Forgive me, but since I've seen the " No time Toulouse " Monty Python sketch twentysomething years ago, every time I hear or read the name of the place I recall that play of words.
Anyway, the important news is, that
Toulouse will almost certainly be back
in the program of Tour de France at the beginning of the second week. More precisely in the middle of the week, because the rest day will most likely take place on Tuesday, instead of Monday (Bastille Day).
The rich Tour de France past of Toulouse
Toulouse is one of the bigger places in /or very near to the Pyrenees, but the city hosted Tour de France before the era of high altitude mountain stages already.
It was part of the program of the very first Tour de France.
The 423 km long 3rd stage finished in the city. The winner was Hippolyte Aucouturier, and the leader of the general classification, since the first day, Maurice Garin. For modern day Tour de France fans, it might sound a bit strange, but Aucounturier, one of the favourites of the first Tour did not finished the 2nd stage, and yet, he was allowed to start the next one. Abandoning a stage ment in those days only that a cyclist has lost the chance to win the general classificarion, but he was allowed to chase the glory of winning a singular stage.
As it happened during the first few editions of Tour de France where the peloton arrived at the end of a stage, was also the place for the next one. Thus the 268 km long 4th stage to Bordeaux started in Toulouse.
Routes of the early years of Tour de France did not changed so often, therefore Toulouse remained the part of the program for some years.
Ironically only when Tour de France climbed Tourmalet and co for the very first time, Toulouse was left out of the program for the first time.
As I mentioned, since then, Tour de France visits Toulouse frequently.
Last time the race visited the city in 2019.
The 11th stage between Albi and Toulouse was a flat stage and Caleb Ewan was the fastest man in the saddle on that day
Toulouse - start and finish of the 11th stage ?
After a possible first rest day on 15th July, it seem that Tour de France will head to the Pyrenees, where the peloton will spend most likely the rest of the week.
As some newspapers, like the France Bleu Occitane, indicate, it seems
quite possible that the 11th stage will start and also end in Toulouse.
However, another informations contradict this assumption. Another article from the beformentioned local newspaper celebrates the return of Tour de France to Auch ( also a confusing name when your first, or second - like in my case - language is German), the capital of Gers department, an often overlooked region at the feet of the Pyrenees.
But it's not impossible having a stage (11th) with the loop from Toulouse to Toulouse and auch also a participation as host town of Auch during one of the subsequent days.
For more rumours and speculations related to Tour de France 2025 route pelase visit the article below:
