Tour de France 2025 Stage 1
🏁 Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 – Overview
Tour de France 2025 Stage 1 opens the race with a flat, fast 184.9-kilometre loop beginning and ending in Lille. After two foreign starts, the Tour returns to France — and to terrain that clearly favors sprinters.
With only minor climbs like Côte de Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (1.1 km at 7.8%) and Mont Noir (1.3 km at 5.8%), the final 45 km are flat and fast. Expect a mass sprint on Boulevard Vauban.
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🧠 Strategy: Yellow Jersey on Day One
Stage 1 of the Tour de France 2025 isn’t just about the stage win — it’s a shot at the first maillot jaune. With bonus seconds (10, 6, and 4) on the line, expect sprint teams to control the breakaway and GC teams to play it safe.
🏆 Sprinters to Watch in Tour de France 2025 Stage 1
- Tim Merlier – Dominant this season with wins in Paris–Nice and UAE Tour
- Jonathan Milan – Strong over long sprints, thrives on flat drag races
- Jasper Philipsen – Not in peak form but proven Tour winner
- Dark horses – Girmay, De Lie, Groenewegen
☀️ Conditions & Finish
The final kilometre is a straight shot to the line. With dry roads and light wind forecasted, it's ideal for a classic power sprint.
🔮 Prediction
Tim Merlier enters as the clear favorite in Tour de France 2025 Stage 1, but if Alpecin’s timing is right, Philipsen could spoil the plan. Milan is also dangerous in a straight-line finish.
