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Grand Tour 2025 route rumours: What we know so far
The Grand Tours are well and truly done and dusted for 2024. Now, it’s time to wait for the routes of next year’s big tours to be revealed.
ASO, the honchos behind the Tour de France, will reveal the 2025 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes routes on Tuesday 29th October 2024 with a grand ceremony in Paris. Two weeks later, Giro d’Italia organiser RCS will share the route of the 2025 edition on Tuesday 12th November 2024. The Vuelta a España‘s route reveal doesn’t have a specific date as yet, but it is expected to be published in December.
For now, we are able to focus on the substantial rumours that surround the potential routes of these races. Often, organisers scout potential stage locations months before the Grand Tour routes are announced visit and news of local councils bidding for stage rights is also widely reported before the official routes are revealed at the end of the year. With these leads, the possible routes of the 2025 Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España can be closely predicted.
Giro d’Italia 2025
The 2025 Giro d’Italia will take place between 10th May and 1st June 2025. No details of the percorso have been officially announced by RCS, the Giro organiser. This includes where the race will start – known as the Grande Partenza.
Rumours surrounding the Giro are cooking up quite the complete image, however. A number of cycling-specific and local news sources have revealed much of the apparent route, which could start outside of Italy for the first time since 2020. We won’t have to guess for much longer, however, as the full Giro d’Italia route will be unveiled in Rome on 12th November.
Current rumours suggest that Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time Tour de France champion, will be among the starters. Romain Bardet will make his last Grand Tour appearance at the Italian race and it is expected that Enric Mas will make his Giro debut next year.
Week one: Albanian Grande Partenza, Abruzzo and another visit to Naples
Currently, Albania is in pole position to host the Grande Partenza in 2025. Back in the spring, it was reported that the Giro ‘might start in a country that has never hosted a Grand Tour stage’. Since then, Albania has emerged as the assumed host of the 2025 Giro’s first stages.
This comes after a close battle between the Balkan nation and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, which was looking to centre the Grande Partenza around Trieste. However, according to Il Messaggero Veneto and Tuttobici, Albanian organisers offered a multi-million euro package to secure hosting rights for the opening three stages of the 2025 Giro. Tuttobici claims that the Albanian bid offer was three times larger than Trieste’s.
Details of the route in Albania are thin. Expectations are that the race will start in the capital Tirana, most likely with a prologue. VcoAzzura has pointed toward a Stage 2 finish in Vlorë. Based on logistics, Durrës might host Stage 3. The coastal resort provides transport options back to the Italian mainland where the race will continue. RCS haven’t denied these suspicions. There is a long-time connection between Italy and Albania. Italy occupied the Balkan nation for much of the 20th century, and a large Albanian diaspora has grown across the Adriatic.
With the race back on the mainland, some direction of the route has been rumoured. Puglia is expected to be where the race picks up. Yet another visit to Naples is expected during week one before the race moves up the spine of Italy via Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Details are thin on the ground surrounding the remaining stages in this first week, however, Tuttobici speculates that gravel could make a return on Stage 9.
Week two: Friuli, a time-trial and the Dolomites
Murmurs point towards the second week being concentrated in between Tuscany and Italy’s northeast. A time-trial has been tabled for Stage 10 in this case between Lucca and Pisa. If this is the case, the route will be roughly 20 to 35km in length. After this, there are strong links to suggest a stage finish on either Stage 12 and Stage 13 in the city of Vicenza.
Tuttobici has revealed that Friuli will host a weekend of racing. This is expected to slot in for Stages 14 and 15. While close to the Slovenian border, Stage 14 is expected to finish in Gorizia, which hosted a stage back in 2021 won by Victor Campanaerts. Gorizia will also be celebrating its year as the European Capital of Culture in 2025. With this in mind, the region is confident that the border town will receive a stage next year.
For Stage 15, at the end of week two, the race has been rumoured to have a big Dolomite stage up to the Col Drusciè, which the Giro hasn’t visited since the 1970s. Few people have ventured up this climb by bike, but some investigating reveals that the climb is a real steep kicker in excess of 9% in average gradient. The standard of paving towards the summit is unclear.
Week three: Alps, the Valle d’Aosta and a Vatican time-trial
Reports suggest that the peloton will start the final week with a Dolomite brute on Stage 16. La Provincia Unica revealed that RCS have been on the ground preparing a return to Bormio. This would slot in on Stage 16 and could give the chance for the Passo dello Stelvio to feature in the 2025 race.
According to local newspaper Aosta Sera, the northwest of Italy is expected to host the final mountain challenges of the 2025 Giro. The Valle d’Aosta in the northwest corner of Italy is expected to host a mountain stage the next day. This comes after a long campaign from the region to host the Corsa Rosa again. A mountain stage over the Col d’Arlaz and Col Tzecore with a false flat arrival to Champoluc has been suggested.
A Stage 20 showdown between Canavese and Sestriere is also hesitantly expected. This Piedmontese climb held the penultimate stage of the 2020 Giro on a day won by Tao Geoghegan Hart. Digging deeper, Torino Cronaca believe that the race could pass over the Colle delle Finestre en route to the finish in Sestriere. This would mark the end of a six-year hiatus for the off-road climb in Grand Tours.
The final stage of the Corsa Rosa is assumed to be held in Rome. The city’s mayor stated on Stage 21 of last year’s Giro held in the ‘eternal city’. Mind, it has been rumoured by Italian news site Bicisport that the Giro will visit the Vatican on this day to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee, a year-round celebration of the Catholic faith. Race organisers have echoed that, confirming that the Vatican will feature on the final stage. There is some speculation that this could be in the form of a time-trial from the Holy See to Rome’s Colosseum.
Tour de France 2025
The 2025 Tour de France will begin on 5th July 2025 in Lille, France. The race for the maillot jaune will conclude in Paris on 27th July after moving temporarily to Nice in 2024 on account of the Olympics taking place in Paris. However, the vast majority of the route will be announced on 29th October 2024 at Paris’s Palais de Congrès.
The Tour de France has already released the routes and profiles for the opening three stages of the 2025 race. Centring in the northeastern corner of France in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais départements, the first three days will take place over three road stages, two flat (Stages 1 and 3) and one hilly (Stage 2). Stage 4 has been announced to start from Amiens, but from there, the rest is secret (or so they think).
Sleuths at local newspapers have monitored hotel bookings across France and called up both mayors and local officials to find out what the possible parcours of the 2025 Grande Boucle could look like, and we’ve trawled through local news articles to piece together what it might add up to.
Week one: An early time-trial, plenty of flat stages and (potentially) the Mûr de Bretagne
Sources suggest that the Tour will move westwards along the Channel on its departure from Amiens. This will begin with a Stage 4 finish in Normandy – La Voix du Nord believes Rouen will host the stage finish. Hoteliers in the Norman city have told local press that race organisers have already booked accommodation there. The possibility is there for a punchy finale.
Ouest-France has unravelled some of the race locations for the first week of the Tour. According to the regional newspaper, Stage 5 will see a time-trial around the city of Caen. This rumour is founded on local knowledge and a swamp of advance hotel bookings for the evening of the 8th July 2025.
Multiple outlets have speculated that Stage 6 will head from the Norman city of Bayeux. The next day, Stage 7 will reach Brittany according to Ouest-France. The stage is reported to start in the walled city of Saint-Malo on the Breton coast with a finish set for the Mûr de Bretagne, a puncheur’s climb that has become a Tour classic since its introduction in 2011. In recent weeks, La Nouvelle République have disputed this rumour. They claim that the hilltop is not available for the finish.
A couple of days later, a stage finish is expected in Châteauroux on Stage 9 according to local sources and hotel availability. Mark Cavendish has won three stages in the city.
The coveted right to host the stage on Bastille Day – France’s national holiday – is up in the air. The centre of the country seems to have a lead, however: La Montagne has suggested that Stage 10 will take place in the Puy-de-Dôme département with a possible uphill arrival at Mont-Dore. This stage will feature two other significant categorised climbs according to France Bleu. To ensure there’s racing on Bastille Day, the first week will consist of ten stages rather than the usual nine, with the first rest day coming on a Tuesday.
Week two: Pyrenees headline the second week
The southern newspaper France Bleu Occitanie has boldly proclaimed that the Tour will visit the pink city of Toulouse for the first rest day and the arrival of Stage 11. This is hit or miss according to La Dépêche who are unsure of whether this stage will finish in Toulouse or head into the mountains at Hautacam. For now, Stage 11 looks to be a mystery.
Stage 12 is tipped to be a voyage into the Pyrenees from Muret to Superbagnères, a climb that hasn’t been used since 1989. The return of this Pyrenean summit finish has been reported since May. The ascent lasts 17km and has an average gradient of 6.6%. A return to Laurent Fignon’s hallowed Superbagnères finish has been a long-term goal for race organiser Christian Prudhomme. This has been supported by claims by La Dépêche that Bagnères-de-Luchon has already been booked out by the Tour’s publicity caravan.
The rumoured plan by France Bleu Occitanie is for the Tour to return to Peyregudes where Tadej Pogačar took a stage win in 2022. Le Petit Journal has also strengthened a rumour that Stage 13 will be a mountain time-trial to the top of Peyregudes on the typical altiport finish. The stage will be around 15km long from Loudenvielle and in an individual format, much like the Planche des Belles Filles time-trial from 2020.
The rest of week two will be a much flatter affair. Multiple newspapers have signalled that Stage 14 will head out of the mountains for Carcassonne. The following day will then head further east to Montpellier as per L’Indépendent.
Week three: Mont Ventoux ‘99.9% sure’ to return, Col de la Loze and a finale in La Plagne
After a rest day in Montpellier, the Tour will move eastwards.
Questions have been raised about a possible return to Mont Ventoux in 2025. Some regional news sources have stated that this is scheduled for Stage 16 of the race. Le Dauphiné Libéré and La Marseillaise have both quoted the president of the local Vaucluse département as saying ‘there is a strong chance that the Tour will pass through [Vaucluse] in 2025’. Adding to the intrigue, the regional newspaper La Provence reported that local officials were ‘99.9% sure’ of a Tour visit. A month after these initial stories broke, Le Dauphiné Libéré returned to confirm that the Tour will finish up the Giant of Provence.
From Mont Ventoux, the path to the Alps is expected to follow the Rhône Valley up to Valence.
Despite previous speculation about a return to Alpe d’Huez, Stage 18 looks to be heading into the Three Valleys. Le Dauphiné Libéré are confident of a finish either on top of the Col de la Loze or in Courchevel. This cycle-specific climb has hosted two previous Tour stages, notably the fateful day Tadej Pogačar capitulated during the 2023 race. On the route suggested by Le Dauphiné Libéré, the stage could include the Col du Glandon.
Another bumper day in the Alps is forecasted for Stage 19. This day is widely rumoured to end with a summit finish to La Plagne. The 17km long climb hasn’t appeared on the Tour since 2002. It was, however, a summit finish in the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné. On that occasion, Mark Padun took the stage win.
Rumours point towards the 20th Stage heading out of the Alps. Rumours are at odds with the start of this stage. L’Est Républicain believes that the stage will start in Annemasse. Le Progrès on the other hand believes that Oyonnax will gain hosting rights. Regardless, we are more certain that the stage will end in the Doubs département, potentially in the town of Pontarlier.
After a year spent away from the French capital due to the 2024 Olympic Games last July, the Tour de France returns to the Champs-Elysées in 2025. Don’t get your hopes up of another time-trial showdown on the Côte d’Azur.
Tour de France Femmes 2025
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes route was a real step up from previous years. The event started outside of France and featured a big mountaintop finale on the iconic Alpe d’Huez. For 2025, the stakes have been raised. The race will expand by a stage, bringing it out to nine stages. This will make next year’s edition the longest Tour de France Femmes in its short history.
The 2025 edition returns to its late July slot. The race will start in Vannes on 26th July and will finish (perhaps in the Alps) on 3rd August. The location of the Grand Départ has been confirmed for a while now – Brittany has been selected to host the opening three stages.
Stage 1 will head out from Vannes and head to Plumelec. The following day, the racing heads to the north of the region with a profile from Brest to Quimper. This will most likely end in an uphill sprint. La Gacilly rounds out our time in Brittany before the race heads towards the centre of France.
Although route details rightfully remain very secret, the general direction of the race looks to be southeasterly towards the Alps. As part of this, Stage 4 is likely to move into the Massif Central. La Montagne suggests that the following stage will begin in Clermont-Ferrand and end in Ambert via the Col du Béal.
The final weekend is rumoured to be centred around the Alps. Chambéry is said to be the start town of Stage 8, a tough mountain stage that will finish in Maurienne. Given that this area is right in the thick of legendary Alpine climbs, there is some reason to believe that the Col du Galibier could be on the 2025 parcours.
Le Dauphiné Libéré has hinted that the ski resort Châtel will host the arrival of Stage 9, the final stage of the 2025 Tour.
Vuelta a España 2025
According to Italian media, the Italian region of Piedmont will host the Gran Salida of the 2025 Vuelta a España. In June, the Vuelta director Javier Guillén, said, ‘I am very happy to say that La Vuelta and Piedmont are getting closer. We are in discussions and working hard. If it works out, it would give us great satisfaction,’ he continued. Turin and Venaria Reale are among the rumoured stage hosts.
Piedmont held the Giro’s Grande Partenza in 2024 and Turin held a stage of the Tour de France earlier this year. The northern Italian city will, therefore, have hosted all three Grand Tours in the space of just two years. This will also mark the second Vuelta foreign start in a row. With Monaco rumoured for 2026, that could soon be three.
Outside of the Italian start, little is known about next year’s Vuelta a España route.
One thing we are suspecting is a cameo from the Alto de l’Angliru. Newspaper La Nueva España revealed that the local mayor has asked Vuelta organisers to make a visit to the Angliru. The infernally steep mountain was last used in 2023 in a stage won by Primož Roglič. The inclusion of the Angliru would possibly be the focal point of the Vuelta’s three-week route.
Also in Asturias, La Nueva España have discussed the inclusion of La Farrapona in the 2025 route. The climb has been recently repaved and locals seem optimistic. Staying in the mountains, Andorra has been tabled for the 2025 Vuelta according to La Diario de Navarra. The same article also reveals that the Larra-Belagua climb could used as a summit finish.
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