Tour de France 2025 Stage 19 Elevation, Climbs & Terrain Breakdown

Stage 19 from Albertville to La Plagne isn’t just a mountain stage — it’s a test of pure grit and smart pacing. Here’s your full breakdown of what the riders will face on Friday, July 25th.

Stage Snapshot: Tour de France 2025 Stage 19 Overview

📅 Date: Friday, July 25, 2025
📍 Route: Albertville → La Plagne
⛰️ Terrain: High Mountains
🛣️ Distance: 129.9 km
🧗 Climbs: 5 categorized ascents — including two Hors Catégorie monsters and a summit finish

Short but savage. Stage 19 of the Tour de France 2025 is a compact Alpine gauntlet designed to ignite the general classification. With five climbs packed into just 130 km, including the brutal HC ascent to La Plagne, expect explosive attacks, GC splits, and no place to hide.

📊 Route Summary: Mountain Punch in 130km

Short stage. Big impact. Stage 19 of the Tour de France 2025 might clock in at just 129.9 km, but every kilometer packs Alpine intent. The day begins in Albertville, giving riders a brief chance to settle before the road starts rising almost immediately toward the Côte d’Héry-sur-Ugine — a Category 2 climb that sets the climbing tone.

Explore the complete stage 19 route. The first true test comes with the Col des Saisies (Category 1) and its long, steady gradients. Then the brutality begins: the Col du Pré, an Hors Catégorie climb averaging 7.7%, launches riders into thin air. No time to recover — the Cormet de Roselend (Cat 2) follows fast, and by then, legs will be burning.

The final showdown? A savage 19.1 km HC climb to La Plagne (2,052 m) — a summit finish that will rip the GC wide open.

This stage is a pure climbing war, with limited valley reprieve and relentless vertical gain. It’s a day for pure climbers and serious GC damage.

📊 Elevation Profile Breakdown:

📈 Climb-by-Climb Analysis

🥾 Côte de Villard-sur-Doron (Category 3)

• Km 21.3 – Km 26.1
• Length: 4.8 km
• Average Gradient: 6.2%
• Max Gradient: 9.5%
• ⛰️ A sharp early test — perfect terrain for the first breakaway to snap off the front.

🗻 Cormet de Roselend (Hors Catégorie)

• Km 46.3 – Km 67.4
• Length: 21.1 km
• Average Gradient: 6%
• Max Gradient: 9%
• Summit Elevation: 1,968 meters
• 🚴‍♂️ Long, steady, punishing. This is where domestiques get shelled and the grupetto begins forming.
• H4 Key Sections:
  • Km 53–56: Slight dip in gradient to 4.5% — possible spot for regrouping or breakaway acceleration.
  • Final 3 km: Stiffens to 7.5% — where GC teams will test each other.

⛰️ La Plagne (Hors Catégorie Finish)

• Km 107.5 – Km 130
• Length: 22.5 km
• Average Gradient: 7.8%
• Max Gradient: 11.5%
• Summit Elevation: 2,008 meters
• Brutal, altitude-heavy, unrelenting.

Key Segments:

• First 5 km: 6.5% average, false flat after the first 2 km.
• Km 5–10: Consistent at 8.2%, barely any recovery.
• Km 17–20: The leg-snapper — 9% average, ramps up to 11% inside the final kilometer.
• Final 500m: 11.5% — where attacks can make or break a podium bid.

📌 Road Surface & Technical Notes

• Albertville to Bourg-Saint-Maurice: Wide, good tarmac, fast.
• Cormet de Roselend descent: Technical, tight corners with occasional gravel patches, requires respect.
• La Plagne: Smooth surface, wide roads early, narrows dramatically after Km 12 of the final climb.

🪁 Weather & Wind Considerations

• La Plagne Summit: Often windy late afternoon; cross-headwind sections in final 3 km can sabotage solo moves.
• Possible thunderstorms expected late afternoon — could turn descents risky.

💡 Insider Fact

Local climbers call La Plagne “the silent killer” — because its steady average gradient hides viciously steep sectors and at 2,000 meters the air gets thin fast.

 Who Benefits & Stage Strategy Tips — Tour de France 2025 Stage 19 Route

👊 This is one for the mountain goats, plain and simple. The sprinters packed their bags three days ago, and the rouleurs have one job — get bottles and stay out of the gruppetto. What’s left is a festival for the climbers and GC contenders. Let’s break it down like the old-timers in Courchevel’s bars would:

Breakaway Hopefuls

Why It Works:

• Stage starts uphill-ish with a Cat 3 climb early, perfect for an aggressive break to form.
• If the peloton hesitates before Cormet de Roselend (HC), the break might gain 5–8 minutes before La Plagne.

Who’s Got a Shot:

• David Gaudu — sniffing a stage win before Paris.
• Ion Izagirre — descent master, can escape solo after Roselend.
• Michael Woods — if he’s still in one piece, final climbs suit him.

👑 GC Contenders

Where They Strike:

• Cormet de Roselend? Possible, but risk-heavy.
• Final 5 km of La Plagne? Guaranteed bloodbath. This is where yellow jerseys win or weep.

Expected Moves:

• UAE likely controls tempo till La Plagne.
• Pogačar’s got the punch — expect an acceleration 3 km out.
• Vingegaard may wait for the final 1.5 km before unloading.
• Watch Ayuso — wildcard, might attack at 4.5 km if others hesitate.

📝 Team Tactics & Tips

• Visma and UAE Emirates will keep the pace brutal on Roselend, shedding helpers.
• Ineos Grenadiers might gamble a mid-climb attack to catch UAE napping.
• Final descent? GC guys will cling to wheels, no heroics till La Plagne.

Key Insight:
Watch team lieutenants like Kuss, Yates, Martinez. If they’re pulling hard on La Plagne, it means their leader is planning a knockout punch.

🗝️ Race-Within-The-Race

KOM Classification:
Massive points at Roselend and La Plagne. Expect fierce battles between escapees and climber specialists.

Gruppetto Drama:
Sprinters’ time limit will be tight. Expect a nail-biter to beat the broom wagon.

Stage 19 Predictions & Favorites — Pro Analyst Breakdown

Tour de France 2025 Stage 19 isn’t just a mountain stage — it’s a GC (General Classification) decider, a leg-snapping, morale-breaking Alpine brawl. After what the riders endured in Stage 18 to Col de la Loze, today is where the true contenders bare their teeth and the pretenders get spat out the back.

🥇 Who’s Hot: The Top GC Favorites

🔥 Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

 He’s been playing it cagey all week but expect a big move today. La Plagne suits his explosive accelerations, especially on the last 3 km with those soul-sapping gradients and switchbacks. If he’s close to yellow, he’ll attack.

🔥 Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike)

His diesel engine and stamina over multiple climbs make him lethal here. Watch for a long-range move from Roselend if UAE shows weakness.

🔥 Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)

 Back to form in 2025 after rough years, and these old-school alpine stages suit his style. Don’t be surprised if he paces himself to the finish and gains time through consistency rather than fireworks.

👀 Dark Horses & Breakaway Kings

⭐ Romain Bardet (DSM–Firmenich PostNL)

 If the GC battle hesitates, Bardet’s going rogue. He loves La Plagne — French roads, French crowds, French climbs. He’s a romantic throwback and knows how to suffer.

 ⭐ Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

 A pure climber who’s been sniffing around breakaways. Don’t discount a gallant solo from Roselend to La Plagne if the GC teams mark each other out.

⭐ Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)

 Polka-dot jersey ambitions. Expect him in the break for KOM points and maybe clinging to the lead group at La Plagne.

⚙️ Race Dynamics & Tactics Prediction

• Early Break: Expect a sizeable breakaway to go early between Albertville and the Cormet de Roselend. Teams like Cofidis, EF Education, and Arkea-B&B will flood it.
• GC Teams Chase: UAE and Visma will control the gap to no more than 4 minutes before the final climb. INEOS may sit tight until the base of La Plagne.
• Key Move: The fireworks start at 3 km to go where gradients hit double digits. If Pogačar’s legs are good, that’s where he explodes.
• Possible Surprise: A tactical alliance between INEOS and Visma to isolate Pogačar mid-climb.

🏆 Final Prediction:

⚠️ GC Implications:

Stage 19 isn’t about who has the best legs at the bottom — it’s about who still has a soul at the summit. See stage 19 live updates.

Whoever crosses La Plagne first will not just win a stage, but etch their name onto one of the Tour’s most iconic mountain finishes.