Stage 3 Valenciennes - Dunkerque (178.3km)
Will the wind create new battle scenes?
The third stage of the 2025 Tour de France brings the riders from Valenciennes to Dunkirk in 172 kilometers. With only 648 meters of elevation gain, this stage appears likely to end in a mass sprint.
The stage begins Monday in Valenciennes, a city known in France for its rich history in the textile and mining industries.
The only serious obstacle along the way is the Côte de Cassel (better known in Dutch as the Kasselberg, which was previously part of Ghent-Wevelgem), which the riders will climb from a different side than in the opening stage. This 2.3-kilometer climb has an average gradient of 4.5%, but will pose few problems even for sprinters.
The last part of the course is completely flat. Only the wind can pose a danger here. The Pas-de-Calais is known for its open plains, so it will be a nail-biter. The finish is in Dunkirk, a city famous for its harbor and the historic Dunkirk beach, which played an important role in World War II.
The Tour last visited Dunkirk in 2022, when the stage went to Calais. Wout van Aert won then impressively in the yellow jersey. For the last finish in Dunkirk, however, we must go back to 2001, when the city was the setting for a Grand Départ. Christophe Moreau won the prologue then. Jeroen Blijlevens also has warm memories of Dunkirk, where he achieved his first of four stage victories in the Tour de France in 1995.
| Date | Monday 07 July |
| Start |  Valenciennes |
| Finish | Dunkerque |
| Distance | 178.3 km |
| Elevation gain | 800 m |
| Start time | 13:10 |
| Expected finish | 17:18-17:40 |
Stage 3 Valenciennes - Dunkerque (178.3km)
Will the wind create new battle scenes?
The third stage of the 2025 Tour de France brings the riders from Valenciennes to Dunkirk in 172 kilometers. With only 648 meters of elevation gain, this stage appears likely to end in a mass sprint.
The stage begins Monday in Valenciennes, a city known in France for its rich history in the textile and mining industries.
The only serious obstacle along the way is the Côte de Cassel (better known in Dutch as the Kasselberg, which was previously part of Ghent-Wevelgem), which the riders will climb from a different side than in the opening stage. This 2.3-kilometer climb has an average gradient of 4.5%, but will pose few problems even for sprinters.
The last part of the course is completely flat. Only the wind can pose a danger here. The Pas-de-Calais is known for its open plains, so it will be a nail-biter. The finish is in Dunkirk, a city famous for its harbor and the historic Dunkirk beach, which played an important role in World War II.
The Tour last visited Dunkirk in 2022, when the stage went to Calais. Wout van Aert won then impressively in the yellow jersey. For the last finish in Dunkirk, however, we must go back to 2001, when the city was the setting for a Grand Départ. Christophe Moreau won the prologue then. Jeroen Blijlevens also has warm memories of Dunkirk, where he achieved his first of four stage victories in the Tour de France in 1995.