represents the highest number of participants since 2021, when the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) allowed the race organisers of cycling’s three Grand Tours – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España – to add an extra team to their respective line-ups.
A similar exception was made ahead of the 2025 season, as the UCI once again gave special permission to the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and RCS Sport to incorporate 23 teams. This development came following intense lobbying from UCI ProTeams, who compete with each other to attain one of the small handful of event slots. Several high-profile teams have condemned the decision to authorise an additional entrant, citing safety and security concerns.
All 18 teams currently competing on the elite UCI WorldTour circuit automatically qualify for the event, while five outfits from the second-tier UCI ProTour have also gained a Tour de France berth. The two highest ranked teams at the conclusion of the 2024 UCI ProTour campaign – namely Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech are awarded instant entry, with the ASO selecting three ‘wild card’ picks (a one pick increase on previous years thanks to the introduction of a 23rd team).
Many teams have integrated references to commercial partners or state sponsors into their names, which can often cause titles to regularly change. Over 20% of participants will be competing on native soil, with five teams registering their operations in France.
The full list of participating teams in this year’s Tour de France is as follows (country of registration in brackets):
UCI WorldTour teams
Alpecin–Deceuninck (Belgium)
Arkéa–B&B Hotels (France)
Cofidis (France)
Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale (France)
EF Education–EasyPost (U.S.A)
Groupama–FDJ (France)
Ineos Grenadiers (Great Britain)
Intermarché–Wanty (Belgium)
Lidl–Trek (U.S.A)
Movistar Team (Spain)
Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe (Germany)
Soudal Quick-Step (Belgium)
Team Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain)
Team Picnic–PostNL (Netherlands)
Team Jayco–AlUla (Australia)
UAE Team Emirates XRG (United Arab Emirates)
Visma-Lease a Bike (Netherlands)
XDS Astana Team (Kazakhstan)
UCI ProTour teams
Israel–Premier Tech (Israel)
Lotto (Belgium)
Team TotalEnergies (France)
Going for glory
The rider who steps onto the top of the rostrum in the yellow jersey will not necessarily be part of the winning team, given the process for calculating team classification points. However, as the general classification winner achieves a better cumulative time than anyone else in the field, it makes sense that these awards often go hand-in-hand. This has been demonstrated over the past two seasons, with Team Jumbo–Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike) and Jonas Vingegaard celebrating joint success in 2023 and UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Tadej Pogačar claiming general and team classification crowns last year.
The most successful outfit in Tour de France history are Movistar (formerly operating under seven different previous names), who have claimed six team classification titles. Propelled by the exploits of world-class racers such as Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, the Spaniards enjoyed a glittering spell during the second half of the 2010s, sweeping aside their rivals five times in six seasons.
Riders and Favourites
British hopes rest on the shoulders of Simon Yates, who clinched his first Grand Tour victory since 2019 earlier this term. The Bury-born allrounder dramatically commandeered the pink jersey from Isaac del Toro ahead of the penultimate stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, eating up a one-minute and 24-second deficit to secure the pole-sitting position. Yates kept his nerve on the elevated 205 km (127 miles) trek between Verrès and Sestriere, before racing through the streets of Rome to achieve another landmark milestone in his decorated career.
Although yet to get his hands on the maillot jaune, the newly recruited Visma–Lease a Bike representative has delivered two stage triumphs, both of which were earned on mountainous stretches of the 2019 course. Four years later, Yates secured his best-ever ranking at a Tour de France, finishing 12 hours and 23 minutes behind race winner Jonas Vingegaard in fourth.
While most believe the former track World champion only has a remote chance of emerging triumphant on French soil this summer, it would be foolish to write Yates off given his current form and isolated past performances. Having been presented with the iconic red jersey following the conclusion of the 2018 Vuelta a Espana, the 32-year-old is now targeting an unlikely triple crown...
For a full list of 2025 Tour de France riders, click here.
To access a profile of each of the race favourites and check out betting odds, click here.
Where to watch the 2025 Tour de France
Every stage of this summer’s Tour de France will be shown on ITV4, with TNT Sports customers also able to access comprehensive live coverage of the race. Viewers who wish to listen to Welsh commentary can watch events in France unfold on S4C.
ITVX and S4C Clic, the respective online streaming platforms of the aforementioned terrestrial channels, will also screen live footage of the event. This content is also accessible via the TNT Sports application, while subscribers to sister network Discovery+ will also be able to tune in via their televisions or smartphone devices.
It’s worth noting that TNT Sports recently agreed a lucrative four-year broadcasting contract with the AOC and EBU, enabling them to provide exclusive coverage of the Tour de France. Therefore, this will be the last year that the race is screened live on free-to-air television.