Tour de France 2025: Sprint stages

This year’s Tour de France features seven flat stages where the sprinters’ teams will look to control the race and fight for victory.

Back on home soil, the 2025 Tour kicks off in Lille with a flat opener made for the sprinters. Three climbs feature, but none are likely to prevent a bunch sprint.

The winner claims the first yellow jersey - a rare chance for the fast men, last seen in 2020 with Kristoff. Expect nerves, chaos and pressure. For the GC favourites, the goal is simple: stay upright.

Stage 3 is the flattest road stage of the 2025 Tour - a textbook sprint finish, unless wind changes the script.

A single climb in the final 35 kilometres won’t trouble the fast men, but crosswinds might. Prudhomme designed the route to tempt echelons, so if the wind picks up, chaos could follow.

Stage 8 offers welcome relief for the sprinters after a series of hilly days. The flat route from Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval is largely sheltered from wind and set up for a bunch sprint.

A false flat in the final kilometre may shape the outcome. Last time the Tour finished in Laval, Tom Steels won in 1999 - now he hopes to see Tim Merlier do the same for Soudal Quick-Step.

Stage 9 brings another flat day, with no categorised climbs and a likely sprint finish in Châteauroux - where Mark Cavendish has won three times before.

It’s the second sprint stage in a row and not the most thrilling Sunday profile, but with the rest day looming after stage 10, some riders may already be thinking ahead.

Stage 11 starts and finishes in Toulouse, mostly flat but with a sting in the tail - the Montée de Pech David (0.8 km at 12.4%) just 10 km from the line.

Will this short, steep climb disrupt the sprint trains or invite late attacks before the finish on what the race director calls “Avenue Cavendish”?

Stage 17 from Bollène to Valence looks like a sprint stage on paper - but in week three, nothing is guaranteed.

At 161 km, it’s a classic transition stage where tired legs and limited team strength could tip the balance. A bunch sprint is possible, but the breakaway has history on its side.

Stage 21 returns to Paris, but with a twist. To mark 50 years of the Champs-Élysées finish, riders will climb Montmartre three times in the finale.

The 1.1 km climb at 5.9%, with the final ascent just 6 km from the line, could shake up the usual sprint script. This time, the Tour might not be over until the very end.