The Tour de France may be three weeks long, but the time differences in the general classification often come as a result of a selection of climbs that decide the outcome of the race. Thanks to famous battles between the key protagonists, the climbs can become steeped in cycling folklore when the Tour peloton passes through. Unlike other sports with fixed homes like Camp Nou or Wimbledon, the climbs of the Tour de France are some of cycling’s most legendary stadia.
In 2025, the Tour visits some of sport’s most iconic amphitheatres like the Tourmalet and the Ventoux, but also visits some ascents that have not been raced as often, like Superbagnères and La Plagne. From 800m ramps to 26km behemoths, the 2025 route has 68 classified climbs; there are only two stages without some form of categorised ascent. We take a look at some of the key climbs of the 2025 race.
Côte de Saint Étienne au Mont - stage two
The Tour’s challenging parcours starts early on as stage two features three punchy ascents in the final 10km — the first of which, the Côte de Saint Étienne au Mont, is 1km at 9.5% with pinches at over 15%. Although early on in the Tour, and despite it being relatively short, the GC action could kick off on this climb. Positioning on the ramp will be vital — if a GC rider is not on the top of their game, they could easily lose half-a-minute if things blow up on the ascent.
Mûr-de-Bretagne - stage seven
At just under 7% average and only 2km long, on paper the Mûr de Bretagne may not seem the most difficult of tests, but has become notorious for causing drama in its relatively short Tour life so far. Introduced for the first time in 2011, the Mûr is a latecomer to the race, with its first use coming over a century after more established climbs like the Tourmalet. However, the Mûr has been used four times since then and has been home to some exciting finishes. The last time it featured was in 2021, when Mathieu van der Poel took the stage and the yellow jersey in dramatic fashion.
Read more: The star and the cyclist: How Van der Poel balances fame and focus
Mathieu van der Poel won on the Mûr de Bretagne at the Tour de France 2021 (Image: Alex Broadway / SWpix.com)
Hautacam - stage 12
Hautacam is back on the Tour route for the seventh time, having been first used in 1994. With its average of 7.9% slopes for 13.5km, it’s easy to see why the Tour organisers are fond of the challenging climb. The last time the Hautacam was used at the Tour was in 2022 and it proved to be decisive for Jonas Vingegaard’s maillot jaune campaign. Vingegaard and his teammate Wout van Aert’s performances on Hautacam were pivotal in extending his lead over Tadej Pogačar, setting the stage for the Dane’s eventual overall victory.
Peyragudes - stage 13
Stage 13 is a 10.9km individual time trial, with around 3km of flat before the 8km, 8% climb up to Peyragudes. If Visma got the better of Pogačar on the last ascent of the Hautacam, the world champion was the one tasting glory at the Tour’s last individual time trial, which finished atop a similar climb, when he famously crushed Primož Roglič’s dreams on La Planche des Belles Filles to wrench the yellow jersey from Visma in 2020.
Pogačar can also be buoyed by the fact that he won the stage the last time the Tour finished on the savage 16% final ramp up the Altiport de Peyresourde Balestas, beating Vingegaard in a slow-motion sprint.
Tadej Pogačar beating Jonas Vingegaard on the Peyragudes climb at the 2022 Tour de France (Image: Zac Williams / SWpix.com)
Col du Tourmalet and Superbagnères - stage 14
Stage 14 concludes the three brutal days in the Pyrenees and is the hardest of the lot, with almost 5,000m of elevation gain over the course of the day. There are four categorised climbs, two of which are hors catégorie (HC) — the Col du Tourmalet and Superbagnères. The Tourmalet is a climb steeped in history, having been used 90 times in the Tour’s history. Its position as the first climb of the day means it will play a vital role in break formation, where strong domestiques will want to get up the road to act as satellite riders for their leaders later in the stage, something which Van Aert did for Vingegaard in 2023.
Superbagnères is the summit finish of the stage, and at 12.4km with an average of 7.3% with sections at over 10%, it’s a serious test at the end of a hard day. This year is the first time the climb has featured in the Tour for 36 years. Robert Millar (now Philippa York) won in 1989 on a stage which passed over the same four climbs as this year’s stage: the Tourmalet, the Col d’Aspin, the Col de Peyresourde and the Superbagnères.
Read More: How are the Tour de France climbs classified?
Mont Ventoux - stage 16
The Ventoux is the most iconic climb of this Tour. It has been used 18 times, 10 of which have been a summit finish. The climb was last used in 2021 when Van Aert won the stage in Malaucène. It was a good day for Visma as Vingegaard managed to drop Pogačar on the slopes of the Ventoux. It was a sign of things to come and the emergence of Vingegaard as Pogačar’s main challenger at the Tour. This year, they will recommence their battle on the 15.7km, 8.8% climb from Saint-Estève to the summit. The most recent summit finish on Le Géant de Provence was in 2016, when a race motorbike had to stop and caused a pile-up of GC contenders, leading to the yellow jersey Chris Froome frantically running up the climb before receiving a new bike.
The Ventoux has been the stage of many historic Tour moments, including an epic showdown between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani in 2000. Armstrong and Pantani had broken away from the field on the final climb. Near the summit, Armstrong appeared to ease up and allowed Pantani to take the stage win. Afterward, Armstrong claimed he had "gifted" the victory to Pantani, which deeply offended the Italian climber. Pantani, feeling insulted and disrespected, denied the win was a gift and their relationship soured. The incident became one of the Tour’s most talked-about moments.
The infamous duel between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani at the 2000 Tour de France on Mont Ventoux (Image: Simon Wilkinson / SWpix.com)
Book your next bike trip: Provence: Mont Ventoux to the Monaco Grand Prix
Col de la Loze - stage 18
Unlike the Tourmalet or the Ventoux, the Col de La Loze isn’t a historic Tour climb, but in its short history it has shown all the hallmarks of becoming one. At 26.4km at an average of 6.5%, with sections above 20%, it is a brutal climb. It also has the additional challenge of being at high altitude — topping out at 2,304m, where oxygen levels have dropped to the extent that it will affect performance, making it all the more difficult. The climb is also the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the highest point in this year’s race. The road was only made in 2019, and it has been used in the Tour twice since then, in 2020 and 2023. The latter proved the final nail in the coffin of Pogačar’s yellow jersey ambitions as Vingegaard put over five minutes into the Slovenian.
La Plagne - stage 19
Stage 19 is the last mountain stage of the 2025 Tour, and it finishes with the 19.1km, 7.2% climb up to La Plagne. The Alpine giant will therefore likely represent the final showdown for the general classification at this year’s race. The climb has been used four times, and not since 2002. After a 23-year absence, it is set to be the crescendo in the battle for the maillot jaune.
