Tour de France 2025: 5 most recognized and difficult stages of the race

Associated Press

2 days ago

The twisty road map of the Tour de France - often described as the world's most prestigious and challenging cycling race - features a mix of flat, hilly, and mountainous stages. The race is not just a test of individual strength but also team strategy, endurance, and resilience.
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar climbs towards Hautacom to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Tour de France began with the Grand Départ in Lille, a northern French city near the Belgian border. It marked the official start of the race with a festive celebration.
Stage 2: This stage was the longest trek of this year's race with about 4 kilometers of climbing. It favors strong climbers and aggressive breakaway riders.
The stretch from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-Sur-Mer is a marathon, not a sprint. It was the longest stretch of the race at 209.1 kilometers, or 129.93 miles.
Stage 12: This stage featured several challenging climbs.
Auch to Hautacam was the first mountain stage of the race, with 3,850 meters in elevation over the course, or 12,631 feet. The stage introduced the Pyrenees.
Stage 16: This stage is notable for its race to the top of the famed barren mountain known as the 'Beast of Provence.'
The 16th stage may seem straightforward at the start, but riders had to ascend to their highest point in elevation of the race. Mont Ventoux returned to the route after four years.
Stage 21: The final stage features a cobbled climb before riders enter Paris to complete 3 laps of the iconic landmark.
The final stage of the Tour de France concludes at the iconic Champs-Elysees in Paris. But before riders cross the finish line, they'll need to face the cobbled streets of Côte de la Butte Montmartre.
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in the pack during the tenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 165.3 kilometers (102.7 miles) with start in Ennezat and finish in Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy, France, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The pack rides during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 172.2 kilometers (107 miles) with start in Amiens and finish in Rouen, France, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The pack rides past a field of sunflowers during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard sprint towards the finish line of the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Montpellier and finish on the Mont Ventoux, France, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The pack rides during the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 209.1 kilometers (129.9 miles) with start in Lauwin-Planque and finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Fans watch the riders during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 184.9 kilometers (114.9 miles) with start and finish in Lille, France, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Spectators take photos of the riders during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard crosses the finish line of the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time-trial over 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) in the Pyrenees mountains with start in Loudenvielle and finish in Peyragudes, France, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, right, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 172.2 kilometers (107 miles) with start in Amiens and finish in Rouen, France, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Italy's Vincenzo Albanese rides past a field of sunflowers during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Stage winner France's Valentin Paret Peintre leads in the breakaway with Ireland's Ben Healy, in pink, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago, in white, in the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Montpellier and finish on the Mont Ventoux, France, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)