Opening stage of Tour de France to start in Lille in 2025

The 2025 Tour de France will start in the northern city of Lille, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

The pack during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race near Moulins, central France on 12 July, 2023. (illustration photo) AP - Daniel Cole

The opening stage of the Tour de France 2025 has been held in Lille, near the Belgian border, twice before in 1960 and 1994.

The past two editions of the Tour, which started in 1903, have taken place abroad, in Copenhagen and Bilbao.

💛 In 2025, the Hauts-de-France Region, the Nord Department and the Lille European Metropolis will host the start of the 112th edition of the Tour de France.

💛 La Région @hautsdefrance, le @departement59 et la @MetropoleLille accueilleront en 2025, le départ de la 112e édition… https://t.co/LggFQO6iV0 pic.twitter.com/2p9NOEiNo1

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) November 14, 2023

Next year's race will take off from Florence, Italy and for the first time it will end in Nice and not Paris, due to the Olympic Games taking place in the French capital.

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Further details of the opening stage as well as the three following days of action based in the region will be released on 30 November by organisers, Amaury sport organisation.

French local newspaper, La Voix du Nord, reported the first stage will be a sprint with another day of the opening four to be based on northern France's famous cobbles.

It also claimed the route will follow the Normandy coastline and include time in Brittany.

(with AFP)