Cycling
Everything you need to know about the Tour de France's Grand Départ
From July 5-27, the Tour de France is back on the road. From Lille to Paris, via the Pyrenees, Le Tour is one of the most iconic events of the year. Here's all you need to know about the Grand Départ.
01
Where and when will the 2025 Grand Départ happen?
The Grand Départ of the 2025 Tour will take place on Saturday, July 5 in Lille; not the first time that Le Tour has set off from the north of France. Over the course of three stages, the riders will criss-cross the region, passing through Valenciennes and Dunkirk among other places.
Primož Roglič greets the crowd at 2024's Grand Départ in Florence
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
02
The history of the Grand Départ
The Tour de France first ran in 1903. For the first two editions, it started in the town of Montgeron, part of the Seine-et-Oise region, now known as Essonne. The start was then moved to a location just outside Paris until 1914, when the First World War forced its cancellation. With the exception of the 1926 edition, which started in Évian-les-Bains, all the editions until 1950 began in the Paris region.
However, since the 1950s the race has packed its bags on a number of occasions. In 1954 it even started abroad for the first time, setting off from the Dutch city of Amsterdam. Since then, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Ireland, Monaco, Denmark, Spain and Italy have all hosted the Grand Départ on one or more occasions.
03
How is the venue for the Grand Départ chosen?
Matteo Sobrero on the Côte d'Azur in 2024
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
The organisation of the Grand Départ, even by the standards of an iconic competition like the Tour de France, requires a great deal of planning and preparation. Between the teams, the organisers, hosts, the media and public, bringing them all together in one town is a major logistical challenge.
From time-to-time, the organisers choose a destination based on other major events. In 1958, for example, Brussels was also hosting the Universal Exhibition and the Tour's passage was seen as a nod to the Europe that was being built at the time.
Before the Second World War, the Grand Départ was a big event, but it had far from the international profile it enjoys today. Since then, however, hosting the start of Le Tour has become both an honour and a political event. The race has now passed through 55 different cities, including capitals such as London, West Berlin (in 1987), Dublin, Copenhagen and Brussels.
In addition to neighbouring countries, a number of other nations are keen to host the Tour and, in much the same way as the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games operate, bids come in thick and fast from potential candidates. Negotiations with the Basque Autonomous Community began in 2016, for example, and the Tour eventually set foot there in 2023. In 2026, the riders will set off from Barcelona, while in 2027, Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has been selected.
04
What's happening at the Grand Départ 2025?
Wout van Aert sprints for the line
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
As already mentioned, Lille, the capital of Hauts-de-France will host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025. Given its proximity to Belgium, the country most visited by the Tour over the years, the north is a logical destination. What's more, the Tour has a habit of staying fairly close to France's borders.
On July 3, ahead of the start on the fifth, the teams taking part in the Tour will take to the streets of the city in the traditional parade. A Fan Park will also be set up in the city, where fans can follow the race and take part in competitions, quizzes, workshops and other activities.
The route of the first three stages
Nico Denz and Jai Hindley pick their way through the peloton
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
As is often the case, the Tour will stay around the Grand Départ area for several stages; three to be precise.
The first, 184.9km long, takes in Lens, Béthune, Hazebrouck, Steenvoorde, Bailleul and Armentières. After that, the riders will head from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer for a second, slightly more complex stage with 2,550m of ascent over 209km. Before leaving Hauts-de-France, the Tour will then pass through Valenciennes and Dunkirk for 178.3km of flat racing.
05
Which teams will race the 2025 Tour de France?
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will hope to enjoy a successful Tour in 2025
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
The Tour de France 2025 will see 23 teams and 184 riders competing . Two types of team can take part in the Tour: the World Tour Teams, equivalent to the first division, and the Pro Teams, corresponding to the second division. This year, 18 World Teams and five Pro Teams are taking part.
Here are the 23 teams that will be leaving Lille on July 5:
World Teams
Pro Teams
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
Lotto
Alpecin-Deceuninck
Team TotalEnergies
Bahrain-Victorious
Uno-X Mobility
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
Israel-Premier Tech
Groupama-FDJ
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Intermarché-Wanty
Movistar Team
Soudal Quick-Step
Team Picnic-PostNL
UAE Team Emirates XRG
Arkéa-B&B Hotels
Cofidis
EF Education-EasyPost
Ineos Grenadiers
Lidl-Trek
Team Jayco AlUla
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
XDS Astana Team
06
Which riders are the favourites for the yellow jersey?
Primož Roglič greets the crowd
© Charly López/Red Bull Content Pool
Tadej Pogačar, who's already won the Tour three times, will obviously be in contention for the yellow jersey. Jonas Vingegaard of the Visma | Lease a Bike team and two-time winner should once again be his main rival. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Enric Mas (Movistar) are also among the favourites.
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team and their team leader, Primož Roglič, will be in the hunt for the yellow jersey. The Slovenian, who has already won the Vuelta and the Giro, is looking to add another title to his already legendary list of victories.
07
What time does the Tour de France start?
Jai Hindley descends Cime de la Bonette
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
The first stage of the 2025 Tour de France will start at 1.10pm CEST (11.10am UTC) on July 5.
Before that, there will be a host of activities, mainly in Lille's Fan Park, which will be open from 10am to 6pm on the Place de la République. The start village will be on the esplanade du Champs-de-Mars, while the finish will be in the vicinity of the Jardin Vauban.
If you're planning to make the pilgrimage to watch the Grand Départ for yourself, to make sure you don't miss out on anything it's advisable to arrive several days early, especially if you don't want to miss the team presentation parade on July 3. What's more, you can expect a host of celebrations in the city leading up to the start.
08
How does the Grand Départ impact the host town?
The Tour brought many fans to the Basque Country in 2023
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
The Tour de France is a global event and one of the most watched sporting competitions in the world (if you add up the spectators for each stage). So the town hosting the Grand Départ inevitably benefits from this spotlight.
In 2023, the Tour set off from Bilbao and the Basque authorities invested some €12m to prepare the capital of Biscay to welcome all the riders. After analysis, it was announced that this initial investment had yielded a healthy return of €103.9m. What's more, a large proportion of this amount went to companies in the region, who had signed a whopping 113 contracts linked to the organisation of the event.
Over the course of the three stages through the Basque Country (Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz - San Sebastian, Amorebieta-Etxano - Bayonne), almost a million fans turned out to watch the race, 30 percent of whom were from outside the region, giving tourism a huge boost.
09
How to watch the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025
Wout van Aert on Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
In front of the television or in the street, watching the Tour de France is a very special experience.
If you want to attend the Grand Départ as a spectator, we strongly advise you to arrive as early as possible to avoid being caught up in the traffic, and to be able to choose a good spot to get a decent view. Don't forget to bring a hat and a good supply of water and sun cream.
If you can't make it to Lille, the Tour de France is televised widely around the world; check your local listings for details.
You can follow the 112th Tour de France and the progress of Red Bull - BORA - hangrohe from July 5.
