the secrets of the Tour de France stage in Caen

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And Caen had been preparing for ten years to receive the Tour de France in 2025, hosting the Grande Boucle for an entire day on the occasion of a time trialturned confirmation into excitement.

The day after the official announcement in Paris on October 29, Thierry Gouvenou, the technical director of the Tour, was received at Caen town hall to lift the veil on the organization of the event. “After the presentation, we go over the key stages,” he confirms. He then delivered several key pieces of information on the July 9 stage.

A journey made by Normans

Caen won the Grail with, on its territory, the individual time trial. A 33 km loop, starting from the Leroy Tower, a small escape outside the ring road to the northwest and a return to the city center (the stage will pass in front of the town hall) and an arrival along the Prairie.

A special route, since it was designed by Thierry Gouvenou, Virois by birth, and by his assistant François Lemarchand, originally from Livarot. “We have Norman ties with François,” assumes Thierry Gouvenou. “We did the reconnaissance together. »

How was the stage drawn?

To create a stage and particularly a time trial, “we think about the constraints,” explains Thierry Gouvenou.

In Caen, we had an additional thorn in our side with a departure and arrival in the same city. Then, we must take into account technique, heritage, production and competition without blocking the entire city. This is why we leave and return from the same direction.

But unlike a straight stage with a sprint finish, a speed bump or slowdown is easier to manage. For example, in the University sector, the course will cross the tram track. “The riders recognize the course and as they are alone in a time trial, they can avoid these dangers,” explains Thierry Gouvenou.

How fast will the runners go?

Evenepoel, Pogaçar, Vingegaard, but also the local Kevin Vauquelin should be in the top 10 of this stage created “for big riders. 33 km is a long distance, it will redistribute the cards. Sportingly, we wait an important day. »

Therry Gouvenou is therefore counting on an average of “53 – 54 km/h”.

The best should take 37 minutes.

We (almost) already know the schedules

“The timetables are not yet final,” warns Thierry Gouvenou. But the technical director of the Tour de France estimates that the first rider will start at “1:05 p.m., for the last rider to arrive around 5:30 p.m.”.

From the morning, the road will be closed. For “the advertising caravan (around 11 a.m.), the teams who will reconnoiter the course one last time” around 10 a.m. But also for the solidarity event of the Cardiac Surgery Patronage stage.

More than 100,000 spectators expected

“A Tour de France is between 10 and 12 million spectators on the side of the roads,” assesses Thierry Gouvenou. For the time trial in Caen on July 9, officials think there will be “more than 100,000 spectators along the 33 km route”.

In front of television sets, the figures are exponential, knowing that on average (2024 figure), 4.10 million viewers in France watch each stage. A figure that must be multiplied by approximately three or four for live global audiences.

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