Remco Evenepoel, the headliner of this 2025 edition.Imagination/Belgian
This TDR promises to be dense, with 683.34 kilometers on the program and approximately 13,000 meters of elevation gain. As often in Romandie, it goes up and it goes down a little all the time. But climbers will have to wait until Saturday and the Valais stage to explain it. Before, make way for sprinters and sneakers between Wednesday and Friday. The rollers have an appointment on Tuesday in St-Imier and Sunday in Geneva. Here is our summary and our advice for the bicycle week near us.
You can download this program in the morning sauce.ch by clicking here to win with you on the route. The most fierce can point their mouse on this link, to know everything to the nearest meter, on the official website of the competition.
Prologue de St-Imier (3.44 km). Departure of the first runner at 3:13 p.m. on rue Baptiste-Savoye. arrival of the last runner scheduled for 5:34 p.m. rue Francillon.
The first yellow jersey of this 2025 edition of the Tour de Romandie will be given to the winner of a prologue of almost three and a half kilometers, without major difficulty. However, it will be necessary to be strong when releasing after the some ten turns of the course. Twice, cyclists will have to turn 180 degrees. Favorites are to count among those for the general classification. But Stefan Bissegger, a specialist in short lonely exercise, should not be far away …
1st stage (194.3 km). Departure from the Weidenstrasse in Münchenstein at 12:30 p.m. Arrival Boulevard de Pérolles in Friborg around 5.30 p.m.
This (long) stage in tribute to Jean Tinguely has the rare particularity of having cyclists placed in seven different cantons placed: Basel countryside, soleure, Bern, Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud and Friborg. On the program, in particular, four ribs listed for the ranking of best climber. But Grindel climbs (1.8 km at 6%on average/3rd category), Mont-Crosin (2.45 km to 6.9%/3rd), Pontins collar (4 km at 8.5%/2nd) and Chaumont (3 km to 11.9%/2nd) should not prevent a fairly massive sprint. The last bump is placed more than 70 km from the finish in Friborg, where the most bicycle will be explained as always or almost on the boulevard de Pérolles.
Where to position yourself tactically?
In Delémont, before the 50th kilometer. The peloton, surely fragmented, will pass there between 1:48 p.m. and 1:54 p.m. For a little action at the start of the stage, go to Sorvilier, between 2:18 p.m. and 2:25 p.m., for an intermediate sprint. If you want to see the runners in full effort and longer than when they are launched in the plain at high speed, go to the climb of Chaumont. Between 3:29 p.m. and 3:42 p.m., you can count the athletes one by one, if you place yourself tactically in the strongest percentages. The 15% transition will allow you to have a great moment. The collectors of cans have every interest in going to place itself in the Tavannes waste zone, where the peloton will pass between 2:33 and 2:41 pm, in that between Gampelen and the Sage (from 4:07 p.m. to 4:23 p.m.), or better still, between Mariahilf and Tavel, between 5:02 p.m. and 5:22 p.m., according to the advancement of cyclists.
2nd stage (157 km). Departure from the Grande Béroche, avenue de Neuchâtel, at 1:25 p.m. Arrival in the same town, on the cantonal road, around 5.30 p.m.
Fortunately, May 1 is a holiday in Neuchâtel. Because the canton will be crossed from all sides by the Peloton du Tour de Romandie this Thursday. Once is not customary on the Tour de Romandie, the sprinters will have a second opportunity to measure themselves. The layout of this Neuchâtel stage is once again flat – how to do otherwise on the French -speaking roads? -, but the acrobats of the last hectometers will still have a route at their convenience, to be able to play the victory within a large group. Four difficulties are on the program, with climbs in Col de la Tourne (11 km at 6.5%/2nd category), Mauborget (9.9 km at 5.4%/2nd), scratches (7.1 km at 6.2%/3rd) and – as Wednesday – De Chaumont (3 km at 11.9%/3rd). This last difficulty is placed 48 terminals of the goal. Suffice to say that the sprinters will have time to return before Friborg.
Where to position yourself tactically?
Like the day before, Chaumont’s climb will allow you to see the last attempt for the Punchers to get rid of the climbers. This time, this bewildered coast of simply 3 terminals, but by almost 12% average and with a passage to 15% will be placed less than 50 km from the finish. Otherwise, placing your picnic table between Bevaix and Boudry seems wise. The peloton will spend there three times, around 1:40 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., before the last load shedding area was organized in Bevaix, 7 km from the finish in St-Aubin, at around 5:15 p.m. After, inevitably, the finish line/ is also The Place to Be so as not to miss anything from the race and the animations that go with it.
-3rd stage (183.1 km). Departure (1 p.m.) and arrival (5:23 p.m.) from Cossonay, on the road to Morges.
If you live in the jura foot region, in the canton of Vaud, expect to have to dig your head if you want to leave your home in the afternoon. Fortunately, some schools have given off to the children, because the corner will be crossed in all directions by the Tour caravan and the peloton. This time, the sprinters should be a little just, to be able to prevail. Not because of the difficulties of the day, such as the Montcherand climb at the start of the stage (4.5 km at 4%/3rd category) or the first two climbed from the sides of Cossonay (2.2 km to 6%/3rd). But indeed because the finish line is drawn at the top of the latter coast that the locals know so well. The climbers-pumpers will then have the leisure to let go of the heaviest sprinters to raise their arms on the rue de Morges.
Where to position yourself tactically?
The logical solution to spend a good Friday is to take the train to Cossonay-Gare, then either to take the funicular to go to “city”, or to go on foot along the rails to reach the finish line. If you are very bicycle fans, you can get on your machine from Penthalaz and get the last climb, just to see what sauce will be eaten the peloton a few minutes later. Here, two solutions: either stay in the climb, which the runners will practice three times, or feast in the departure/arrival village. The most motivated will be placed in Gollion, for a sacred rarity: the town will be crossed from all sides, five times between 2:13 p.m. and 5:23 p.m. by cyclists. Those who like nature can for their part go to position themselves between Romainmôtier, Vaulion and the Col du Mollendruz, placed some 40 kilometers from the finish.
4th stage (117.8 km). Departure from Sion, Place de la Planta, at 11:55 am. Arrival scheduled at the Thyon road, around 4:00 p.m.
It is a small tradition on the world Tour: for the first time of the season, the peloton is measured at long alpine climbs in Romandie. And this Saturday, climbers will have enough to do! The cyclists will first heat the calves and lungs by climbing almost directly, after the departure of Sion, in the direction of Anzère (14.6 km at 6.9%/1st category). After a little descent, you will still have to put a little kidney to Lens (3.5 km at 6.5 %/3rd). In the process, following a rare flat passage of some 25 km, there will no longer be a meter of dish during the last 65 terminals. First, make way for the rise to Nax (11.4 km at 6.9%/1st), then a long rise to Suen (5.8 km at 5.1%/3rd), the summit of which is laid 44.2 km from the goal. Then, a false Plate descending towards Vex and a frank descent to Sion will take the runners to the justice of the peace of this TDR 2025 and the most difficult climb for months, in the direction of Thyon 2000 (20.8 km at 7.6%/1st).
Where to position yourself tactically?
If you know the small Valais roads a little, the most hard of you can hope to see the runners pass in several of the climbs of the day. By preparing your GPS well, you can even try to navigate between the climb to Anzère before 1 p.m., that towards Naz or Suens between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., while succeeding in then positioning yourself in the final climb to Thyon, where the arrival is scheduled between 3:50 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. Those who prefer to land for a well-deserved picnic day, go to the last twenty kilometers, to savor the final explanation and be able to see a peloton that will have exploded for long minutes. Those who want to recover a memory in the form of cans will go a little above the agets, between 3:20 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.
5th stage (individual time trial of 17.1 km). Departure from Geneva to rue de St-Léger, first runner at 1 p.m. Arrival at rue de Candolle, scheduled for the last athlete at 4 p.m.
“A time trial in the heart of Geneva, around the Park des Bastions, is a huge logistical and operational challenge. Even a Sunday, ”explain Bernard and Pascal Bärtschi, the technical father and son of the Romandie Tour, in the roadboh of the event. On the program, a lot of work for the local police therefore, with 17.1 kilometers of Chrono, mainly along the Lake Geneva and on Cologny, including 3.5 km in the middle of the city of Calvin, a rarity. Note a round trip on the Mont Blanc bridge and a small climb on Vésenaz with a hundred meters of positive drop which will make the last differences for the conquest of the general classification.
Where to position yourself tactically?
Instagrammers will certainly arise on the Mont Blanc bridge. Immortalizing Remco Evenepoel, with its golden helmet and his world champion jersey for the exercise, with the water jet in the background and a beautiful sun, it will make like in the specialists of the little queen. The lovers of Geneva, they will certainly find themselves a terrace in the old town, with a view of the runners. It is so rare that it is not to be missed under any pretext. Those who like violent efforts will arise between kilometers 9 to 12. There, the cyclists will drop from 375 meters above sea level to 475 in three terminals and it may be beautiful to see.
All cards were made by ProCyclingMap.
