Tour de France Highlights: Experience the Classic Stages with an Electric Bike

The 2025 Tour de France: A Perfect Blueprint for Your E-Bike Adventure

The upcoming 2025 Tour de France route provides an excellent template for planning your own electric bike journey. Running from July 5-27, 2025, the 112th edition features a complete tour of France with spectacular mountain stages in the Pyrenees and Alps.

Starting in Lille, the race will traverse iconic climbs including:

• Mont Ventoux - Making a dramatic return as a summit finish
• Col du Tourmalet - The legendary Pyrenean giant
• Col de la Loze - One of the highest and most challenging climbs
• La Plagne - A 19.1km beast with an average 7.2% gradient
• Hautacam - The Pyrenean classic with its demanding 7.8% average gradient

These iconic mountain passes represent the perfect targets for your e-bike adventure, allowing you to follow in the tire tracks of cycling legends while enjoying the assist of electric power on the steepest sections.

Why E-Bikes Are Perfect for Tour de France Routes

Tackling Tour de France climbs on a traditional bicycle requires exceptional fitness and training. Electric bikes democratize these experiences, making them accessible to a broader range of riders. Here's why e-bikes are ideal for your Tour de France adventure:

Extended Range and Climbing Ability

E-bikes eliminate the intimidation factor of multi-mountain days. With battery assistance, you can tackle several climbs in a single day—something that would exhaust even strong riders on traditional bikes. This expanded range allows you to experience more of the Tour's legendary terrain without requiring professional-level fitness.

Adjustable Assistance Levels

Modern e-bikes feature multiple assistance modes, allowing you to customize your effort level. Want to push yourself harder on the famous 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez? Dial back the assistance. Feeling drained halfway up the Galibier? Increase the power to ensure you reach the summit and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Accessibility for Various Fitness Levels

One of the greatest benefits of e-bikes is their ability to level the playing field. Riding partners of different abilities can enjoy the same routes together, with stronger riders reducing their assistance level while others use more power to maintain a similar pace.

The Must-Ride Tour de France Climbs for E-Bikers

While the complete Tour route spans over 3,300 kilometers, certain segments stand out as essential experiences for e-bike enthusiasts. Here are the quintessential Tour climbs you should prioritize:

1. Mont Ventoux: The Giant of Provence

Perhaps no mountain in the Tour carries more mystique than Mont Ventoux. Rising dramatically from the Provençal landscape, its moonlike summit creates an otherworldly cycling experience.

Route details:

• Starting point: Bédoin
• Distance: 21.2 km
• Elevation gain: 1,593 meters
• Average gradient: 7.5%

What makes it special is the mountain's unique character—beginning with lush forest that gradually gives way to an iconic barren moonscape as you approach the distinctive observatory tower at the summit. This climb has featured in the Tour 17 times between 1951-2021, and in 2025, it returns as a summit finish on Stage 16 from Montpellier.

An e-bike is particularly valuable here, as the relentless gradient combined with frequently windy conditions can make this climb challenging even for strong riders. The reward is unparalleled views extending to the Mediterranean on clear days.

2. Col du Tourmalet: The Pyrenean Legend

The Tourmalet holds the distinction of being the most frequently used climb in Tour history, appearing over 90 times since 1910. This legendary Pyrenean pass is a must-ride for any cycling enthusiast.

Route details:

• Starting point: Luz-Saint-Sauveur
• Distance: 19 km
• Elevation gain: 1,404 meters
• Average gradient: 7.4%

The 2025 Tour includes this climb as part of Stage 14's route to Superbagnères, combining it with the Col d'Aspin and Col de Peyresourde for a truly epic day of climbing.

With an e-bike, you can appreciate the spectacular mountain scenery without being completely drained by the effort. Look for the iconic statue of Octave Lapize gasping for air—a tribute to one of the first riders to conquer this pass in the early days of the Tour.

3. Col de la Loze: The Modern Giant

Despite being a relative newcomer to the Tour (first appearing in 2020), the Col de la Loze has quickly established itself as one of the most formidable climbs in the race. In 2025, it will feature as the highest point of the Tour at 2,304 meters.

Route details:

• Starting point: Moûtiers
• Distance: 26.2 km
• Elevation gain: 1,690 meters
• Average gradient: 6.5%

Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour approaches this climb via the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine before the final ascent to the Loze. This represents one of the most challenging days with 5,500 meters of climbing—a perfect opportunity to appreciate your e-bike's assistance!

The unique feature of this climb is its purpose-built cycling path at the top, with gradients that fluctuate dramatically, including stretches over 20%. Electric assistance makes these steep sections manageable while still allowing you to experience the challenge.

Planning Your Tour de France E-Bike Adventure

To create a truly memorable experience tracing the Tour de France route on your electric bike, consider these practical planning aspects:

Choosing the Right E-Bike

For tackling Tour de France mountain routes, you'll want an e-bike specifically designed for climbing. Look for:

• Motor power: A minimum 250W mid-drive motor with at least 70-85Nm of torque for steeper gradients
• Battery capacity: At least 500Wh for longer climbs, with the option to carry a range extender for multi-climb days
• Weight distribution: A balanced design that maintains good handling on descents
• Gearing: Wide-range cassette to help on the steepest sections
• Braking: Powerful hydraulic disc brakes for confident descending

Models like the Trek Domane+ SLR or Specialized Turbo Creo SL are excellent choices, offering the perfect balance of assistance and authentic road bike feel.

Best Times to Ride

The optimal time to follow Tour routes depends on your preferred region:

• Pyrenees: Mid-June to mid-September offers the best weather, though July can be busy during the actual race
• Alps: July to early September has the most reliable conditions with passes generally clear of snow
• Mont Ventoux: May through October, avoiding July and August when temperatures can be extreme and tourist traffic heavy

Consider planning your trip for June, just before the actual Tour, to enjoy good weather and roads without the crowds that follow the race itself.

Logistical Considerations

Successfully navigating Tour de France routes requires thoughtful planning:

Accommodation: Base yourself in cycling-friendly towns that allow access to multiple climbs:

• Bourg-Saint-Maurice or Albertville for Alpine stages
• Luz-Saint-Sauveur or Argelès-Gazost for Pyrenean climbs
• Bedoin or Malaucène for Mont Ventoux

Charging infrastructure: Ensure your accommodations allow overnight battery charging, and research cafes or restaurants at key locations that might allow a partial charge during lunch breaks.

Support: Consider booking with a specialized tour operator who can provide support vehicles, mechanical assistance, and luggage transfers between locations.

Transportation: Reach your starting points via France's excellent train network, which generally accommodates bicycles with advance reservations.

Essential Tour de France E-Bike Experiences for 2025

Based on the official 2025 Tour route, here are three signature e-bike experiences you could build your trip around:

The Pyrenean Triple: Stages 12-14

The 2025 Tour features an exceptional sequence of three consecutive mountain stages in the Pyrenees, perfectly suited for an e-bike adventure:

1. Stage 12: Auch to Hautacam - A classic climbing day culminating with the challenging ascent to Hautacam
2. Stage 13: The Mountain Time Trial - Experience the rare 11km uphill time trial route to Peyragudes
3. Stage 14: The Queen Stage - Tackle the legendary combination of Tourmalet, Aspin, and Peyresourde before finishing at Superbagnères

With an e-bike, this challenging sequence becomes an achievable three-day adventure that would push professional cyclists to their limits.

The Alpine Showcase: Stages 18-19

The final mountain battles of the 2025 Tour offer the perfect Alpine experience:

1. Stage 18: Col de la Loze - Climb the Glandon and Madeleine before tackling the mighty Col de la Loze
2. Stage 19: La Plagne - Experience five categorized climbs including Col du Pré, Cormet de Roselend, and the final climb to La Plagne

These two stages showcase the magnificent beauty of the French Alps while testing your e-bike's climbing capabilities to the fullest.

The Ventoux Experience: Stage 16

Create a dedicated experience around Stage 16's summit finish on Mont Ventoux:

1. Pre-ride: Explore the lavender fields and vineyards around the base of the mountain
2. Main event: Climb Mont Ventoux from the classic Bédoin route used in the 2025 Tour
3. Bonus adventure: Descend via an alternate route (Malaucène or Sault) and complete the "Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux" challenge by ascending all three main routes in a single day—a feat made possible with electric assistance!

Maximizing Your E-Bike Tour de France Experience

To fully appreciate the connection between your ride and the race's rich history:

Connect with Tour History

Research the dramatic moments that occurred on the climbs you'll ride. Understanding that you're pedaling the same roads where cycling history was made enhances the experience tremendously. Look for monuments and markers along famous climbs that commemorate historic Tour moments.

Capture the Experience

The spectacular scenery of Tour routes deserves documentation. Consider mounting a camera to your handlebars or helmet to record your achievements, especially on iconic sections like the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez or the barren landscape of Ventoux.

Join Organized Events

Several opportunities exist to ride Tour routes in organized settings:

• L'Étape du Tour: This official Tour de France amateur event allows you to ride an actual stage of the current year's race. The 2025 edition will feature Stage 19 to La Plagne with over 16,000 cyclists participating.
• Dedicated E-Bike Tours: Companies like Undiscovered Mountains offer specialized e-bike trips focused on Tour de France climbs.

The E-Bike Advantage on Tour Routes

What truly sets the e-bike experience apart is how it changes your relationship with these legendary climbs:

Enjoyable Challenge vs. Pure Suffering

While professional riders push through pain barriers to conquer these mountains, e-bikers can find the perfect balance of personal challenge and enjoyment. You'll still feel the achievement of reaching famous summits but can adjust the assistance to ensure the experience remains pleasant.

Appreciation of Surroundings

When you're not completely focused on the physical struggle, you can truly appreciate the magnificent landscapes these routes traverse. From the lavender fields below Ventoux to the snowcapped peaks surrounding the Alpine passes, these views are as much a part of Tour legend as the sporting drama.

Multiple Summits in a Day

E-bikes transform what would be epic, once-in-a-lifetime climbs into achievable daily adventures. String together several famous ascents in a single day without the exhaustion that would make this impossible on a traditional bicycle.

Conclusion: Making Tour de France History Your Own

The Tour de France represents cycling's grandest stage—a showcase of human endurance against some of the most challenging terrain in Europe. With an electric bike, these legendary routes become accessible experiences rather than distant dreams.

By following the 2025 Tour route on an e-bike, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the professionals' achievements while creating your own meaningful connection to cycling history. The assisted climb to summits like Ventoux, Tourmalet, or Col de la Loze offers a perfect blend of personal challenge and accessibility.

Whether you're an experienced cyclist looking to conquer multiple climbs without exhaustion or a recreational rider eager to experience cycling's most hallowed roads, an e-bike adventure along Tour de France routes promises memories that will last a lifetime.