Stage 6 is the hilliest so far in this year's Tour, taking the race on a hook-shaped route from the Normandy coast at Bayeux into the hilly Normandy bocage, mixed cattle-grazing pasture and woodland, inland.
It's not called Swiss Normandy without reason.
After Remco Evenepoel's victory in the stage 5 time trial, which saw Tadej Pogacar take the yellow jersey for the first time in the 2025 Tour, who will triumph in Vire Normandie?
Stage 6: Bayeux > Vire Normandie
- Date: 10 July
- Distance: 201.5km
- Elevation gain: 3,550m
- Stage type: Hilly
Route profile
Route map
For a town with such a rich history – most notably as home to the 68-metre eponymous tapestry – it seems absurd that Bayeux has never previously hosted France’s biggest sporting and cultural event.
Twenty-eight years have passed since today’s finish town, Vire, last hosted the race, won by sprinter Mario Cipollini.
It was the stage in which the Italian started the not-universally-loved trend of combining yellow shorts with his yellow jersey, which some riders continue to do.
Cipollini was fined for his fashion statement, but that’s no longer the case – wearing an all-yellow kit is punishment enough.
Today is a tapestry of climbs, the hilliest of the race so far, with as many climbing metres as a short mountain stage. It ends in super-steep fashion, and bodies are sure to be sprawled across the tarmac at the finish line.
“Statisticians take note – this is certainly the most challenging ‘flat’ stage in the Tour’s recent history, featuring more than 3,500 metres of vertical gain,” says race director Christian Prudhomme.
“This part of the world is known as Norman Switzerland for good reason, and the peloton will be getting a full flavour of its rugged terrain.
“The Côte de Vaudry will be the star attraction in the finale, just prior to the big battle that’ll be fought on the 700-metre-long, 10% haul to the finish line.”
What's on the stage?
Despite its proximity to the D-Day invasion beaches, Bayeux was largely unscathed in 1945 and has an ancient centre, including Bayeux Cathedral and the museum housing the Bayeux Tapestry.
There's more history en route, including the ruined Château d'Harcourt, the Château de Flers and the Saint-Sever-Calvados Abbey, founded in the 11th Century.
The stage finishes in Vire Normandie. Along with Normandy cheeses, of which camembert is the most famous, and dairy products, Vire is home to the Andouille de Vire. Made from pig's guts, it's dried and smoked for up to a month, then boiled for six hours.
If you've had enough of Norman offal, though, don't despair – tomorrow's stage gets much tastier.
Vire is also thought to have given its name to vaudeville, the town having been famed for its bawdy drinking songs, popularised by the 15th Century poet Olivier Basselin.
One to watch: Adam Yates
He may be Tadej Pogačar's key lieutenant at UAE Team Emirates, but the British rider – who finished fourth overall in the 2016 Tour – also gets his own opportunities. Today could be one of those.
