Tour de France 2025 Route stage 16: Montpellier

Tour de France 2025 Route stage 16: Montpellier - Mont Ventoux

Tuesday, 22 July – The Beast of Provence is back! After starting in Montpellier, the riders tackle a 172-kilometre route that ends on one of the most legendary mountains in Tour history.

Back in 2016, there was also a stage planned from Montpellier to the top of Mont Ventoux. However, due to strong winds on the barren slopes in the higher part of climb, the finish was moved to Chalet Reynard, halfway up the mountain at the end of the forested zone. The race turned into a mix of dramedy and cycling contest, with Thomas De Gendt winning from the breakaway, but it reached an unlikely climax with yellow jersey Chris Froome making his way up the mountain after a crash – first running, then on a too-small bike.

Fast forward five years, and the Tour returned to the Ventoux, once again bringing joy to a Belgian. Wout van Aert was on fire, winning solo after a race that featured a double ascent of the Bald Mountain, but finished downhill in Malaucène.

This time, the route isn’t nearly as tough. The riders navigate flat roads all the way from Montpellier to Bédoin, at the foot of the Ventoux. The ascent is 15.7 kilometres long, and the average gradient sits at 8.8%. The first section through the woods is extremely tough – 3 kilometres at nearly 10% – before it ‘levels out’ to 7.5% over the ensuing 7 kilometres. After Chalet Reynard the scenery changes to a lunar landscape without any vegetation, as if climbing the moon. This section is roughly 6 kilometres long and ascends at almost 8%. The last 1.5 kilometres go up at almost 10%