Tour de France 2025
Lille and the Grand Départ
As you’ve probably gathered by now, cycling is what got me here in the first place. When the Tour de France announced it was starting in Lille, I couldn’t resist setting up a Facebook group to swap tips and updates with other fans — and it’s still going.
Andy Sutcliffe
From the archive. This site was born in spring 2025 to help visitors coming to Lille for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France on 5 July 2025. These are Andy’s original guides, kept as he wrote them.
Stage 1: Lille to Lille
Andy’s guide to stage 1 →
Stage 2: Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Andy’s guide to stage 2 →
Stage 3: Valenciennes to Dunkirk
Andy’s guide to stage 3 →
The History of the Tour de France Grand Départ
From Paris-Lille 1906 to Boardman’s record →
Fan Zone
The 2025 fan zone on Place de la République →
Cycling Country
Riding in the north of France →
