
Tour de France 2025: stage-by-stage guide to this year's race
A punchy finale: three steep little hills in the final 30km, and a climb to the finish. There will be a selection here, with a strong chance of crashes as the riders battle for position before the climbs. This stage has Mathieu van der Poel or Wout van Aert written on it and even more stress than day one for Tadej Pogacar and company. The chances are at least one favourite ends their race here.
A third very accessible day for UK fans, another ascent of Cassel, but the safe money is on a bunch sprint in Dunkirk, famed among cycling fans for the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque stage race which actually lasts six days. The same proviso as day one: a westerly equals crosswinds on the final exposed 35km and splits in the field. These early days will be packed with crashes and tension, but Philipsen and company will be licking their lips.
A welter of little hills in the finale including the Rampe Saint-Hilaire, a 750m 'wall' in the city centre, 5km from the finish; there will be huge stress for all the contenders trying to get in place for these. Evocatively, one of the late hills is the Côte de Bonsecours, where Jean Robic staged a final-day heist to win the 1947 Tour, but in the Pogacar era there's not much chance of a repeat.
The first decisive day in the battle for the overall, a relatively long time trial on the rolling bocage north-east of Caen, largely on wide main roads that will suit the most powerful riders in the field. The favourites need to at least limit any losses; the winner should be a pure rouleur – the Italian Filippo Ganna, perhaps. If he's on form, Ineos should be targeting this stage and a possible spell in yellow.
The Suisse Normande isn't widely known among cyclists now, but back in the day local amateurs spoke in awe of races over this area's leg-breaking climbs. The fun starts in the final 70km, with three third-category climbs, before a final little brute, the Côte de Vaudry, 4km from the finish. French fans will be hoping Julian Alaphilippe can throw back the years as this would have been made for him in his pomp.
Day one in Brittany is more straightforward, passing Bernard Hinault's village of Yffiniac – 40 years since the Badger became the last French Tour winner – before two ascents of Mûr de Bretagne to conclude. The finish up the 'Wall' is harder than anything the race has tackled to date, and you'd expect Pogacar to make an early statement of intent, but it will also suit Van der Poel, winner here in 2021.
The start tips its hat to the triple winner Louison Bobet, the baker's boy from Saint Méen, then the route heads east; if the prevailing wind – westerly – does its thing, this will be very fast, but the scenario is well trodden: early doomed break featuring lowly French teams cheered on by the local crowd – think Arkéa, Cofidis, Total Energies – and a sprint finish for Philipsen and company after five days' waiting.
British fans remember Chateauroux for the first of Mark Cavendish's 35 stage wins in 2008 and his 32nd in 2021. With not a single rated climb en route, this is bound to be a sprint day, and by this point, the pressure will be mounting on the fast men who are yet to win: if Philipsen and Merlier are on form, the finger will be pointing at Biniam Girmay and Dylan Groenewegen.
Just the 10 climbs today in the Massif Central; mainly second category but totalling 4,450m of vertical ascent. This is the first major showdown among the favourites, and at least a couple could see their hopes of winning end here. With climbing from the get-go it will be full on from the start; for the win look to a puncheur like Ireland's Ben Healy. It's Bastille Day so the French will bust a gut and leave empty-handed.
Rest day, Tuesday July 15
This could go either of three ways: full bunch sprint, reduced bunch sprint, or break. The finale with its series of little hills might burn off a fast man or two, and will certainly make a coordinated chase difficult. This could be the last full bunch sprint of the Tour, so let's plump for Philipsen; if the break goes and the sprinters' teams tire in the finale the wily Dane Magnus Cort is a good bet.
First proper mountain stage up the grim ascent above Lourdes where Miguel Indurain destroyed the field in 1994. There's a long preamble to the Col du Soulor, the first first-category pass of the race, so expect a massive break targeting the stage win. If the favourites give the break leeway, the winner will be someone who can climb but won't win overall, so why not the Frenchman Guillaume Martin?
Three kilometres of flat, eight straight uphill against the watch, culminating in a final kilometre at 16%. This is a day for the GC men, with absolutely no hiding or bluffing. Whoever wins here will have a very good chance of winning overall in Paris, so it's a day for Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard to show exactly what they've got in the tank. For everyone else, it's damage limitation.
A mountain classic: Cols de Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde, plus the pull up to the ski station, where winners include Federico Bahamontes, Greg LeMond, Hinault and Robert Millar. Four big passes make this a decisive day in the mountains prize with a ton of points on offer; the stage winner will probably be a climber who's not figuring overall. Enric Mas of Spain might fit that bill, or the Austrian Felix Gall.
In the past, the organisers would have left this as a flattish transition stage with a bunch sprint at the end. In the made-for-TV 21st-century Tour, this gets a detour into Le Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc with a couple of meaty climbs midway through to liven things up. It's a day for the breakaway artists, who will know that their opportunities are running out: why not the demon descender Matej Mohoric?
Rest day, Monday July 21
Moonscape, Tom Simpson, Giant of Provence, wheel out those evergreen lines for the nastiest climb of the Tour so far. The stage is pretty flat as far as Bédoin at the foot of the Bald Mountain, but then it's uphill for 22 baking or windswept kilometres. A potentially decisive day for the overall contenders. Pogacar and Vingegaard will make the race here, and UAE v Visma could be a battle worthy of the backdrop.
Potentially a bunch sprint, the last of the Tour, but teams with a sprinter who can climb – think Intermarché with Girmay for example – will try and burn off the slightly heavier brethren such as Merlier on the drag to the Col de Pertuis after 66km, particularly if the green jersey is in play; here's a chance to gain valuable points. It will all hang on wind direction, morale and the peloton's dwindling reserves of strength.
The first of two monstrous Alpine stages, including three super-category passes: the Glandon, Madeleine and the 27km haul up the Col de la Loze to the finish. The script in recent Tours has been for the overall contenders to fight so hard in the biggest mountain stages that the breaks get scooped up before the finish. No reason to expect today to be the exception, so Pogacar or Vingegaard are safe bets for the win.
Short and brutal, but with only two super-category climbs and they aren't quite as horrific as the day before's. The race could well have been decided the day before, in which case the favourites will give a break a lot of headroom, and watch each other to the finish to consolidate what they have. That makes this the final chance for climbers such as Australian Ben O'Connor and Ireland's Ed Dunbar.
The puncheurs and breakaway specialists will have been waiting for five days with this one on their minds. The battle for the early break will be intense and the fight for the stage could be epic. As well as our old friends Cort and Healy, this will appeal to about half the peloton, wily one-day specialists such as the Dane Mattias Skjelmose.
Paradoxically, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Tour finish on the Champs, it's all change: three laps of the Champs circuit, then three times up the Butte Montmartre. If the overall standings are tight this could be a cliffhanger. It's 46 years since a Tour winner won a road-race stage into Paris but don't rule out Pogacar for a final flourish; if not the Slovene, a Classics specialist such as Van der Poel.
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Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Next stop global fame for the unassuming Scot who announced his arrival in this year's Tour de France
It will no doubt take some days yet for the magnitude of what Oscar Onley has achieved at the Tour de France to sink in. The Scottish rider has been the breakout star of this year's race. Onley took to the start line fresh from a strong showing at the Tour de Suisse — yet few could have predicted the dizzying heights he would scale. We're not just talking about his blistering ascents of Mont Ventoux and the Col de la Loze. Onley, 22, has been up there rubbing shoulders with the best in the world, a Who's Who of cycling including contemporary greats Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. The man from Kelso has announced his arrival on the global stage, finishing an incredible fourth in the general classification (GC) standings. It's a colossal accomplishment, equalling the previous highest overall finish by a Scot, Philippa York (who competed as Robert Millar) in 1984. Could Onley have imagined being in this position three weeks ago? Possibly not. He came into the Tour with the sole goal of chasing stage wins, supported by his Picnic PostNL team. He has fought tooth and nail across every inch of tarmac and lofty mountain pass. Nor did it take long to make his mark. Onley finished sixth in Boulogne- sur-Mer on stage two as the seeds of a bold dream took root. After that, the top 10 finishes came thick and fast. Onley took third on stage seven from Saint-Malo to Mur-de-Bretagne, crossing the line hot on the heels of Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) who — with a raft of Grand Tour wins and titles between them — were first and second respectively. He finished fourth in Rouen, fifth on the Hautacam, sixth from Pau to Luchon-Superbagneres and fourth up the Col de la Loze, the queen stage of this year's Tour. The tenacity and talent it takes to produce these Herculean efforts day after day should not be underestimated. Onley, who cut his teeth pedalling around the roads of the Scottish Borders, is the cycling equivalent of Clark Kent becoming Superman. Although a coveted stage win eluded him, 'the Kelso Comet' found himself steadily climbing the GC rankings. While the anticipated showdown between Pogacar and Vingegaard has had fans gripped, the fierce battle between Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) and Onley for the third step on the podium also captivated millions. The weight of expectation on Onley's shoulders must have felt immense, but he continued to strive with every sinew. On Thursday evening, just 22 seconds stood between third-placed Lipowitz and Onley in fourth. Friday's summit finish on La Plagne was a tough day at the office, with Onley fading in the last kilometres. He claimed fifth, his eighth top 10 finish of the Tour. Sadly, though, the time gap between the pair had widened to over a minute, an insurmountable chasm as the race reached its final stages. Throughout his storming performances, Onley has retained the air of a young man still pinching himself in disbelief. 'It's not really sunk in yet,' he said after his world-class ride on stage four. As he warmed down outside the team bus, Onley reportedly pulled out his phone to double-check the result online. It read: Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Jonas Vingegaard, Oscar Onley. A star was born. On paper, Onley is the archetypal overnight success. Some commentators have referred to him as the 'surprise sensation' of the Tour. However, the hard graft and sacrifice that have brought him to the upper echelons of the sport should not be downplayed. Having started out as a promising cross-country runner, he joined the Kelso Wheelers Cycling Club aged 10, keen to emulate the riders he saw whizzing around the local time trial route past his house. Watching the Tour de France on TV as a youngster also lit a fire, with Onley citing vivid memories of the epic clash between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck on the Col du Tourmalet in 2010. He would have been seven at the time. Fast forward 15 years and he is duelling with cycling adversaries in the Pyrenees, inspiring a new generation of riders into the bargain. While he raced at youth level, it wasn't until joining the junior and under-23 ranks that he began to take his cycling more seriously. A strong time-trialist and climber on the road, his lack of suitability as a track rider — due to his self- confessed 'tiny' frame — meant he didn't follow the traditional pathway through the British Cycling programme, instead exploring the development team racing scene in Europe. In 2019, after competing in France with Scottish Cycling, he signed with Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale and had a promising stint with the feeder squad. Only 16, he began honing his French in preparation. Onley joined Development Team DSM in 2021, where his endeavours included a memorable tussle with two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard at the 2022 CRO Race. Onley stepped up to WorldTour level with Team dsm-firmenich (now Picnic–PostNL) in 2023. He made his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a Espana that same year, playing a key role in the team time trial victory on the opening stage. He crashed out on stage two, suffering a broken collarbone and withdrawing. Onley returned to sparkling form at the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under. At Willunga Hill on stage five, he took his first individual World Tour win. Yet Onley's story quickly racked up more twists and turns than a hairpin-bend climb. Barely a week after his maiden professional victory, he fractured his collarbone again while competing at the 2024 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Then came a third collarbone break at the 2024 Amstel Gold Race — making it a trio of injuries within eight months. Onley soon showed his mettle as the comeback kid. The formidable mindset which has served him well this year came to the fore. While Onley later acknowledged that being sidelined for the third time in less than a year was 'pretty tough', he used his recuperation to take a step back and regroup, mentally and physically. Rather than wallow, Onley 'switched off from cycling', buying Lego to keep his 'mind busy' and avoid doomscrolling on his phone. It reaped dividends. After returning at the 2024 Tour de Suisse, he was named in his team's roster for that year's Tour de France. Speaking to Mail Sport ahead of his Tour debut last July, Onley described it as 'a childhood dream'. He finished a credible 39th in the GC standings, with a fifth place on stage 17. Not even Onley could have imagined, though, the riveting head-to-head he would find himself in a year later, catapulting him from future star to podium contender. Over the past 12 months, he has taken second overall at the 2024 Tour of Britain and won the best young rider classification — as well as being the highest-placed British rider — at the 2024 Road World Championships in Zurich. This year has seen Onley garner a series of top 10 GC finishes, including third at last month's Tour de Suisse. Which brings us back to the here and now. There will be much to unpack from his phenomenal Tour de France, and it's important to remember he is still only halfway through a five-year development plan drafted by Picnic PostNL. What has unfolded on the roads of France is merely the beginning. Surely the next stop is superstardom.


Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Scotland's greatest road cyclist says Onley is 'Grand Tour contender'
Yesterday, Oscar Onley finished fourth in the general classification (GC) standings of the 2025 Tour de France. It was an exceptional result from the 22-year-old from Kelso, and so extraordinary was his performance, it even impressed Scotland's best-ever road racer, Philippa York. Known as Robert Millar during her cycling career, York produced a string of world class results including, most notably, at the 1984 Tour de France, at which she won the King of the Mountains classification and finished in fourth place in the GC. Her stellar career means York is one of a select group of Scots who know just what it takes to contend in the general classification in any of the grand tours, and specifically the Tour de France. York, riding as Millar, competed during one of the all-time great eras of the sport, with the riders of the calibre of Laurent Fignon, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond all grand tour contenders at that time. And given her experience, she is well-qualified to recognise a truly great rider, which is exactly what she believes Onley can become. This has been highlighted by his 2025 season up until this point, and particularly his ride at the Tour de France over the past three weeks, which saw him in close contention for a GC podium place before ultimately finishing fourth behind only Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz in the standings. 'I have been watching Oscar's progress,' says York. 'He's made a step up this year in terms of results and I'm not surprised he's now performing at the highest level. 'I thought before the Tour this year that he was good enough for a top ten finish but he has really exceeded that by being comfortably in amongst the leaders' group when required.' Philippa York has been hugely impressed with Onley's ability to compete with the world's very best (Image: .) Onley's performance at this year's Tour also saw him claim second in the young rider classification (behind Lipowitz) and his first-ever grand tour individual podium spot with third place on Stage 7. When added to his fourth place in the GC, this all bodes extremely well for the future, particularly given York's belief that there remains several aspects of his riding upon which he can improve. 'Thankfully, Oscar's potential has been carefully nurtured by (his team) Picnic PostNL and now he's developing into a genuine Grand Tour contender,' says York. 'He will have learned a lot at this Tour de France, which will allow him to work on a few areas that he can improve upon including his time-trialling, for example. His time-trialling is not bad at the moment, but there's gains to be made in that area. 'But he'll continue to improve as he matures and gains experience.' Onley's performance over the past three weeks gives him an extremely solid platform upon which to build over coming seasons, particularly as he looks towards 2027 when the [[Tour de France]] comes to Scotland for the first time, with the Grand Depart leaving from Edinburgh. Oscar Onkey only narrowly missed out on a podium place at this year's Tour de France (Image: Getty Images) York believes that not only will his performance at this year's Tour work wonders for Onley's self-belief but it will also be significant for Scottish cycling as a whole. 41 years after she finished fourth in the Tour de France, Scotland once again has a rider who is contending for GC honours in the greatest bike race in the world and that, believes York, is extremely important for the sport in this country. 'For Oscar personally, his performance at this year's Tour will be a big boost in confidence,' she says. 'His place in the peloton, and the fact he's now a team leader, earns him a massive amount of respect from other riders. 'And for Scotland, it's big deal to have a world-class rider involved in the most important races in the sport. 'Hopefully, this will inspire another generation of young cyclists to believe they can do something similar.'


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Peerless Pogacar claims fourth Tour title, Van Aert wins brutal final stage
PARIS, July 27 (Reuters) - Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, cementing his status as the most dominant rider of his generation and moving alongside Britain's Chris Froome on the all-time winners' list. The 26-year-old Slovenian, who triumphed in 2020, 2021 and 2024, delivered a near-flawless performance, even coming close to prevailing on a spectacular final stage on the Champs Elysees after an epic duel with Belgian Wout van Aert. "Just speechless to win a fourth Tour de France. Six years in a row on the podium and this one feels especially amazing, and I'm super proud that I can wear this yellow jersey," Pogacar, who was second in 2022 and 2023, said. Pogacar attacked relentlessly in the ascents of the Butte Montmartre but eventually suffered a brutal counterpunch from Van Aert, who went solo to win the last stage. The competitive element was largely neutralised on Sunday after organisers decided to freeze the times with about 50 kilometres left due to hazardous road conditions in driving rain. It did not prevent Pogacar from going for it, however, but Van Aert proved to be the best on the day, beating Italian Davide Ballerini and third-placed Matej Mohoric with Pogacar taking fourth place. The world champion effectively sealed his victory in the Pyrenees, with a brutal attack on the climb to Hautacam and a commanding victory in the uphill individual time trial, leaving chief rival Jonas Vingegaard more than four minutes behind. Twice champion Vingegaard of Denmark ended up 4:24 off the pace in Paris. German Florian Lipowitz finished third, 11:00 behind Pogacar, on his Tour debut and won the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider. "This was one of the hardest Tours I've ever been in," Pogacar said. The celebrations turned tense on Sunday when the final stage featured three climbs up Montmartre. Times had been neutralised some 50km from the finish due to slippery roads, but a fierce fight for the stage win still unfolded. Pogacar equalled Froome (2013, 2015–17) and now only trails cycling greats Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain, who share the record with five titles. Pogacar also secured the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification, underlining his all-round dominance, while Italy's Jonathan Milan clinched the green jersey for the points competition. For Ineos Grenadiers, the once all-conquering team that ruled the 2010s with victories by Bradley Wiggins, Froome and Geraint Thomas, there was little to celebrate beyond two stage wins by Thymen Arensman. Thomas, a former champion, rode his last Tour in virtual anonymity, as the British team continues to face questions amid doping allegations reported in recent weeks. As tradition dictates, riders entered Paris in celebratory mood, but the finale proved anything but routine with the Montmartre climbs spicing up the closing laps.