The 2025 Tour de France route has been officially revealed. It is a route that is quite different from past years, focusing a lot less on the climbs in the opening week of the race. However, the race will be decided on a few days where the mountains will make major differences and here we take a look at which could be the most decisive moments of the Grand Boucle.
The race will feature hilltop finishes in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mur-de-Bretagne and Puy Sancy in the first week but the first high mountain stage will only take place in the Pyrenees and already within the second week of the race - an unusual start when comparing to recent editions. There are six high mountain stages (including a mountain time-trial) and these are the five most important climbs of the race:
Stage 12 - Hautacam
The race will enter the high mountains for the first time only on stage 12. Although the climbers will find tests in the first week, mostly in the form of the Mur-de-Bretagne and the Puy de Sancy stage, the long and constant efforts up the mountains only start on the 12th day of racing with a climb that has gained it's reputation over the decades in the race.
It's not the hardest mountain stage, but it is the first big one and there will be no room to hide possible fragilities or non-perfect form. It will be a day of revelations and the lack of a ton of mountains means we should see some 'watt bombs' being dropped on it's slopes.
After climbing the Col du Soulur and Col des Bordères, the riders will tackle Hautacam which is 13.6 kilometers long at 7.8%. It was most recently used at the 2022 Tour de France where Jonas Vingegaard, in the yellow jersey, managed to win the stage and win over a minute on Tadej Pogacar in what was the final day in the mountains. Without a doubt a day that can see a lot of damage.
Stage 13 - Peyragudes
The second of three consecutive days in the Pyrenees is a mountain time-trial, a rare effort now in professional cycling, but one which sees a grand return. Without the endurance aspect, we may see surprising performances on this day.
But above all, big differences can be created taking into consideration that there will be no-one pacing and no teammates to dictate the rhythm. It's all about the legs and ability to suffer by yourself up the mountain. It's not the most difficult of challenges, but the climb to Peyragudes (8 kilometers at 7.9%) will be full of crowd and can certainly make key changes in the overall classification.
Furthermore, the average gradients hides the ultra-steep ramp up to the Altiport where the finish line is located. In 2017, yellow jersey Chris Froome cracked and lost 22 seconds to Romain Bardet in the final few hundred meters alone, which means that pacing strategy will be very important on the day for the stage win and overall classification.
Stage 16 - Mont Ventoux
The return of the 'Geant de Provence'. Stage 16 will be the first day of the final week of the race and an off-day can spell disaster for any rider. Between the Massif Central and the Alps lays this monster ascent which will be the highlight of the day.
The final 15.7 kilometers are at an 8.8% gradient and this is an ascent that features almost no turns and switchbacks, is very steep from the start and is often exposed to the wind and weather conditions. It's a mountain for the pure climbers where often the attacks come early on.
In 2021, the most recent ascent of the 'bald mountain' at the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard attacked to win over a minute on the yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar. A lot can happen on this day, regardless of what comes before.
Stage 18 - Col de la Loze
There is an important note on this day which is that the Col de la Loze will not be tackled via the side the riders did in 2020 and 2023. The mountain gained a lot of notoriety in recent years over it's inhumane ramps in the final kilometers, but they will be avoided this time around.
Nevertheless this is the toughest day of the race and features 5500 meters of climbing and also the highest point - coinciding with the finish line. After climbing two monsters in the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine, the riders make their way up to Courchevel for the final climb.
It will be 26 kilometers long at 6.5%, consistent at the start but still rather inconsistent towards the top - at high altitude. It's an hour-long effort even for the best riders in the race and can see many explode. The fatigue from three weeks of racing could spell the end of those who feel the fatigue.
Stage 19 - La Plagne
The final mountain stage of the race goes up to La Plagne. Stage 19 features five categorized climbs and one of them is the Col du Pré, as well as the very fast descent of the Cormet du Roseland. All will culminate in the 19-kilometer long climb that hasn't been featured in the race since the year 2002 when the defending champion Tadej Pogacar was only a child.
He and all the top climbers will need to ascend the gruesome Alpine mountain which averages a constant 7%, and this is a test that all GC riders will have to pass with their best form, otherwise they risk losing minutes on it's slopes.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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