Preview Tour of Luxembourg 2025 | Great lineup from World Championship contenders to UAE powerhouses

2024 Antonio Tiberi
2023 Marc Hirschi
2022 Mattias Skjelmose
2021 João Almeida
2020 Diego Ulissi
2019 Jesus Herrada
2018 Andrea Pasqualon
2017 Greg Van Avermaet
2016 Maurits Lammertink
2015 Linus Gerdemann

The stage race kicks off in the capital city of Luxembourg, and the first stage also finishes there. Along the way, the riders will face some steep climbs, and the final stage is also quite challenging. Ten kilometers from the finish line, there is a hill of about two kilometers, the first kilometer of which has a gradient of more than ten percent. The finish is then on a 500-meter stretch with a gradient of almost nine percent.

Favorites
Romain Gregoire
Jhonatan Narváez
Tibor Del Grosso

Times
Start: 2 PM local time (08:00 AM EDT)
Finish: around 5:50 PM local time (11:50 AM EDT)

The second stage takes the peloton from Remich to Mamer. The climb starts soon after the start. The opening phase, therefore, offers opportunities for a strong breakaway. Although the rest of the stage is also up and down, the climbs are not too tricky, and a strong sprinter could come out on top at the finish in Mamer.

Favorites
Marijn van den Berg
Tibor Del Grosso
Andrea Vendrame

Times
Start: 12:45 PM local time (06:45 AM EDT)
Finish: around 4:50 PM local time (10:50 AM EDT)

On day three, the queen stage is on the program. The decisive climb is the Montée de Niklosbierg. The 2.8-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 9.2 percent includes a 600-meter section with a gradient of no less than 13 percent. In the final, the riders will have to tackle this tough climb three times. After the last passage, the riders face a nasty finish in Vianden of almost one kilometer at eight percent.

Favorites
Richard Carapaz
Mathias Skjelmose
Ben Healy

Times
Start: 12:30 PM local time (06:30 AM EDT)
Finish: around 4:50 PM local time (10:50 AM EDT)

The time trialists will also have their chance to excel in the Luxembourg countryside. On day four, there is a time trial of more than 26 kilometers on the program. Both the start and finish are in Niederanven. The course is hilly with four short, not too steep climbs, all in all a nice time trial for an all-round rider!

Favorites
Brandon McNulty
Mathias Skjelmose
Ethan Hayter

Times
Start first rider: 3:17 PM local time (09:17 AM EDT)
Finish last rider: around 5:26 PM local time (11:26 AM EDT)

The final stage of the Tour of Luxembourg consists of a challenging hill climb. The climbs follow each other in quick succession in the final. The last obstacle is the Pabeierbierg, a short, vicious climb of 800 meters at 9.2 percent. Whoever reaches the top first has a good chance of winning the stage, as the finish is only one kilometer away.

Favorites
Tibor del Grosso
Romain Gregoire
Jhonatan Narváez

Times
Start: 10:30 AM local time (04:30 AM EDT)
Finish: around 2:45 PM local time (08:45 AM EDT)

The Tour of Luxembourg can count on a great lineup of participants. Eight WorldTour teams and seven ProTeams will travel to Luxembourg. Among those present are several interesting World Championship contenders who want to use the stage race to get into top form. Given the hilly nature of the race and the time trial on day four, the stage race offers several types of riders the chance to go far in the final classification.

The most notable name is Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost). The Ecuadorian stage racer is gearing up for the World Championships in Rwanda and will be looking to confirm his good form in Luxembourg. Although the climbs in Luxembourg are no longer than a few kilometers, that should not be a problem for Carapaz. After all, he is very explosive uphill, but the time trial could thwart his chances of overall victory.

In that respect, Lidl-Trek's star rider has the edge. Mathias Skjelmose is not only a good climber, but he is also a more than capable time trialist. In addition, he has a final sprint that can make the difference at the finish. Skjelmose can also count on solid support from Tao Geoghegan Hart, Lennard Kämna, and Toms Skujins, among others.

In addition to Carapaz, EF Education-EasyPost can also play the Irishman Ben Healy. The hilly course may also suit Healy's abilities better. However, it remains to be seen what kind of shape Healy is in. He has not been in action since a successful Tour de France. Nevertheless, we expect Healy to do well in Luxembourg, if only to dot the i's and cross the t's ahead of the World Championships.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG is accumulating victories this season and is on its way to a record number of wins. There is a good chance that the team will also take home some stage wins in Luxembourg. Among others, the team is sending Brandon McNulty. He recently won the GP Montréal, thanks in part to his generous team leader, Tadej Pogacar. The time trial and the rest of the course are tailor-made for him. In addition to McNulty, Jhonatan Narváez can also compete for stage wins and the classification on behalf of UAE.

The French teams can also be expected to perform well. Groupama-FDJ, for example, will be represented by the recent winner of the Tour of Britain: Romain Gregoire. The puncher will have a field day with all the hilly stages and will also hold his own in the time trial. Late bloomer Nicolas Prodhomme is one of the spearheads of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. Together with punchers Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Andrea Vendrame, he forms a dangerous trio. TotalEnergies, on the other hand, is counting on explosive climber Jordan Jegat.

Former winner Marc Hirschi is also worth mentioning. The Tudor rider is certainly not having his best year, but he has been on a roll in Italy in recent weeks. We also mention Tibor Del Grosso. The Dutch rising star of Alpecin-Deceuninck will undoubtedly be in contention for stage wins in the hill stages with his strong finishing sprint. A short classification in the general classification seems a bit too much to ask with the queen stage and time trial. We are also looking forward to seeing 19-year-old Senna Remijn. The Dutchman, who, like Del Grosso, combines road and cyclo-cross, will be promoted to the professional branch of Alpecin-Deceuninck next season.

Top favorites: Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Mathias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Richard Carapaz, Ben Healy (both EF Education-EaseyPost), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ)
Longshots: Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Marc Hirschi (Tudor), Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies), Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Lennard Kämna (Lidl-Trek)

The stages of the Tour of Luxembourg are broadcast daily by Eurosport on HBO Max. Some stages can also be seen on the main channel Eurosport 1.