The 2025 Tour de France isn’t messing around. With over 50,000 meters of climbing packed into three weeks of racing, it’s shaping up to be one of the most vertical-heavy Tours in its 112-year history.
Even thinking about these climbs makes my legs hurt.
These are the kind of climbs that can make or break a rider’s dreams of wearing the yellow jersey in Paris.
Let’s look at the most brutal climbs in reverse order. Each of these that would make a mountain goat think twice!
5. Hautacam (Stage 12) – The Warm-Up Act
Coming in at “only” 13.5 kilometers with a 7.8% average gradient, Hautacam might seem almost friendly compared to what follows. Almost.
But don’t let those numbers fool you. Hidden within this climb is a savage 2-kilometer section averaging 10.8% that feels like riding up a wall. Just ask Tadej Pogaฤar, who watched his 2022 Tour dreams fade here against Jonas Vingegaard.
4. Mont Ventoux (Stage 16) – The Giant of Provence Returns
The legendary Mont Ventoux is back. The 15.7-kilometer climb from Bรฉdoin averages 8.8% (ouch). That might not sound too terrifying until you realize there’s a 5-kilometer section hovering around 10%.
What makes Ventoux special isn’t just the numbers – it’s the moonscape at the top, the relentless wind, and the complete lack of shelter.
For the first time since 2013, the Giant of Provence will host a summit finish. The final 45 minutes should be spectacular – or spectacularly painful, depending on whether you’re watching or riding.
3. La Plagne (Stage 19) – The Alpine Endurance Test
If La Plagne were a person, it would be that gym instructor who keeps saying “just one more set” – for 19.1 kilometers.
Video from TdF 1987 – absolute classic
La Plagne might not have the fame of Ventoux or the steep ramps of the Col de la Loze (more on that little beauty later), but at 19.1 kilometers with a 7.2% average gradient, it’s like death by a thousand cuts.
The unrelenting nature of this climb makes it particularly dangerous for tired legs in the final mountain stage.
2. Luchon-Superbagnรจres (Stage 14) – The Pyrenean Puzzle
This stage is pure cycling sadism. Not content with just one massive climb, the organizers threw in the legendary Col du Tourmalet (making its 91st Tour appearance), before carrying on to Superbagnรจres.
The final climb to Luchon-Superbagnรจres might “only” be 12.4 kilometers at 7.3%, but it comes after nearly 5,000 meters of elevation gain. At this point, even the team cars will be feeling tired.
1. Col de la Loze (Stage 18) – The Queen Stage’s Crown Jewel
And here it is, numรฉro un.
If there was ever a climb that could make professional cyclists consider a career change, the Col de la Loze might be it. Think I’m over-exaggerating? Remember when Pogaฤar famously declared “I’m gone, I’m dead” on these slopes in 2023? Well, that was right here!
This 26.4-kilometer monster averages 6.5% ๐คข, but that number is about as misleading as a “slight incline” warning sign on a mountain road. The final kilometers frequently hit double-digit gradients on a specially built bike path that seems designed by someone who really enjoys watching cyclists suffer.
In 2025, riders will tackle it from the Courchevel side for the first time – because apparently, the regular route wasn’t challenging enough.
Table of the toughest 2025 Tour de France Climbs
So, That’s It!
The 2025 Tour de France is setting up to be a classic. These five climbs will really test the pro’s legs.
It’s going to be three weeks of pain and suffering. For us viewers? Pure entertainment.
Remember folks, these are the stages where legends are made, and where some dreams of yellow will inevitably turn to black and blue.
