Tour de France Bastille Day stage finish currently covered in snow!

The 2025 Tour de France is fast approaching, with just 80 days separating cycling fans from the Grand Départ on July 5. But for French supporters in particular, all eyes will be on Stage 10, set to take place on July 14, Bastille Day, a date that traditionally carries extra emotional weight during the Tour.

While the Tour is often associated with scorching summer heat, the destination of Stage 10, Le Mont-Dore, is currently blanketed in snow. Images released on the Tour's official social media channels this week show the mountaintop covered in white, despite it being mid-April.

For now, it makes for a breathtaking sight. Maybe even Primoz Roglic will for once manage to say on his bike longer than the rest at the Tour as he is of course an accomplished skier…

Le Mont-Dore sits in the heart of the Massif Central, perched on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Known more for its thermal spas and ski slopes than for Grand Tour finishes, it will be the dramatic conclusion of a tough and unpredictable day in the saddle.

Stage 10 features a 163km route from Ennezat to the summit of Le Mont-Dore – Puy de Sancy. The profile includes 4,400 metres of climbing, with no less than seven categorised climbs. The road is rarely flat, turning the stage into a constant up-and-down grind that could see both breakaway specialists and GC contenders come to the fore.

It’s a terrain made for chaos: punchy ascents, narrow descents, and barely a moment to breathe. A nightmare for some, a dream for others. With such variety, it offers a real opportunity for the more aggressive, explosive riders to do some damage.

Classics-style riders could relish the rhythm of the stage, but its difficulty makes it almost certain to feature some key GC moves, or at the very least, some serious pressure applied by the major contenders. As the race hits the second week, the general classification will start to take shape, and Stage 10 could be the moment where the battle for yellow truly ignites.

And if the rugged middle portion of the stage doesn’t create separation, the finale surely will. The last 3.3 kilometres average a stinging 8% gradient, a brutal final test that should see the main contenders test one another before the Pyrenees arrive later in the race.

All that remains is for the weather to cooperate. For now, Le Mont-Dore looks more ready for ski season than a Tour de France finish, but with 89 days to go until Bastille Day, there’s still plenty of time for the snow to melt and the roads to dry.