Saint-Méen-le-Grand > Laval (Espace Mayenne) 172km Day 8 and it’s one for the sprinters. Due to how stage 1 evolved, most of the fast men have only had one chance to go for a win, they’ll get two opportunities this weekend. This means big points in the fight for green, Milan needs to maximise these opportunities as there’s only one guaranteed sprint in weeks 2 and 3. 

Saint-Malo > Mûr-de-Bretagne 197km Day 7 of the Tour de France and the riders head for Mûr-de-Bretagne, this will be the 4th time it’s been used as a finish since 2015. The last three times have been won by a solo attacker, someone who’s dived off the front inside the final 500m. Normally, some of the GC riders lose a bit of time here, you need a lot of punch to stay with the best.

Bayeux > Vire Normandie 203km Day 6 and the first real chance for the breakaway. It’s not certain the move takes the stage win, but it’s a decent opportunity for the attackers. This is like a mini classic with over 3500m of climbing and a distance of 203km is significant too. If guys like Van der Poel start jumping at the start, you can be sure this is going the way of the break.

Caen > Caen 33km ITT A long, flat ITT, I’ve picked the perfect day to fly home to Scotland. I’m not a big fan of TTs, I appreciate they have to be in a grand tour, but I just can’t bring myself to like them. Anyway, it’s an important day in terms of the yellow jersey, all eyes will be on Evenepoel, Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Amiens Métropole > Rouen 174km Day 4 of the Tour de France looks very similar to stage 2, the finale is full of punchy little climbs. Depending on how it’s raced, it could be another selective day, it looks too hard for the main sprinters.

Valenciennes > Dunkerque 178km Day 3 of the Tour de France and we should see the first big sprint. After the trials and tribulations of the first two stages, this should be more of a sleepy affair, I don’t expect much to happen until the finale. This will hopefully be the first time we see Milan v Merlier v Philipsen, it should be a great finish to watch.

Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur Mer 209km Day 2 of the Tour de France and the riders are faced with the longest stage in the race, 209km is a fair shift. It’s a flat day with a punchy finish, and there’s a real possibility the yellow jersey will change hands (or shoulders). The final 10km will be too hard for the pure sprinters and even most of the climbing sprinters, this is a day for the cross riders and possibility a few of the GC riders. 

Lille Métropole > Lille Métropole 185km Welcome to the first stage of the 2025 Tour de France. The race kicks off with a flat stage, one for the quick men. Not only is a Tour de France stage up for grabs, but the winner will also wear the coveted yellow jersey. This could be the only time this happens in their whole career, it’s a huge moment for the sprinters. Winning a Tour stage is special, but wearing the yellow jersey is a different level altogether. With so much on the line, it’s going to be a dangerous day for...

Okay folks, we are here, it’s time for the biggest race of the season. 3 weeks of fun, joy, delight, excitement, pain and agony lie ahead for fans and riders alike. There’s nothing quite like the Tour de France, a race unrivalled in the sport of cycling. As usual, I’ll be providing daily previews, trying to help you understand what’s going on in each stage. I’ll do my best to provide a list of possible contenders for each stage, I usually limit myself to 10 riders as any more than that looks like I’m an amateur. Most of you will...

Les Herbiers > Les Herbies 233km Every year, the French road race always seems the be the hardest of the weekend, this year is no different. 233km in length and it has 4186m of climbing. 14 laps of a circuit in Les Herbies, which is just outside Cholet.