The most prestigious race in cycling returns for its 112th running on Saturday, July 5, and viewers will be granted many a compelling narrative to follow. Last year’s winner and 2025 favorite Tadej Pogačar, fresh off a win in the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné, returns to seek a fourth title in his sixth appearance. However, his biggest threats come in the form of two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard and rising superstar Remco Evenepoel.
Before the world’s best riders embark on a journey for the top honor in cycling, get up to speed with the important things you need to know ahead of the 112th Tour de France, which will be streaming on Peacock and NBC.
How to watch every stage of the 2025 Tour de France: Stages, schedule, start times, stream info
How does the 2025 Tour de France work?
Stretching 3,338.8 kilometers (2074.6 miles), this year’s Tour de France route will not venture outside the French border for the first time since 2020. Riders will start their journey in the city of Lille on the northern side of the country, and their three-week, 21-stage journey will come to a close in the capital city of Paris. Security measures for the 2024 Paris Olympics forced last year’s Tour de France to finish in Nice, so it’s a return to form for the finish line to make its way back to the City of Lights.
Who is riding in the Tour de France 2025?
UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogačar enters the 2025 Tour de France as the favorite to win for the second straight year. The 26-year-old Slovenian phenom will be riding in his sixth edition of the Tour de France as he seeks back-to-back wins for the second time in his career after winning in both 2020 and 2021. Pogačar — ranked as the world’s top cyclist by UCI — has been riding a hot streak since early 2024, with wins in last year’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France before taking victories in 2025’s La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Critérium du Dauphiné.
Soudal Quick Step rider Remco Evenepoel has quickly established himself as one of the sport’s top competitors after a strong debut Tour de France in 2024 where he finished third overall and in possession of the white jersey, awarded to the best young rider in the race. He then proceeded to become the first man to win Olympic gold medals in both road cycling events at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Visma-Lease a Bike rider Jonas Vingegaard has had a bit of a down year by his standards, dropping out of 2025’s Paris-Nice after multiple crashes. However, the two-time champion (2022, 2023) manages to deliver when the lights are the brightest: in four Tour de France appearances since 2020, he’s never finished worse than second place.
Other names to keep an eye on are João Almeida, who placed fourth in 2024 despite his main focus being on helping out teammate Pogačar, and the ever-formidable Primož Roglič, who is still seeking his first win on the biggest stage.
2025 Tour de France cyclists to watch: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard lead GC contenders
How many teams are in the Tour de France?
The Tour de France is made up of 23 pro cycling teams with eight riders each, amounting to 184 total competitors.
How do teams work in the Tour de France?
The Tour de France teams are comprised of eight riders, with one of them being designated the leader. Teams may swap leaders out based on what an individual stage requires strategically or how the team has planned to attack the race as a whole. Riders who aren’t their team’s primary competitor are called domestiques, and they take turns in a variety of roles to support the leader: shielding from the wind, offering water and even swapping bikes if needed.
Who are recent Tour de France winners?
2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark)
2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark)
2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2019: Egan Bernal (Colombia)
2018: Geraint Thomas (United Kingdom, Wales)
2017: Chris Froome (United Kingdom)
2016: Chris Froome (United Kingdom)
2015: Chris Froome (United Kingdom)
2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
2013: Chris Froome (United Kingdom)
2012: Bradley Wiggins (United Kingdom)
2011: Cadel Evans (Australia)
2010: Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) Alberto Contador was the initial winner, but was stripped of his victory in 2012 after he was found guilty of doping
How many points do you get for winning a stage in the Tour de France?
The top 15 finishers in each stage are awarded points based on where they finish. Points are awarded throughout and at the end of each stage, differing based on the type of stage. This is the point distribution for first-place finishers across stages (Individual time trial and intermediate sprint winners are also awarded 20 points each):
Flat stage finishes: 50 points
Hilly and medium mountain stage finishes: 30 points
High mountain finishes: 20 points
How do they determine the winner of the Tour de France?
The Tour de France has four key classifications that riders can “win” in. The one everyone is jockeying for is the yellow jersey, or the general classification (GC) winner. The rider wearing the yellow jersey is the one with the overall lowest combined time to finish all of the stages, and is the “winner” as you typically know it.
However, there are three other jerseys that riders will be vying for. The green jersey, typically won by strong sprinters, is reserved for the overall points leader, where riders can stack up points by winning sprints, finishing stages quickly and holding their own in mountain sections. The polka-dot jersey goes to the “King of the Mountains”, or the rider who has the best overall time in climbing stages. Lastly is the white jersey, which goes to the rider in the Tour de France aged 25 or younger with the best time.
How much money do you get for winning the Tour de France?
The total pot for the 2025 Tour de France is just over €2.5 million ($2.9 million). The overall winner will walk away with €500,000 ($587,385), the runner-up will earn €200,000 ($234,954) and the third-place finisher will get €100,000 ($117,477). Each stage winner also earns a prize of €11,000 ($12,922), while runners-up and third-place finishers earn €5,500 ($6,461) and €2,800 ($3,289), respectively. The winner of the green jersey will also earn €25,000 ($29,369).
Is there a team prize in the Tour de France?
Yes, there are team prizes in the Tour de France! The top 5 teams at the end of the race will split shares of a €178,800 ($210,048) pot, with the winners, runners-up and third-place teams taking home €50,000 ($58,738), €30,000 ($35,243) and €20,000 ($23,495), respectively. Additionally, a team gets €2,800 ($3,289) each time they win a stage. Typically, team prizes are split among riders.
What is the Tour de France time cut and how is it calculated?
The Tour de France’s time cut is a Grand Tours ruling to ensure riders don’t limit their workloads early to conserve energy for later stages. Two factors often determine time cuts: stage difficulty and the winning rider’s average speed. Every stage in the Tour de France is given a difficulty coefficient between one and six. For example, a stage with limited climbing may be granted a lower coefficient, but a stage with high climbs through mountains may be granted a higher difficulty coefficient. If the stage maintains a fast pace, time cuts will be more forgiving. If races produce a slower pace, the time cut will be harsher.
What are the stages of the Tour de France 2025?
Saturday, July 5: Stage 1, Lille - Lille (184.9 km, flat)
Sunday, July 6: Stage 2, Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer (209.1 km, hilly)
Monday, July 7: Stage 3, Valenciennes - Dunkirk (178.3 km, flat)
Tuesday, July 8: Stage 4, Amiens - Rouen (174.2 km, hilly)
Wednesday, July 9: Stage 5, Caen - Caen (33 km, individual time trial)
Thursday, July 10: Stage 6, Bayeux - Vire Normandie (201.5 km, hilly)
Friday, July 11: Stage 7, Saint-Malo - Guerlédan (Mûr-de-Bretagne) (197 km, hilly)
Saturday, July 12: Stage 8, Saint-Méen-le-Grand - Laval (171.4 km, flat)
Sunday, July 13: Stage 9, Chinon - Châteauroux (174.1 km, flat)
Monday, July 14: Stage 10, Ennezat - Mont-Dore (165.3 km, mountainous)
Tuesday, July 15: Rest Day, Toulouse
Wednesday, July 16: Stage 11, Toulouse - Toulouse (156.8 km, flat)
Thursday, July 17: Stage 12, Auch - Hautacam (180.6 km, mountainous)
Friday, July 18: Stage 13, Loudenvielle - Peyragudes (10.9 km, mountain time trial)
Saturday, July 19: Stage 14, Pau - Superbagnères (182.6 km, mountainous)
Sunday, July 20: Stage 15, Muret - Carcassonne (169.3 km, hilly)
Monday, July 21: Rest Day, Montpellier
Tuesday, July 22: Stage 16, Montpellier - Mont Ventoux (171.5 km. mountainous)
Wednesday, July 23: Stage 17, Bollène - Valence (160.4 km, flat)
Thursday, July 24: Stage 18, Vif - Courchevel (Col de la Loze) (171.5 km, mountainous)
Friday, July 25: Stage 19, Albertville - La Plagne (129.9 km, mountainous)
Saturday, July 26: Stage 20, Nantua - Pontarlier (184.2 km, hilly)
Sunday, July 27: Stage 21, Mantes-la-Ville - Paris (Champs-Élysées) (132.3 km, flat)
2025 Tour de France route: stage profiles, previews
How many non-European riders have won the Tour de France?
Greg LeMond is the only American man to win the Tour de France, earning his first victory in 1986 before winning back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. He was the first non-European man to win the Tour de France, and has since been joined only by Australia’s Cadel Evans (2011) and Colombia’s Egan Bernal (2019).
What happens if you have to use the restroom during the Tour de France?
Cyclists are allowed to stop on the side of the road if they must use the restroom during the Tour de France. However, they must remain out of spectator view to avoid a fine. Riders often will take breaks as a group to individually use the restroom.
Do riders sleep during the Tour de France?
Absolutely! Tour de France riders certainly get their rest. The race is three weeks long and athletes are exercising constantly and intensely, so sleep is vital! Cyclists typically sleep in hotel rooms along the route, occasionally sharing a room with teammates.
What are the Tour de France rules?
Some of the key rules riders must follow on the Tour de France include:
- All riders must wear their team’s official outfit: shorts, jersey, socks, shoes, gloves, and a helmet to begin the race (aside from special jerseys).
- Other classifications can be identified by a rider’s uniform or race number, including colored or special numbers for the highest-ranked individual rider on each team, the most aggressive rider as determined by a jury, and stage winners.
- If a cyclist wins a stage or is one of the first three finishers, seconds are subtracted from their overall time as a bonus. First place subtracts ten seconds, then six for second and four and third. At various critical points like passes and summits, the first three riders can also receive time premiums of eight, five, and two seconds.
- There is a time cut calculated depending on the type of stage using the time of the winner. In most cases, riders will be eliminated from the race if they do not finish under the time cut. There are cases where a rider will finish after the time cut and still be allowed to start the next day, but they lose all of the points they had accumulated to that point.
- Various cyclists are drug tested at every stage, with over 180 drug tests distributed throughout the race.
Other specific rules for the Tour de France include:
- No littering
- Cyclists cannot push off cars, motorcycles or other riders
- Team cars called caravans may follow riders, but must maintain a distance of at least 25 meters.
- Spraying liquid, like water used for cooling purposes, from team cars is prohibited.
- Teams cannot help each other.
- Riders may only eat in designated areas.
- No indecent behavior towards spectators.
