Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 Preview: July Belongs To The TDF
Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 Preview: July Belongs To The TDF
The Tour de France 2025 begins Saturday in Lille, France, with Stage 1 of 21. The FloBikes broadcast will begin at 7 a.m. EDT. Here’s a preview.
This year, July belongs to the Tour de France 2025 and the 184 riders who will be aiming to become part of the event's storied history.
The 2025 race will be the 112th edition of the Tour de France, and the 21-stage journey will kick off on French soil for the first time since 2021, following starts in Denmark (2022), Spain (2023) and Italy (2024).
Stage 1, or the Grand Depart, will be special this time around because it will begin and end in the same place - Lille, France. FloBikes coverage of the action for viewers in Canada will start at 7 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:15 p.m. EDT.
The opening stage will be a 184.9-kilometer loop around Lille on July 5, while the final stage on July 27 will see the riders back on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after a year away due to preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
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Defending champion and three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (2020, 2021, 2024) is the favorite once again in 2025, as he's in the middle of another remarkable season that has included four wins in one-day/Classic races, along with a recent victory at the eight-day Critérium du Dauphiné 2025.
As expected, there will be many talented challengers looking to dethrone Pogacar, including two-time TDF winner Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic, 2025 Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates and many, many more.
Again, for viewers in Canada, FloBikes coverage of Stage 1 will begin at 7 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:15 p.m. EDT.
Here’s what to know about Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2025, a 184.9-kilometer trek around Lille:
How To Watch The Tour de France 2025 Stage 1
For Canadian viewers, the Tour de France 2025 is streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms.
In the United States, the Tour de France will be on the NBC family of networks and will stream daily on Peacock. Select stages will air on local NBC affiliates, while others, plus stage reruns, will be shown on the USA Network.
In February 2023, NBC Sports, Peacock and ASO announced a six-year deal that will keep NBC Sports as the home of the Tour de France in the United States through 2029.
Stage 1: Tour de France 2025
Though the opening stage of the Tour de France does feature a little bit of climbing to get the riders warmed up for what's ahead during the three-week race (three short Category 4 climbs), the majority of the day will be relatively flat and is expected to feature an exciting sprint finish.
If things go as expected during this 184.9-kilometer loop around Lille, one of the sprinters, or "fast men" as they're sometimes called, will earn the honor of wearing the first yellow leader's jersey of the year. The last time that happened was 2020, when Alexander Kristoff got the job done in Nice.
The last time a stage of the TDF finished in Lille was 2014.
Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 1 Of The Tour de France 2025?
Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2025 is 184.9 kilometers, or approximately 114.3 miles long.
Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 Profile
Here is what the elevation looks like for Stage 1:
Who Won Stage 1 Of The Tour de France In 2024?
Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2024 was won by French climber Romain Bardet, who recently retired from professional cycling at the age of 34.
Bardet's pro career began in 2012 and concluded June 15 with the final stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025, where he finished seventh in the Mountains Classification and 26th in the General Classification.
In his career at the Tour de France, Bardet won four stages (2015, 2016, 2017, 2024), the Combativity Award (2015) and the Mountains Classification (2019).
Bardet's teammate Frank Van Den Broek finished second on the stage and was followed by Wout van Aert and eventual GC winner Pogacar.
When Does The Tour de France 2025 Start?
The Tour de France 2025 starts July 5 and will conclude July 27.
The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days (July 15 and July 21).
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
How Long Is The Tour de France 2025?
The course for the Tour de France 2025 is 3,338.8 kilometers or just over 2,074 miles.
The race is 21 stages.
A map of the entire route can be found here.
What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2025?
Here is the complete schedule for the Tour de France 2025.
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Tour de France?
Traditionally, there are 22 teams and up to 176 competitors in the Tour de France. This year, there will be 23 teams and 184 riders.
Here’s the list for 2025:
- Alpecin - Deceuninck
- Arkéa - B&B Hotels
- Bahrain - Victorious
- Cofidis
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama - FDJ
- INEOS Grenadiers
- Intermarché - Wanty
- Israel – Premier Tech
- Lidl – Trek
- Lotto
- Movistar Team
- Red Bull – Bora - Hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic Postnl
- Team Visma | Lease A Bike
- Total Energies
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Who Won The Tour de France In 2024?
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France in 2024 as part of a memorable season that saw him become the first rider since 1998 to win the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same season.
He then added a win at the 2024 World Championships in Switzerland to became the first cyclist since 1987 to win the Giro, TDF and a world championship in the same season.
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