Tour de France 2025: What will the triple ascent of Montmartre change before the final finish in Paris?
For its return to Paris, the Grande Boucle has seen things in a big way. A year after the final finish was relocated to Nice due to the Paris Olympic Games , the Tour de France returns to the capital for its traditional stage on the Champs-Élysées. A legendary finish line that is celebrating its 50th anniversary and, for the occasion, the organization has decided to innovate by integrating the Butte Montmartre into the final circuit , as it will during the 2024 Olympic Games. The peloton will climb Rue Lepic three times towards the Sacré-Coeur, before the final sprint of this 112th edition.
"We weren't insensitive to the images of the Games. They broke down barriers to get permission to go through Montmartre, so we seized this opportunity ," says Thierry Gouvenou, race director of the Tour de France. "After 50 years of finishes on the Champs-Élysées, it brings the unexpected. Like anything new, we don't really know what it will bring, but it should open up possibilities for more riders than just pure sprinters, who will be destabilized, for those who won't explode in Montmartre..."
Designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Champs-Élysées while also reviving memories of the Paris Olympic Games, this unprecedented finish, a year later, has divided the peloton. Climbed three times, the Butte Montmartre will be the 68th and final classified climb (category 4) of the Tour. While it's unlikely to carry much weight in the mountain classification, Rue Lepic—whose summit will be six kilometers from the final finish—will certainly bury the ambitions of the pure sprinters.
Current green jersey of the Grande Boucle, the Italian Jonathan Milan regretted it in May: "The Champs-Élysées, as a sprinter, is something we dream of, it's a shame to see the course changed." And the arrows of the peloton are far from being the only riders to think this way. Winner of the Olympic race in the summer of 2024, Remco Evenepoel had also positioned himself against the Montmartre climb, like his compatriot Wout van Aert, although advantaged by this new final circuit, but "not really a fan" of the idea.
"It's going to be a dangerous stage. At the Olympics, we arrived with a peloton of 50 riders, whereas this will be with the entire Tour peloton, where many riders in the general classification will have things to defend. I expect chaos."
Wout van Aert, teammate of Jonas Vingegaard
Keen to reduce the number of sprints on the course, the Tour organizers ignored this feedback. "We wanted to give more space to the road warriors and the punchers. Montmartre was the icing on the cake. It happened in the spring. It's a way to rebalance the Tour," admits Thierry Gouvenou. "I've spoken to a lot of riders about it, and most of them regret this choice and think there was enough to fight for over three weeks," adds Yoann Offredo, a consultant for France.tv.
Accustomed to parading through the streets of Paris, before the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées for the most beautiful sprint in the world, the peloton will revisit its habits with this triple climb which brings back some sporting uncertainty to the last day of the Tour. "The arrival in Paris is traditionally a parade, everyone rides quietly, savors, drinks a glass of champagne or something else. It was the occasion for the riders to celebrate, to enjoy. At one time, some even took their children on the handlebars. It was a celebration anchored in the culture of the cyclist who finished the Tour de France , says Yoann Offredo. There, the leaders of the general classification will have to remain vigilant until the end."
As early as May, Jonas Vingegaard, second overall, made no secret of his disapproval: "Montmartre seemed very beautiful to me at the Olympic Games, with a very good atmosphere. But when the riders arrived there, there were 50 left in the peloton. Now, there will be 150 of us [161 to be precise] fighting for position, on a very narrow climb. That will add more stress than we would like." An argument dismissed by Thierry Gouvenou: "I don't think the yellow jersey will be worried by this stage. It's still a 4th category climb. The only difference is that the yellow jersey won't be drinking champagne in the Meudon forest beforehand."
"There are the reactions of the moment and those after the stage. Montmartre will make the Tour de France and its champions shine even more. What is good for the Tour de France is good for the Tour champions," added Christian Prudhomme in May, the day the addition of the Butte Montmartre to the route was made official. "It's a finish that will please, we saw it at the Olympics. I had goosebumps in front of my television, and that is priceless. Those who criticize the change forget that we have to please the public and it will be an exciting stage, " rejoiced Jean-René Bernaudeau, boss of the TotalEnergies team.
It remains to be seen whether the peloton will give its all. "It's the last stage of the Tour, so the riders will choose whether they race or not," wonders Marc Madiot. As for the Decathlon-AG2R team, sports director Sébastien Joly leaves no doubt: "Montmartre changes our entire approach to the last stage. We'll be going all out. Paris won't be relaxed this year; there's going to be a race right to the end, especially with Bastien Tronchon."
"Many teams haven't won this Tour yet, and Montmartre will be a great opportunity to do so in Paris. We'll do everything we can to do so."
Sébastien Joly, Decathlon-AG2R sports directorto franceinfo: sport
Responsible for after-sales service for this new feature, Christian Prudhomme is not worried: "Montmartre is bound to change a lot of things. It will allow the glorious uncertainty of sport to return." The director of the Tour de France even dreams of seeing the yellow jersey win on the Champs Elysées, something only Bernard Hinault achieved, in 1979. "Montmartre, apart from the sporting performances, is the strongest image of the Paris Games. Montmartre will make the Tour and its champions shine even more," he assures.
As for whether this triple ascent of Rue Lepic will be repeated the following year, and made permanent in the final Parisian circuit, Christian Prudhomme opens the door: "We'll see what happens. Sometimes, there is a temporary situation that lasts, this was true for the arrival on the Champs-Élysées in 1975, or for the U-turn on the Place de l'Étoile…". This is something Laurent Nunez, the Paris police prefect, who authorized this triple passage through Montmartre, is well aware of: "We are not fooled at the police prefecture: if this stage takes place this year, it will probably take place in other years" . Until we innovate to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2075.
Francetvinfo
