2025 Tour de France set to feature over 3,000km of transfers
Velowire calculations estimate transfers between stages as a record high in modern Tour history
The 2025 Tour de France route will see the peloton take on six mountain stages, two time trials, six hilly stages and seven sprints during the 3,320km between Lille and Paris.
The teams, their drivers and the Tour caravan will be doing almost that distance again in transfers, however, with the distance taken to travel between the 21 stages totalling over 3,000km.
Tour de France route rumours website Velowire has calculated the direct distance between each stage of next July's race, and they've come up with a figure of 3,055km to move the Tour from town to town.
Those transfers include 14 trips of over 100km and four of over 200km – including a final 537km transfer from Pontarlier, the finish of stage 20, and Mantes-la-Ville, the start of stage 21. Only two transfers, between stages 1 and 2 and stages 5 to 6, measure in under the 50km mark.
Cyclingnews has checked the figures and come up with a slightly reduced total of 3,038km, though it's likely that both are underestimating the total travel kilometres given that teams will also be taking detours to hotels along the way.
According to Velowire's calculation, done using Google Maps, the total transfer kilometres are a record high in the Tour's recent history.
Along with the final transfer – one taken via train or plane for the riders – the other long-haul transfers include a 352km run ahead of the first rest day in Toulouse and a 237km trip from La Plagne to Nantua between stages 19 and 20.
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Other lengthy transfers on the route include the 200km from Dunkerque to Amiens between stages 3 and 4, 197km from Châteauroux to Ennezat between stages 9 and 10, and 169km from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Valenciennes between stages 2 and 3.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix – 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.