Long after circling 20 July in red on their calendars, the entrants are gearing up for their last few training rides and test climbs before heading to Albertville. L'Étape du Tour de France, held on the same course as stage 19 of the 2025 Tour de France and under the same conditions as the pro race, will soon take 16,000 cyclists on a 131 km romp from Albertville to La Plagne on the roads of Savoy, featuring an elevation gain of 4,500 m. They will tackle five mountain passes over the course of this long yet exhilarating day, including the tough Col du Pré, the Cormet de Roselend and, as the icing on the cake, the 19.1 km final ascent to La Plagne. The peloton will be a miniature United Nations, with 90 nationalities present and 27.4% of foreign riders, while almost half of entrants are poised to make their debut in the event.
A number of famous faces will be peering out from under their helmets in the heart of the peloton. Claude Dartois, a former Koh Lanta contestant, is joining the adventure. "I've always loved cycling and L'Étape du Tour de France has been on my to-do list for a long time. Most of the time, I cycle as a complement to running, but I've already covered distances as long as 350 kilometres in 30 hours or so at gravel events. The mountains make this a different challenge altogether, so I climbed the Tourmalet all the way to the top to test my legs. In trail running, I gain a lot of ground on descents, but in cycling it's a different story. I don't know how this is going to play out, but I'm going to give it my all. I'm basically coming to have fun, share the event with others and enjoy this awesome celebration on closed roads. It's a real treat, you know."
Other high-level athletes will be pushing the pedals out there too. The para-skier Arthur Bauchet, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist and ten-time world champion who also has a talent for cycling (he entered the qualifications for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games) will be in the peloton. He will come up against Thibaut Fauconnet, a former member of the French national short-track speed skating team (a two-time European champion in 2010 and an Olympian in 2014 and 2018), as well as the French visually impaired para-cyclist Alexandre Lloveras, who claimed gold in the tandem event of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He will be competing on a tandem along with seven other pairs from his home club, Tandem Club Rhodanien.
Team Julbo, a regular fixture at the event, are returning with a host of big names such as the trail runners Thibaut Baronian, Lucy Bartholomew (AUS) and Hillary Gerardi (USA), the mountain climbers Mathis Dumas (who guided the YouTuber Inoxtag on his ascent of Mount Everest) and Mathieu Maynadier, the Swiss freeride skier Sybille Blanjean and the six-time world ski mountaineering champion Mathéo Jacquemoud. Boasting 769,000 followers on Instagram, the Italian Deborah Spinelli, a common sight in triathlon and cycling tourism competitions, is sure to be a hit on social media.
There will be no shortage of champions fighting to add their names to the annals of a race that has often been a stepping stone to a pro career or, on the contrary, rewarded former professionals. Damien Jeanjean, who prevailed last year after taking third in 2023, intends to defend his title. "It was the most beautiful victory of my career", said the reigning champion. "Of course, I'll do my best to make it happen again, but this is L'Étape du Tour de France we're talking about, so the competition will be stiff. Even my own Team Matériel-Vélo has several riders eyeing the win." Among them are the former pro Adrien Guillonnet, a force to be reckoned with after finishing first in 2019 and second last year; Thibaut Clément (fourth last year), the 2024 European Granfondo champion, with seven victories to his name; and Stefan Bennett, who tasted glory at events such as the Tour de la Guadeloupe (twice) and the Tour de Martinique. "It's a strategic conundrum", as Jeanjean puts it. "Going too early could be suboptimal because the long false flat before the final ascent to La Plagne, which stretches for 10 to 15 kilometres, can cost you buckets of time if you're riding at the front. Waiting might be the best course of action." Other men to watch are the Belgian Tim Alleman (second in 2019 and third last year) and Mathieu Lebecque (ninth in 2024). Lilian Jegou, 49, a veteran of three Tours de France (2003, 2007 and 2008) and three Giros d'Italia (2005, 2007 and 2008) is also on the start list.
In the women's competition, the mountain maniac Marie Brozzoni, the 2024 European Granfondo champion who has achieved great results at cyclosportives, should be at the business end of the race as a serious contender to succeed Gladys Verhulst-Wild. Sandrine Étienne could also be in the mix. The Helvetian Selina Burch, the Slovenian Spela Skrajnar and the Estonian Ann-Christine Allik top the bill among the foreigners.
Hutchinson x She Rides supports women's cycling
Hutchinson, an official provider of L'Étape du Tour de France for the eighth season in a row, is proud to champion diversity and inspire a new generation of cyclists, with a focus on its renewed backing for women's cycling. This year, the brand is backing fifteen or so female riders in L'Étape du Tour de France under the banner of Hutchinson x She Rides, a community that receives support fit for the pros throughout the year. The aim is to break down mental and material barriers and encourage women of all levels to find their place in the peloton. The members are true ambassadors for women's sports who speak out to become a source of inspiration and turn the page on old-fashioned beliefs. It is a golden opportunity to share the hurdles in their path and make every woman believe in herself.
670 charity bibs (including more than 420 for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque) raise €450,000
The 2025 L'Étape du Tour de France has already raised more funds for charity than any previous edition. 420 entrants pushing the pedals for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque and 250 international participants riding for a good cause have raised a total of €450,000. To put it into perspective, 300 solidarity riders raised €200,000 last year. To wear a jersey with Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque livery and add a human touch to their sporting challenge, each of these riders has pledged to raise at least €800 in donations for the charity from their friends and family. The organisation established by Professor Francine Leca in 1996 has been a partner of the Tour de France for over two decades and arranged treatment for more than 5,000 children with heart defects who could not be helped in their countries of origin due to a lack of technical or financial resources. Its goal for the 2025 edition is to raise enough funds to cover the costs for 21 heart surgeries!
