Course and results Tour of the Alps 2025 | Arensman has to go all out to defend his leader’s jersey in the final stage
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Follow us on GoogleOrganizers always look for the best possible lineup every year in a super busy cycling calendar full of stage and one-day races. Who are the big names that will be competing? And what form are they in? The Tour of the Alps is traditionally a race without the top riders but always with a large field of riders competing in the Giro d'Italia in May. IDLProCycling.com will follow the event throughout the week in northern Italy and Austria and provide a detailed preview of every stage.
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The Tour of the Alps is now in its 48th edition, and, as mentioned, it is not a race that attracts riders such as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard with its 2. Pro status and place on the calendar (mid-April), it competes with the Ardennes classics on the one hand and comes just after a month full of WorldTour races such as Tirreno, Paris-Nice, Catalonia, and the Basque Country. Many top riders prefer to rest after a busy period or go for altitude training in preparation for the Giro d'Italia.
Luckily, there are always a lot of riders who use the Tour of the Alps as a final test before the Tour of Italy. And why not? The Tour of the Alps is often very hilly, just like the Giro. The weather in April is often changeable, similar to the Giro, and GC contenders can test each other, often after a period of training. Who is in good shape so far?
The standouts of the last editions of the Tour of the Alps are usually riders who also did well in the Giro. Think of Ben O'Connor and Antonio Tiberi, who finished second and third in the Alps last year and then fourth and fifth in May. In 2023, Tao Geoghegan Hart won, who might have won the Giro if he hadn't crashed. And in 2022, Romain Bardet was victorious, showing winning legs in the Giro but having to abandon the race due to illness. In 2021, Simon Yates won; you guessed it, he finished third in that year's Giro.
Latest winners Tour of the Alps
2024 Juan Pédro López
2023 Tao Geoghegan Hart
2022 Romain Bardet
2023 Tao Geoghegan Hart
2022 Romain Bardet
2021 Simon Yates
2020 Canceled
2019 Pavel Sivakov
2018 Thibaut Pinot
2017 Geraint Thomas
2016 Mikel Landa
2015 Richie Porte
Course, favorites stage wins and times Tour of the Alps 2025
Stage 1, Monday, April 21, 2025: San Lorenzo Dorsino - San Lorenzo Dorsino (148.5 km)
The Tour of the Alps tests the climbers' legs on day 1, with a tough 14.5-kilometer climb at an average gradient of 6.3 percent that must be conquered. The summit of this Campo Carlo Magno is 61 kilometers from the finish line, but chances are that nothing will be decided here. That could happen in the difficult finale, with first the Passo del Durone (6.3 kilometers at 8.0 percent) and then the uphill finish in the same place we start: San Lorenzo Dorsino. We can expect some explosive climbers with the last 2 kilometers at an average of 7 percent.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 2, Tuesday, April 22, 2025: San Mezzolombardo - Sterzing (178 km)
It was a fantastic stage because it could go any way. Right after the start, it is time to climb (19.1 kilometers at 6.1 percent!), and after a series of ups and downs in the first 90 kilometers, we climb steadily to the last categorized climb of the day. It is pretty challenging at 4.2 kilometers at 7 percent, and we do it twice in a row on a local circuit. The finish is down in Sterzing. Which fast man will still be there? Or are we going for a solo?
Winner
Michael Storer (Tudor)
Michael Storer (Tudor)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 3, Wednesday, April 23, 2025: Sterzing - Innichen (145.5 km)
After two very interesting stages, with opportunities for breakaway riders and GC contenders, day three is another one that could go either way. The profile shows three climbs, and they are all impressively tough. After an irregular opener (with sections of over 10 percent in the first 4 kilometers) and a full-fledged 7.7-kilometer climb at 7.3 percent, we blast over the Monte Versciaco in the final. At 5.9 at 7.1 percent, it's another tough one, and the finish is downhill after a difficult descent.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 4, Thursday, April 24, 2025: Sillian - Obertilliach (162.7 km)
Of the five stages during that week, day four is the only one rated four stars by the organizers. With 3,370 meters of elevation gain in 162.7 kilometers, that's not surprising, but the difficulty of the climbs is also a factor. After a short warm-up, the second uncategorized climb of the day, at 7.6 kilometers at 8.3 percent, already presents a huge challenge. After a short stretch, we sprint to the finish with climbs of 4.6 kilometers at 8.4 percent and 7.6 kilometers at 5.9 percent. The finish is once again after a hill climb.
Winner
Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers)
Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 5, Friday, April 25, 2025: Sillian - Obertilliach (112.2 km)
On the final day, we will only ride 112.2 kilometers, which usually makes for an incredibly explosive and interesting ride. With the start and finish in Lienz, we will take on the Bannberg (4.8 kilometers at 9.1 percent) twice, and the climb up the Stronach (3.1 kilometers at an average of 12.6 percent) will be the steepest final section. From here, it is usually a fight to the finish.
Favorites
Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Times
Start: 12:05 PM local time (06:05 AM EDT)
Finish: around 3:15 PM local time (09:15 AM EDT)
Start: 12:05 PM local time (06:05 AM EDT)
Finish: around 3:15 PM local time (09:15 AM EDT)
Favorites GC Tour of the Alps 2025
Choosing three favorites for the various stages was already quite a challenge and pure speculation, and that certainly also applies to the battle for the overall classification. There are so many good climbers at the start that it is virtually impossible to determine in advance who has the legs for the GC and who might go for stage wins after a less-than-perfect moment or due to tactical decisions. So, let's take a look at the teams with the most interesting names.
Jai Hindley is one of the top favorites based on name and status. The Australian won the Giro in 2022 and wore yellow in the 2023 Tour. At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, he is the big leader in the Tour of the Alps, and after a good Tirreno-Adriatico, he will undoubtedly have stepped up his game at altitude. Will we see the best Hindley back after his Tour injury in 2023 and all kinds of setbacks in 2024? If so, the rest can start worrying.
Jai Hindley
The defending champion in northern Italy and Austria is Juan Pédro López, but the Spaniard has not necessarily impressed in Catalonia. We rate his teammate Giulio Ciccone higher after a second place in the UAE Tour behind Tadej Pogacar, especially now that the Italian from Lidl-Trek (who trained at altitude with López, among others) has recovered from Tirenno. Tao Geoghegan Hart is an outsider, but the British rider had had nothing but bad luck since his Giro crash in 2023 when he fractured his hip. In Catalonia, he was forced to withdraw due to illness...
Bahrain Victorious seems fully committed to winning with Antonio Tiberi. The 23-year-old Italian finished third in the Tirreno and is riding well on the climbs... After a long period of training and rehabilitation, Picnic-PostNL is aiming for the golden duo of Romain Bardet and Max Poole. In February, Bardet suffered a shoulder injury in the Faun Drome Classic, while Poole broke his collarbone in Strade Bianche. After altitude training, they now both want to shine in the Giro.
Max Poole
An important outsider to all these GC contenders is Thymen Arensman. The Dutch rider has been showing his talent for several years, especially in the Grand Tours, but in his own words, he trained wrong and too hard to be a real contender. After he had placed fourth in Valencia and third in Paris-Nice, the Netherlands could hope for the best Arensman ever in the Giro... The Tour of the Alps is an important test on that front.
The same goes for Derek Gee, who, like Arensman (but riding for Israel-Premier Tech), is aiming for a top classification in the Giro. After winning O Gran Camiño and finishing fourth in Tirreno, how good is he? Matthew Riccitello is also in the mix, although the American has yet to prove himself as a pure classification rider. But the same goes for Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), who, with nothing but climbing in the Tour of the Alps, might just be in contention for a good GC.
That almost brings us to the end, but not before mentioning the pairings of Eddie Dunbar and Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) and Felix Gall and Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), along with the dangerously fast Michael Storer of Tudor and Italian top talent Davide Piganzoli of Team Polti VisitMalta. After five days of grueling racing, which gentlemen will we write down as interesting names for the Tour of Italy?
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
Who are the favorites for the final classification of the Tour of the Alps 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com?
Top favorites: Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) and Michael Storer (Tudor)
Long shots: Romain Bardet and Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL), Juan Pédro López (Lidl-Trek), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Davide Piganzoli (Team Polti VisitMalta), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) and Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla)
Outsiders: Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) and Michael Storer (Tudor)
Long shots: Romain Bardet and Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL), Juan Pédro López (Lidl-Trek), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Davide Piganzoli (Team Polti VisitMalta), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) and Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla)
TV broadcast Tour of the Alps 2025
The Tour of the Alps can be seen live on television and online for two hours every day. Eurosport has television rights and will broadcast on the Eurosport 2 channel throughout the week. Paying customers can also watch on HBO Max. Stages 1, 2, 4, and 5 will begin at 1:30 PM local time (07:30 AM EDT) and end around 3:30 PM local time (09:30 AM EDT). Stage 3 on Wednesday will be broadcast from 12:30 PM local time (06:30 AM EDT) to 2:30 PM local time (08:30 AM EDT)
Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])
Read also
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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