Tour de France 2025: route in Hauts-de-France unveiled!
There's strength in numbers, Hauts-de-France is winning, and a festive, unifying event is on the horizon: the Tour de France cycliste 2025 will set off on July 5, 2025, from the capital of Flanders, promising a great party in the capital of Flanders, and of Hauts-de-France!
"We wanted to come back to a friendly place, one that breathes cycling," says Tour Director Christian Prudhomme.
This new "Grand Départ" will be the 5ᵉ in our region's history. The Grande Boucle had already started from Lille in 1960, Roubaix in 1969, Lille in 1994 and Dunkirk in 2001.
Solidarity between players
The union of local players has won the day! The organizers of the Tour de France, aware of the interest and enthusiasm of the Hauts-de-France region for cycling, have decided to give our region - and its inhabitants - a place of pride for the 2025 edition. The last time the region hosted the start was in Dunkirk in 2001 (and Lille before that, in 1994). "Organizing this grand departure is a historic moment for a region that shares the values of courage and solidarity. Not only does it bring economic and tourist benefits, but it also highlights the optimism and ambition of our region, which is undergoing a transformation," explains Antoine Sillani, regional vice-president in charge of sports policy.
Four stages in Hauts-de-France
Mark your calendars! The Grande Boucle will set off from Lille on Saturday, July 5, 2025 for a first loop stage, designed for sprinters and crossing the Flanders, Béthunois and Lensois regions.
The 2025 Tour will include three other stages in our region. Each of them will highlight the variety of our landscapes, from the Bassin minier to the Côte d'Opale, via the historic monuments of the Artois and Amiens regions, as well as the fervor of the local people, who will be out in force to support the riders along the roadsides.
"After three editions starting from abroad, it's no coincidence that we chose this great region to organize this one. It's a region that's passionate about cycling, and full of conviviality", explains Tour de France Director Christian Prudhomme enthusiastically.
The four stages
- Saturday, July 5, 2025: Grand departure from Lille. 1ʳᵉ stage around the greater Lille area (185 km)
- Sunday, July 6: Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer (209 km)
- Monday, July 7: Valenciennes - Dunkirk (172 km)
- Tuesday July 8: departure from Amiens. The rest of the route has not yet been revealed by the organizers.
1ʳᵉ stage: Lille - Lille, 185 km
This will be the perfect opportunity for the sprinters to take the first Yellow Jersey. Three climbs, first in Artois at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, shortly after crossing Lens, then in Flanders with the cobbled Côte de Cassel and the Mont Noir, some forty kilometers from the finish, will have created a great battle for the best climber's jersey.
This first stage promises to be a tough one, relatively flat despite three climbs: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Mont Cassel and Mont Noir: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Mont Cassel and Mont Noir, some forty kilometers from the finish line, which the sprinters should be fighting for, unless the wind picks up and creates some curbs in the final stretch.
2ᵉ stage: Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer, 209 km
From a start in the heart of the Douais region, the profile of this stage will undoubtedly bring about a change in the Yellow Jersey wearer. If he's a pure sprinter, yesterday's winner will find it hard to resist the wear and tear of the hills of the Artois and Boulonnais regions, and the incessant battle of the climbs leading up to windy plateaus.
As for the finale, it will be cut out for the puncheurs, with two severe difficulties on the seaside, at Saint-Étienne-au-Mont and its 15% passages, then at Outreau, just over 5 kilometers from the finish line, itself drawn at the top of a one-kilometer climb. The overall favourites will need to be on their toes.
3ᵉ stage: Valenciennes - Dunkerque, 172 km
Valenciennes will be the starting town for this 3ᵉ stage. The Hainaut town had not hosted the caravan for 34 years! It had been the finishing town in 1991. Dunkirk had to wait less to see the riders again. The city of Jean Bart was the starting town in 2022. This time, it will host the finish, probably in a sprint, but you'll have to watch out for the wind in the final kilometers on the Flandres Maritimes plain. The peloton will have crossed the mining basin beforehand, with another passage through Béthune as on the 1ʳᵉ stage.
Stage 4: departure from Amiens
Seven years after the victory of Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, at the conclusion of the last of the ten Tour finishes hosted in Amiens and its Metropolis, and for the fourteenth visit of the Grande Boucle, Jules Verne's adopted city will be the scene of a departure for a destination as yet unknown. The historic capital of Picardy, the second-largest city in the Hauts-de-France region after Lille, will be showing off its majestic setting to followers, spectators and TV viewers alike: in the heart of the old town, its Notre-Dame cathedral, the largest in the country and a jewel of Gothic art, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
Focus on the stage
The crossing of the Picardy plain is exposed to the winds and could offer options to teams tempted by the edging game. But there's an even greater chance of a battle between the peloton's best puncheurs in the final forty kilometers. After the historic côte de Bonsecours, where they will pass the Jean Robic stele, there will still be the côte de Grand'Mare and above all the côte de la rampe Saint-Hilaire with its 15% gradient, before plunging for five kilometers towards the center of Rouen.
A Tour de France with economic spin-offs
The Tour de France highlights the regions it passes through for the whole world to see. The event is broadcast in 190 countries and enjoys international media coverage! It's a real booster for tourism and the economy.
Our regions, which will be at the heart of this great loop, can only benefit from the spin-offs it will generate.
Dates to remember
Wednesday, July 2: opening of the welcome desk and press center
Thursday, July 3: presentation of the Tour de France 2025 teams
Saturday, July 5: 1ʳᵉ stage Lille Métropole > Lille Métropole
Sunday, July 6: 2ᵉ stage Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer
Monday, July 7: 3ᵉ stage Valenciennes > Dunkerque
Tuesday, July 8: 4ᵉ stage Amiens Métrople >