The top 5 iconic Tour de France 2025 climbs you need to ride

The Tour de France is the cycling race of the year to watch. Already under way for 2025, this year’s Tour is packed to the rafters with challenging sections which sees the likes of Tadej Pogaċar and Jonas Vingegaard battle it out on the road for the yellow jersey.

The 112^th edition sees riders travel 3,320km, taking on iconic climbs in the Alps and the Pyrenees, and features six mountain stages in the three-week cycling extravaganza. You can get our full analysis of the route right here and our Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift preview here.

Known as La Grande Boucle, the Tour de France is steeped in history, folklore and renowned climbs, the latter of which are tantalisingly tempting for any amateur. It’s the perfect opportunity to test your climbing legs and give yourself a taste of the legendary race.

Here are the five most iconic climbs featured in the 2025 Tour de France to get your wheels into.

Col du Tourmalet

Located in the French Pyrenees, the Tourmalet is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the range.

Tackled on Stage 14 of this year’s Tour, the Tourmalet serves up a feast of leg burning climbing, with a summit at 2,115 metres above sea level.

Approaching from the western side, the hors-catégorie climb is 19km in length and averages a 7.4% gradient which will test even the hardiest of riders.

It is also the most frequented climb in Tour de France history, with this year its 91^st appearance.

Col de la Loze

Marking the finale of the Queen stage of this year’s Tour, Col de la Loze is a brutally long climb at over 26 km located in the Savoie region of France. It is packed with gradients nudging 11% and averages 6.5% overall.

Most notably Col de la Loze laid claim to cracking Tadej Pogačar in 2023. The Slovenian lost to Jonas Vingegaard on the climb and was overheard on his team radio saying, “I’m gone, I’m dead”.

The climb’s third appearance in the Tour, Col de la Loze is a truly brutal ascent and the perfect way to see whether you are more Vingegaard or Pogačar.

Hautacam

Hautacam is considered one of the toughest climbs in the Pyrenean mountain range known for its constantly changing gradients and steep inclines.

The climb varies between gradients which knock cyclists off their climbing rhythm, while also offering a serious leg test as they can peak at 15%. Exposure to the elements is also a key feature in the final kilometres of Hautacam, with strong winds frequent and minimal shade on offer.

Hautacam has been visited six times previously in the Tour and this year it hosts Stage 12. In 2022, Jonas Vingegaard dropped Tadej Pogačar and went on to win the Tour for the first time.  

Good to know: You could combine riding Hautacam with Col du Tourmalet by staying in places such Lourdes, Argeles Gazost and Saint-Savin.

Mont Ventoux

Arguably the most iconic climb in the world, Mont Ventoux is a firm favourite amongst cyclists and returns to the Tour de France for the first time since 2021.

Playing host to the finale of Stage 16, riders will ascend Mont Ventoux from the south side.

This mountain is soaked in Tour history, it is the place where yellow jersey wearer Chris Froome ran up in 2016, cycling shoes and all, after a crash left him without a working bike. It is also the place where cyclist Tom Simpson passed away after heart failure while riding the Tour in 1967.

Aside from its history, it’s also the length, gradient and setting which makes Mont Ventoux notorious amongst cyclists.

Thanks to its gruellingly wide-open top section riders are at the complete mercy of any weather.

Given its mountain summit nature, conditions here can change quickly, and you could experience heat, rain, and a bellowing wind making this climb immensely tough for even the most experienced.

La Plagne

The last mountain section of this year’s race culminates in a feisty hors-catégorie climb up La Plagne.

Appearing at the Tour for the fifth time and first since 2002, La Plagne serves up a real test with its 24 hairpins, 7.2% average gradient and is over 19 km in length.

While it is less popular than others in this list, La Plagne is legendary with the year 1987 sticking out in the history books.

It was on these slopes that Stephen Roche rode a phenomenal comeback, surprising many with a race-saving ride which led to him eventually winning the Tour that year.

Good to know: Combine tackling La Plagne with nearby Col du Pré, another hors-catégorie climb also in this year’s Tour de France.

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Spending a few weeks out in France riding your bike up big climbs every day is the dream. But if reality means you’ve got to stay closer to home – the good news is there’s a whole library of famous French Grand Tour routes on virtual reality cycling platform ROUVY, including some of the iconic climbs. Take a look at our top picks here for a bit of cycling escapism, without having to leave home.