Mont Ventoux and a Pyrenees TT in one Tour de France – can any cycling fan wait any longer?! Jonas reloads. Remco rises. Tadej winks at Eddy Merckx.

Today is 16th May 2025, and for cycling fans around the world, that date carries a special significance. Why? Because it means we are now just 50 days away from the start of the 2025 Tour de France.

Just get this. A Mont Ventoux and a Pyrenees time trial in one Tour de France. A stacked start list. A countdown with the weight of legends. In just 50 days, the peloton rolls out from Lille—and the world’s biggest cycling showdown begins. Jonas Vingegaard reloads for revenge. Remco Evenepoel would love to rise in pursuit of glory. And Tadej Pogacar? He’s chasing history, with a wink toward the record books and the ghost of Eddy Merckx.

Yes, the Giro d’Italia is still in full swing and rightly demanding our attention, it has been a brilliant race so far. But the countdown to cycling’s crown jewel has officially begun.

It almost feels like the 2024 edition just ended. On 21st July 2024, Tadej Pogacar sealed his third yellow jersey in stunning style, winning stage 21, his sixth stage victory of that Tour, and completing a historic Giro-Tour double.

Pogacar’s 2024 Tour was nothing short of incredible. Six stage wins, and a 6:17 buffer to second-placed Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification. He looked invincible. Remco Evenepoel completed the podium in third, having pushed hard but unable to match Pogacar’s level on the Belgian’s debut at the Tour.

Since then, the narrative has only intensified. Pogacar has enjoyed a phenomenal spring in 2025 and now enters the Tour as the world champion and overwhelming favourite.

A lot can change in 299 days, and 2025 is shaping up to be an intriguing renewal of cycling’s greatest race.

Tadej Pogacar is at the peak of his powers. Fresh off dominating the Spring Classics (with wins at the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race, Liege) and riding high as the reigning Tour and Giro champion from last year, the Slovenian seems to be chasing not just wins, but legacy.

Jonas Vingegaard, so often Pogacar’s greatest rival, has had a quieter season. But if we’ve learned anything from recent years, it’s that the Dane knows how to peak in July. Despite patchy form, it would be unwise to count him out. Remco Evenepoel is still playing catch-up in 2025, after his training crash last December. Yet the Belgian remains a serious contender, especially with two individual time trials on this year’s route.

The three are set to clash at the Critérium du Dauphiné starting 8th June, a key form-check before the Tour. All eyes will be on that showdown as we look for clues about who’s really ready.

Of course, the Tour is far more than just a GC contest.

Primoz Roglic, riding the Giro as we speak, will be looking to match Pogacar with an audacious Giro-Tour double this year. And what about Mathieu van der Poel? The monument king has just one Tour stage win to his name, stage 2 in 2021 when he took yellow and rode in honour of his grandfather Raymond Poulidor. Could this finally be the year he adds another?

Then there’s the sprinters. The fight for the green jersey could be one of the most intense we’ve seen in years. Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan, and Tim Merlier headline a stacked field. And with the first stage in Lille designed for a sprint finish, there’s a genuine chance for a fastman to take the first maillot jaune of 2025.

This year’s Tour kicks off with a 185km stage around Lille, staying in the Hauts-de-France region. The early profile is relatively forgiving, designed to reward the sprinters and classics specialists, before the high mountains arrive much later.

Up until stage 11, the route favours the powerful men. Stages 1–11 could produce chaos for the general classification if the wind, weather, or tactics break things up, but they’re primarily opportunities for breakaways and bunch finishes.

Then comes the real test. Stages 12, 13, and 14 will take the race through the Pyrenees, including: a summit finish in Hautacam, a mountain time-trial in Peyragudes, before another uphill finish at Superbagnères

The third week is even more punishing. Mont Ventoux returns on stage 16, a fearsome challenge with historic significance, which the peloton has not tackled since 2021. That day, Vingegaard put the first dents in Pogacar’s armour, dropping him on the climb.

The race then heads into the Alps for two key GC days with climbs of the Col de la Loze and La Plagne. The Col de la Loze is more good news for Vingegaard fans, if we think back to how he demolished Pogacar on that climb in 2023. The final week could be decisive, and with so many summit finishes compressed into the last 10 days, expect fireworks.

This year’s route features two time trials, and that’s great news for Remco Evenepoel. The first TT comes on stage 5 and could offer Remco an early chance to snatch yellow. Who knows what he could do if he establishes an early lead.

The second TT, as mentioned, is a mountain test in the Pyrenees, stage 13 in Peyragudes. It could play a pivotal role in reshaping the GC before the decisive third week. Time trials have always had the potential to swing the Tour, just ask Roglic in 2020. And in this edition, the balance of power could shift again with just a handful of pedal strokes.

It’s been a fascinating few years in terms of early yellow jerseys. In 2024, Romain Bardet shocked everyone with a brilliant win on stage 1 to take yellow on home soil.In 2023, Adam Yates outsprinted twin brother Simon for the first maillot jaune.

In 2025, with a flat sprint expected in Lille, we may return to a sprinter’s opener. That gives the likes of Philipsen, Merlier, and Milan a once-in-a-career opportunity: to wear the yellow jersey on day one. If they do, expect chaos in the green jersey battle from the very start.

Cycling is a sport of momentum, rhythm, and timing. As the Giro unfolds, the shadows of July are already beginning to form. While riders fine-tune their preparations and teams finalise their rosters, fans are counting down already. We certainly are!

In 50 days, we’ll know who takes the first yellow of 2025. And three weeks after that, we’ll know if Tadej Pogacar can make even more history, or if one of his rivals can stop him.

Until then, enjoy the Giro. But don’t blink. July is coming.