The iconic climbs of Mont Ventoux, Hautacam and the Col de la Loze are among the places rumoured to feature in the Tour de France race route for 2025.
Ahead of Tuesday's official route announcement, reports have emerged of the locations the Grand Tour may visit in its 112th edition.
These include a summit finish to the lunar climb of Mont Ventoux, which counted a double ascent in 2021, in a stage won by Wout van Aert. First reported by La Voix du Nord, it is thought that the mountain will host a summit finish in 2025, with the Vaucluse department's president, Dominique Santoni, reported in La Marseilliase as saying there is a "very strong chance" of the Tour passing through.
It was previously reported by Le Dauphiné Libéré that Alpe d'Huez could also return to the race route, however the French publication has since suggested this might not be until 2026. Instead, it is thought a stage finish at Courchevel is likely, passing over the "monster" Col de la Loze, where Felix Gall won in 2023.
The two ascents are expected to come in a stacked final week of climbing, with a summit finish to La Plagne also rumoured. The 17km HC climb, pitched at an average gradient of 7.6%, has been absent from the race for over 20 years, last used in the route in 2002. Le Dauphiné Libéré reports that La Plagne will come on stage 19, the day after the Courchevel finish, and could bring the race's final uphill test.
Other rumours include a finish on the Mûr-de-Bretagne at the end of the first week, a stage to Châteauroux, where Mark Cavendish claimed his first of 35 career stage wins in 2008, and another finish in Toulouse.
The peloton is expected to tackle the Pyrenees mountains in the second week of the race. France Bleu Occitanie has reported a stage finish to the ski resort of Superbagnères, which hasn't hosted the Tour since 1989. The French publication has also pointed at a finish to Peyragudes, where this year's champion, Tadej Pogačar, won in 2022.
Also in the Pyrenees, La Dépêche has reported rumours of a stage to Hautacam. The climb last featured in the race in 2022, and was the site of Jonas Vingegaard's second stage victory.
What we know for certain
The 2025 Tour de France will begin on 5 July with a flat Grand Départ around the city of Lille, in the country's north east. The opening stage will be one for the sprinters, who will enjoy their first shot at the race's first rainbow jersey since 2020, when Alexander Kristoff won in Nice.
On day two, the peloton will face a hilly 209km parcours between Lauwin-Planque and the coastal town of Boulongne-sur-Mer. Day three will also finish by the sea, tracing a route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk.
Beyond the first three stages, the organisers have also revealed that the fourth day will leave Amiens, heading south to a mystery stage finish. The race will conclude on 27 July, when it will return to its usual finale on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, having swapped the French capital for Nice this year because of the Olympics.
The official route will be unveiled on 29 October, during a ceremony inside Paris's Palais des Congrès.
