De Lie to continue his magnificent month? – 2025 Paris-Tours preview

These are the key details for this years Paris-Tours:

Date: Sunday, October 12
Length: 211.6 km
Upaved roads: 66+ km
Start and finish time: 11:55 (CET) - around 17:00 (CET)

For the 2025 and 119th edition of Paris-Tours, 211.6 kilometres await as the day gets underway in Chartres at 11:55 CET, finishing in Tours at around 17:00 CET after an excursion through the gravel roads of the region’s vineyards.

The race itself will be something of a slow burner to begin with 140 kilometres of flat roads, but the finale is bound to be one of the most action-filled races in recent months, with ten gravel sectors and eight climbs for the riders to contend with.

Up first in the flurry of climbs will be the Côte de Cangey, just over a kilometre long at 1.1 kilometres. It serves as a pre-finale warm-up with a gentle gradient of 3.4%, followed shortly by the Côte de Limeray, another minor climb at 800 metres and 3.2%, with the first gravel sector immediately after.

The first real test of the day will be the Côte de Gogueme, a steep 700-metre kicker at 7%, with another gravel sector arriving shortly after. Expect the race to really come alive in this section.

Next comes the gravel climb of the Côte du Bois de Chançay, 900 metres at a steady 4.2%. Riders will be hoping to avoid punctures here, or they could be out of contention for the win with around 40 kilometres remaining.

Within the final 30 kilometres, if the early part of the race has been manageable, the finale will be anything but, with steep ascents and gravel sectors packed tightly together. The Côte de la Vallée du Vau, 1.1 kilometres at 6.4%, is another key point where a decisive move could form, especially with a gravel sector immediately following it, making it difficult for a chasing group to organise.

The short but brutal Côte de la Rochère, averaging a nasty 11% for 400 metres, could further thin out the front group before the final climb, the Côte de Rochecorbon, 600 metres at 5.2%. Its summit comes 8.7 kilometres from the finish line.

After 2024’s mud-fest edition, won by Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), the Frenchman returns as defending champion. Since his comeback at the start of August, Laporte has been slowly building that all-important race condition needed to compete. In a gloomy day in Belgium at Binche–Chimay–Binche, he achieved a solid third place behind winner Jordi Meeus and runner-up Nils Eekhoff. With his ability to thrive in gritty situations and finish them off with a strong sprint, Laporte could well defend his title on October 12.

‘The Bull of Lescheret’, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), has been living up to his nickname, rampant over the last month and a half with four podiums in his last four starts, three of them wins. He will aim to improve on his 7th place at Paris-Tours 2024, while in 2023 he did not finish. If he can carry his current form into Sunday, he has to be the clear favourite for victory.

Other notable riders to watch include Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl–Trek), Axel Huens (Unibet–Tietema Rockets) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).

The weather looks set to be kind to the riders on Sunday, with sunshine and temperatures around 19 degrees. Quite a difference from last year’s edition. A light east-northeast wind will blow for most of the route, giving the riders a gentle tailwind for much of the day.