Pyrenees or Alps? Every year, the big question is which of the two mountain ranges will decide the Tour de France. Well, sometimes the Vosges also play this role. Or, even more rarely, a final time trial. The mystery is solved as soon as the organisers officially present the route. So this year it's the Alps. The highlight of the final week is likely to be the mountain finish in La Plagne on the third-to-last day. La Plagne? Some winter sports fans may have heard the name of the ski resort in the Savoy Alps before. However, the town has not played a major role in the Tour de France so far. Or has at least fallen into oblivion. The last mountain finish was 23 years ago, when Dutchman Michael Boogerd won a stage there in 2002. Before that, it was Alex Zülle in 1995 and French national cycling hero Laurent Fignon twice in 1987 and 1984.
However, the relatively unknown La Plagne is no exception in this year's Tour of the Alps. There is no L'Alpe d'Huez, no Galibier, no Izoard on the stage plan. Even Mont Ventoux - if you want to judge by the number of ascents - is not really a mountain that belongs to the closest circle of Tour classics. Only ten ascents in 75 years compared to 31 ascents in L'Alpe d'Huez. However, the Ventoux is always good for headlines due to its unusual topography and unpredictable climatic conditions. Unfortunately, it also makes sad headlines when you remember the death of British professional cyclist Tom Simpson, who died on the southern ramp of the Ventoux in 1967.
Tour de France on unknown paths
But does it always have to be the well-known classics over which the field of riders is chased? Where you know every bend? Where you know in advance where the next attack will be launched? Of course not. For one thing, the Tour de France has always seen it as its duty to present the country of France in all its facets to the spectators. Secondly, the route should allow for surprises in the race and the classification. In recent years in particular, completely new routes have been introduced in the mountains. For example, the Col de Portet in the Pyrenees, which already existed as a bumpy pothole track, but was completely renovated for the Tour. An even more striking example is the Col de la Loze in the Alps, over which a completely new asphalt road has been built - and which will be the finish of a mountain finish for the third time on 24 July.
Savoy Alps pass mecca
So there's a lot to be said for perhaps even paying a visit to the Tour this year - to get to know these even less established mountain roads and experience the unique atmosphere during such a stage as a spectator.
Another advantage is that the region with the venues for the expected showdown is relatively manageable. Most of the climbs branch off from the upper Isère valley, between Moutiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice. You shouldn't be put off by the fact that in the Tarentaise - as the region is called - one ski resort follows the next. The well-developed feeder roads in the valley can be skilfully avoided by racing cyclists. For example on the Balcon de Tarentaise, a panoramic road on the southern slope between Aime and Bourg Saint-Maurice. On the opposite side, there are also villages clinging to the mountain, connected by winding roads. Have you ever heard of Col du Tra? Now is the time to discover it. But first things first.
Start on Mont Ventoux | 16th stage | 22 July
As the peloton rolls towards the Alps, the riders have tough Pyrenean stages behind them, including a mountain time trial. Not forgetting the extremely hilly stages through the Massif Central. The route looks like a typical, predominantly flat transition stage, but with Mont Ventoux awaiting at the end with a mountain finish. The classement riders will try to save as much energy as possible in order to be at the front in the finale. This is because the route up to the summit from Bédoin is the most difficult of the three variants. Unusual: The next day, on the flat stage to Valence, there will be another opportunity to recover at least a little.
Info: Mont Ventoux (1,910 metres)
- North ramp of Malaucène: Route length 20.7 km altitude difference, 1,520 m elevation gain, average gradient 7.4 %
- South ramp of Bédoin: Route length 21.4 km, elevation gain 1,576 metres, average gradient 7.5 %
Steep, steeper, Col de la Loze | 18th stage | 24 July
The grand finale begins: two passes and a mountain finish are on the programme today, all of them hors catégorie climbs, i.e. the highest level of difficulty in the Tour. Although the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine are old favourites, they do not belong to the inner circle of classics. Both appear very often in the Tour profile, but usually "only" lead to preliminary decisions in the course of a stage. A look back at the 1998 Tour, when Jan Ullrich attacked his rival Marco Pantani on the Madeleine after suffering a disastrous collapse the day before in the rain of Les Deux Alpes, shows just how exciting this can be. Ullrich always described the Col de la Madeleine as his favourite pass, perhaps because of the extremely even gradient.
Info: Col de la Madeleine (2,000 metres)
- North ramp of Feissons-sur-Isère: Route length 25.6 km, elevation gain 1,601 metres, average gradient 6.4 %
- South ramp of La Chambre: Route length 18.6 km, elevation gain 1,529 metres, average gradient 8.3 %
With a difference in altitude of around 1,400 metres, the preceding Col du Glandon is also anything but a coffee ride. Coming from the south, it is characterised above all by an extremely unrhythmic climb, which even some climbers don't like. This is definitely an opportunity for lively riders to break up the field early on and perhaps even form a group. However, such a breakaway is unlikely to make it to the finish on this day. Because at the end, the Col de la Loze with its 26.5 kilometre climb offers plenty of opportunities to catch tired breakaway riders. The showpiece discipline of a Tadej Pogačar.
Info: Col du Glandon (1,924 metres)
- North ramp of St Etienne-de-Cuines: Route length 20.3 km, elevation gain 1,467 metres, average gradient 7.5 %
- South ramp of Rochetaillée: Route length 29.5 km, elevation gain 1,420 metres, average gradient 5.6 %
After the exhilarating descent from Madeleine, it's only a few flat kilometres to the final climb. Definitely no time to recover. The 2,304 metre-high Col de la Loze came into the Tour spotlight for the first time in 2020. This was not even possible before that, as the route was only opened that year: A pass road exclusively for cyclists that connects the ski resorts of Courchevel and Méribel. It was built as part of a tourism project that is intended to connect all three valleys of the Trois Vallées ski region in the future. This is because the link between Méribel and Les Menuires is still only half complete. The tour will be travelling the Loze from Courchevel for the first time. Previously, the retort town in the easternmost of the three valleys has already been the destination of the Tour three times, in 1997, 2000 and 2005, so like La Plagne, it is a rather unknown quantity. The actual pass ramp from Courchevel is only 5.8 kilometres long, but with ramps of up to 16% gradient, it's a tough one. And that's after around 170 kilometres at race pace!
Info: Col de la Loze (2,304 metres)
- North-east ramp from Brides-les-Bains (via Courchevel): Route length 26.1 km, elevation gain 1,715 metres, average gradient 6.6 %
- North-west ramp from Brides-les-Bains (via Méribel): Route length 21.6 km Elevation gain 1,653 metres, average gradient 7.7 %
Showdown in La Plagne | 19th stage | 25 July
On the final Alpine stage, which is only 130 kilometres long, there are five mountain classifications to score some more points for the climbers. Interesting fact: The route is largely identical to that of the 9th stage in 1995, when the Swiss Alex Zülle triumphed in La Plagne. Back then, the Col de Saisies also served as a prelude and the Cormet de Roselend as an executioner before the final climb. It was also one of the rare mountain stages in history where an early breakaway managed to hold on to its lead to the finish. The Cormet de Roselend can certainly be described as a semi-classic, as this is the 15th time the pass has featured in the Tour profile this year. Incidentally, the day after Zuellle's success, another mountain finish was on the programme: Alpe d'Huez. Reason enough for a comparison, as the two climbs reveal surprising parallels.
Info: Cormet de Roselend (1,968 metres)
- Western ramp from Beaufort (via Col du Pré): Route length 24.8 km, elevation gain 1,452 metres, average gradient 5.9%
- Eastern ramp of Bourg-Saint-Maurice: Route length 19 km, elevation gain 1,158 metres, average gradient 6.3%
Harder than Alpe d'Huez?
The last mountain. And only two more stages to Paris! This means that La Plagne will be in the spotlight of cycling on 25 July. But wouldn't the showdown in the battle for the yellow jersey be more suited to a much more famous - and supposedly harder - climb like Alpe d'Huez? Perhaps. However, a look at the data shows that the demands of the ramp to La Plagne are not far behind the classic - if not on a par. Although there is 1.2 per cent less average gradient in La Plagne, the climb is 5.3 kilometres longer than Alpe d'Huez and there are around 200 metres more altitude difference. There are also other similarities: Both resorts are ski resorts planned on the drawing board with corresponding architecture. And the fact that both climbs have 21 numbered hairpin bends up to the entrance to the village is almost curious. The advantage of La Plagne: in contrast to Alpe d'Huez, there would still be plenty of room on the hairpin bends there for signs honouring stage winners.
Final climbs in comparison: La Plagne (2,052 metres) - L'Alpe d'Huez (1,860 metres)
- North ramp of Aime: Route length 19.1 km, elevation gain 1,379 metres, average gradient 7.2%, TdF mountain finishes 4
- North-east ramp from Bourg-d'Oisans: Route length 13.8 km, elevation gain 1,132 metres, average gradient 8.4%, TdF mountain finishes 31
The question remains: who actually needs the so-called classics? No, joking aside. Galibier and Alpe d'Huez will of course retain their cult status, even if the two celebrity ramps do not appear on the route plan this year. What is certain, however, is that the Alpine finale of the 2025 Tour will be no less exciting given the alternatives in the mountains of Savoie.
Tour tips for Tour de France fans
If you want to visit the Tour, you should take the opportunity to conquer a few of the climbs yourself: Rarely are so many race-deciding mountain passes and finishes so close together. In addition, the Savoy Alps are easier to reach from Germany than, for example, a finale in the Pyrenees or, as last year, on the Côte d'Azur. The small town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the upper Isère valley, the valley town of the Little St Bernard, Col d'Iséran and Cormet de Roselend passes, is an ideal location. In addition, there are numerous cul-de-sacs in the immediate vicinity leading to high-altitude ski resorts. Mountain bikers will definitely get their money's worth here, or rather metres in altitude. We have put together four tours that can also be combined with the stages if desired.
Tip for your own planning: There is nothing better for France's roads than the typical yellow and orange-coloured Michelin folding maps. They can also be found online for free (https://www.viamichelin.de/). If you want the exact GPS data for the tours, you can download these (and many more) here find. TOUR subscribers receive the GPS data free of charge at tour-magazin.de Simply register and download under "My area"!
GPS data for retracing the tours
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Tour 1 (green) - Jan's favourite pass (134 km, 4,180 m elevation gain)
The peloton climbs into the Tarentaise via the southern ramp of the Col de la Madeleine. The approach for spectators via the northern ramp is just as smooth and, with an average gradient of 6.4 per cent, even easier. The relatively newly tarmaced connection between the small Col du Chaussy and the Madeleine south ramp is ideal for an additional lap. The ascent leads over the spectacular Lacets du Montvernier, probably one of the most beautiful serpentine sections in the Alps.
Tour 2 (turquoise) - New steep ramps (68 km, 2,150 m elevation gain)
The Col de la Loze, which only opened in 2020, is ideal for a short loop. A feast for racing cyclists, as the summit section between Méribel and Courchevel is a cycle path that is closed to public traffic. For the first time, a Tour stage from Courchevel ends at the top of the pass, the somewhat easier side according to the profile. Nevertheless, it is also peppered with some steep ramps beyond the 15 per cent mark. It's best to watch from the top, as the lower part of the route to Courchevel is rather boring.
Tour 3 (red) - Roselend-Achter (118 km, 3,790 m elevation gain)
The western side of the Cormet de Roselend offers two variants and also access to beautiful side roads around the Col des Saisies. The shortest option for spectators: From the east over the Cormet and look for a place in the open terrain between the lake and the top of the pass. Longer and more painful is a lap via Beaufort and directly back over the Col du Pré. This is also where the peloton rides up to the lake. The additional lap towards the Col des Saisies leads over the Mont Bisanne and has two faces: moderately steep anti-clockwise, but a real torture the other way round.
Tour 4 (purple/yellow) - Tarentaise Panorama (88 km, 2,430 m elevation gain)
An extremely scenic route that winds its way along the slopes of the Isère Valley. It also largely avoids the busy valley floor. Tip: Be sure to cycle anti-clockwise and start early, as it can get extremely hot from midday onwards on the Balcon de Soleil, the sunny balcony of the Tarentaise. After the intermediate descent to Moutiers, a short section on the N90 is unavoidable before turning right for the pleasant climb towards Col du Tra. At Aime, where the mountain finish to La Plagne starts, you can fortunately use the cycle path back to Bourg Saint-Maurice.
