Preview: Tour de France (week 2)

Into the Heart of France, and Upward

Week two of the 2025 Tour begins with opportunities—then brings the reckoning. The flat stages to Laval and Châteauroux offer sprinters their final feast before the mountains strike. Bastille Day sees a volcanic showdown in the Massif Central, and after a breath-catching rest day in Toulouse, the Pyrenees loom. The double ascent to Hautacam and the rare mountain time trial to Peyragudes promise fireworks and suffering. By the end of Stage 13, the contours of the GC will be drawn in bold ink.

© A.S.O.

Stage previews for Stages 8 to 13

Stage 8 – July 12, 2025 | Saint-Méen-le-Grand – Laval (171.4 km) | Flat Stage
The peloton rolls out from the hometown of Louison Bobet into a stage that honors both history and speed. After a week of attrition, the sprinters see one of their last clear chances. The route undulates gently but offers no real resistance—expect a high-speed lead-out and a tight finale in Laval. Tadej Pogačar won the time trial here in 2021, though Mathieu van der Poel famously clung to yellow. In 2025, the town hosts a pure drag race.

Previous stage winners in Laval:

• 2021 | Tadej Pogačar

• 1999 | Tom Steels

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Stage 9 – July 13, 2025 | Chinon – Châteauroux (174.1 km) | Flat Stage
From the vineyards of Chinon to the wide boulevards of Châteauroux, it’s a day made for power and positioning. Mark Cavendish has won here three times—each time in dominant fashion—and his legacy looms over this classic sprint finish. Expect a long, flat run-in where timing is everything and chaos reigns in the final kilometer.

Previous stage winners in Châteauroux:

• 2021 | Mark Cavendish

• 2011 | Mark Cavendish

• 2008 | Mark Cavendish

• 1998 | Mario Cipollini

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Stage 10 – July 14, 2025 | Ennezat – Le Mont-Dore (165.3 km) | Mountain Stage
Bastille Day brings the mountains—and fireworks. The Massif Central may lack the prestige of the Alps or Pyrenees, but the climb to Le Mont-Dore will sting. Narrow, irregular, and often exposed to the wind, it rewards those with timing and tenacity. French riders will be desperate to animate the day on their national holiday, hoping to emulate past tricolor triumphs.

(No prior Tour finishes in Le Mont-Dore)

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Rest Day – July 15, 2025

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Stage 11 – July 16, 2025 | Toulouse – Toulouse (156.8 km) | Hilly Stage
After the rest day, a loop through the hills west of Toulouse offers a tactical, punchy stage where breakaways have a real chance. The city has hosted giants—from Aucouturier in 1903 to Ewan in 2019—and history may repeat if the sprinters’ teams manage the chase. Still, the profile suggests this is a day for classics specialists and baroudeurs.

Previous stage winners in Toulouse:

• 2019 | Caleb Ewan

• 2008 | Mark Cavendish

• 2003 | Juan Antonio Flecha

• 1985 | Frédéric Vichot

• 1978 | Jacques Esclassan

• 1970 | Albert Van Vlierberghe

• 1967 | Rolf Wolfshohl

• 1964 | Edward Sels

• 1963 | André Darrigade

• 1961 | Guido Carlesi

• 1960 | Jean Graczyk

• 1958 | André Darrigade

• 1956 | Nino Defilippis

• 1955 | Rik Van Steenbergen

• 1954 | Alfred De Bruyne

• 1952 | André Rosseel

• 1949 | Rik Van Steenbergen

• 1948 | Gino Bartali

• 1939 | Edward Vissers

• 1909 | Jean Alavoine

• 1908 | François Faber

• 1907 | Emile Georget

• 1906 | Louis Trousselier

• 1905 | Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq

• 1904 | Henri Cornet

• 1903 | Hippolyte Aucouturier

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Stage 12 – July 17, 2025 | Auch – Hautacam (180.6 km) | Mountain Stage
The first high-mountain reckoning in the Pyrenees. After the Col du Soulor (11.8 km at 7.3%), the road climbs to the ski station at Hautacam—13.5 km at an unforgiving 7.8%. Jonas Vingegaard broke Tadej Pogačar here in 2022; others have cracked just as dramatically. In 1996, Bjarne Riis shattered Miguel Indurain’s dominance on these same slopes, a seismic moment in Tour history. This is a test of form, focus, and fortitude. The yellow jersey may well change shoulders on the climb to Hautacam.

Previous stage winners at Hautacam:

• 2022 | Jonas Vingegaard

• 2014 | Vincenzo Nibali

• 2008 | Leonardo Piepoli¹

• 2000 | Javier Otxoa

• 1996 | Bjarne Riis

• 1994 | Luc Leblanc

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Stage 13 – July 18, 2025 | Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (10.9 km) | Mountain Time Trial
A rare and brutal test: a solo ascent to Peyragudes. The 8 km climb averages 7.9%, with a cruel final ramp that’s touched 16% in past editions. There’s nowhere to hide in a mountain time trial—and no room for miscalculation. Pogacar won here in 2022; he or someone like him may need to do it again to stay in contention.

Previous stage winners at Peyragudes:

• 2022 | Tadej Pogacar

• 2017 | Romain Bardet

• 2012 | Alejandro Valverde