The Tour de France 2025 in Hauts-de-France: 4 days of popular fervor and sporting celebration
With its four spectacular stages, varied landscapes, exceptional popular fervor and unprecedented mobilization, this Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025 will be one to remember.
Kick-off in Lille
The 112th event kicked off in Lille. Right from the start, the city was abuzz with fervor.
More than a million spectators lined the route. 500,000 visitors flocked to Lille for the event, including 42,000 on the Grand'Place for the team presentation on Thursday, July 3.
A festive atmosphere: brass bands, urban entertainment, families in yellow... The city was transformed into the capital of cycling.
Belgian Jasper Philipsen won the first stage and took the yellow jersey.
Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer: the second stage
The peloton then crossed the roads of Nord and Pas-de-Calais for a 209 km stage between plains and steep hills. The festivities began at the start in Lauwin-Planque, a small village mobilized as never before. The route took in Douai, in the midst of the Gayant festival, then the Côte d'Opale, with spectacular sections in Outreau and Saint-Étienne-au-Mont, with a 15% gradient. Large crowds cheered on the runners in each of the towns they passed through, in a popular summer fair atmosphere.
From Valenciennes to Dunkirk: a stage in the wind and rain
Third day in the region, with a 100% northern stage from Valenciennes to Dunkirk.
Historic return for Valenciennes, first stage town since 1990. The peloton crossed the mining basin, Béthune, then Mont Cassel before heading for the sea.
In Dunkirk, a warm welcome to a festive city, buoyed by its carnival spirit and the large numbers of families who flocked to the event.
The Béthune, Seclin and Dunkerque fan zones were among the busiest of the entire Grand Départ.
Tim Merlier won the third stage, which was marred by a number of crashes.
Amiens-Rouen: Crossing green landscapes
The final act in the Hauts-de-France region, this stage left Picardy for Normandy.
In Amiens, the locals turned out in force to greet the runners in the morning. On the road, from Crèvecœur to Gournay-en-Bray, passing through the Picardy plains, the crowds never let up.
The people of the Oise region bid the Tour a fond farewell, in keeping with their attachment to the event.
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar won the fourth stage of the Tour de France in Rouen on Tuesday, ahead of Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and Dane Jonas Vingegaard.
A mobilized region, a passionate people
In four days, the Hauts-de-France region once again demonstrated its love of cycling. More than 1.5 million spectators cheered on the riders as they passed by. With events in every town, flags flying from balconies, schools, associations and cycling clubs all mobilized, the popular fervour was total. Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-Franceregion, hailed the event: " The Hauts-de-France region was the finest showcase for popular cycling. This Grand Départ is a collective success.
The Tour de France 2025 left Hauts-de-France on Tuesday, but the emotion will stay with us for a long time.