Cycling calendars 2025: Women push new boundaries, but few changes for men (except everything happens a week later)

With the Tour Down Under starting on Tuesday, January 21, the cycling-less winter is finally over. The men’s calendar continues in Spain with a few one-day races in the south. The first two months are packed with events like that, such as the Clásica de Almería, as well as French races like the GP La Marseillaise. Cycling fans can breathe a sigh of relief when the spring classics season begins in Belgium with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which will be held on March 1 — no February start as usual.

This signals a trend, as almost every race is scheduled a week later than last year. For example, the Strade Bianche will take place on March 8, compared to March 2 last year. The first monument, Milan-San Remo, is set for March 22. The remainder of the spring is dedicated to the cobbled and Ardennes classics. After the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders arrives on April 6, followed a week later by the traditional Paris-Roubaix.

On Easter (April 20), fans can tune in for the Amstel Gold Race, which leads us to the Flèche Wallonne a week later and finally to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Time flies, as the Giro d’Italia is just around the corner! The first Grand Tour of the year starts on May 9 in Albania and concludes on June 1. From that point on, it’s only a little over a month until the Grand Départ. Yes, indeed, the Tour de France begins on July 5. After stops in San Sebastian (August 2), Poland (August 4–10), and the Benelux region (Renewi Tour, August 20–24), the Vuelta a España kicks off on August 23. By September 14, the Grand Tour season will be over, ushering in autumn with the World Championships in Rwanda (September 21–28), the European Championships in France (October 1–5), and the Tour of Lombardy (October 11).

As we mentioned, the women’s season is already underway. After the Tour Down Under, their calendar continues in Spain and the UAE before their cobbled classics season also starts with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on March 1. A week later comes Strade Bianche, followed by the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. We stay in Italy for a while longer, because March 22 will bring a historic first: the debut of a women’s edition of Milan-San Remo.

After the Italian delights, it’s back to the cobbles. The women’s preparation for the Tour of Flanders, which will again be held on April 6, differs slightly this year, including the Classic Brugge-De Panne, Gent-Wevelgem, and Dwars door Vlaanderen. Paris-Roubaix does take place on a different day, on Saturday, April 12. Following the Ardennes trilogy from April 20 to 26, the women turn their attention to the first Grand Tour of the year, and it’s not the Giro: the Vuelta a España Femenina will be held from May 4 to 10.

With no major monuments or Grand Tours immediately after that, fans can look forward to events like Itzulia Women (May 16–18), the Tour of Britain (June 5–8), and the Tour of Switzerland (June 12–15). The Giro d’Italia finally comes around from July 6 to 13, followed two weeks later by the Tour de France Femmes. The first stage will be on July 26, the last on August 3. The World Championships (September 21–27) and European Championships (October 1–4) have the same dates as the men. The season wraps up with autumn races in Italy and finishes in China with the Tour of Guangxi.