Tour de France 2025 live: Grand Depart updates and stage 1 route as sprinters set for battle on streets of Lille | OneFootball

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Final week of the 2025 Tour de France

A star-studded peloton are set for a three-week battle royale over lumps, bumps and mountains as the Tour de France gets underway.

This year’s Grand Depart is held in Lille in northern France with stage one beginning and ending in the city near the border with Belgium. It is territory with which plenty of the riders will be familiar from Paris-Roubaix, though the cobbles to be negotiated today are nothing like as punishing, with a fast and furious sprint finish anticipated. For riders like Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan, this will be a golden opportunity to take the first yellow jersey.

But could there be a surprise in store? Defending champion Tadej Pogacar has redefined many of the sport’s traditional parameters and could yet launch a surprise bid for victory here, even on flat terrain – with fellow general classification giants Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel for company, a thrilling three weeks could well be in store...

Follow all of the latest from the opening stage of the Tour with our live blog below:

Tour de France – stage 1 live

A few images from the Grand Depart in Lille:

Primoz Roglic relaxes ahead of the start (Reuters)

Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard share a handshake on the start line (AFP via Getty Images)

Race director Christian Prudhomme gets the race underway (Reuters)

Tour de France 2025 is under way!

Christian Prudhomme pokes his head out of the sunroof, natters away on the race radio, and waves his big yellow flag. Yes, the Tour de France is officially racing!

Lawrence Ostlere5 July 2025 12:42

How to watch stage 1

The Tour de France officially kicks off at 1.10pm local time (12.10pm BST) and is set to conclude at 5.30pm local time (4.30pm BST).

Flo Clifford5 July 2025 12:31

Stage 1 prediction

Which sprinter to back? Take your pick: Soudal Quick-Step have essentially brought Tim Merlier, one of the fastest men in the world, to the Tour purely for this stage, with the rest of their squad more focused on Remco Evenepoel’s GC tilt.

Wout van Aert is likely to be committing himself to Jonas Vingegaard’s bid for the Tour title, and is better suited to the punchier stages anyway.

Lidl-Trek are protecting Mattias Skjelmose but Jonathan Milan has been on a roll this year - and also has pressure to prove himself as the American squad’s best sprinter, after Mads Pedersen lit up the Giro d’Italia with four stage wins.

Last year’s green jersey winner Biniam Girmay has had a leaner season so far but will be hungry to back up that phenomenal performance, but it’s hard to look past the impeccable lead-out train of Alpecin-Deceuninck and their sprinter Jasper Philipsen. But it’s the first day of the Tour and anything could happen...