Well if we weren’t blessed enough with stunning scenery, glorious safe sandy beaches, Mont St Michel, Caen Millenium and, of course, the D-Day commemorations – the Tour de France has only just gone and decided to pass through our corner of Normandy!
The actual route will pass through the many towns and villages that we sell houses in and around and where some of the Suzanne and France Team members live. We are beyond excited.
We are aware we will need to decorate out shop tout de suite, given that preparations are well under way. This includes not only an array of bike displays you will see along the route, in particular, in Vire where Stage 6 finishes but the resurfacing of roads and general maintenance which, has always been the case, but this year it is just a little bit extra!
Over on our Facebook page and social media, we have been sharing our bike pictures as have our followers with the hashtag #suzannestourdefrance so do feel free to send us your pictures!
The last time the tour passed by, or should we say whizzed by, this corner of Normandy (let us not forget that Normandy is roughly the size of Wales) was in 2016. And the last time it passed through Caen was in 2006. So, if you are thinking of coming to Normandy, the month of July is a must. It is unlikely to pass through again for another 10 years!
For those that are not familiar with the way in which the Tour works – teams are made up of different nationalities. The aim of the race is for one rider to finish the fastest. He can only do this by the help of his team members. Within the team you will have a ‘domestique’ they go back to the team car to fetch water etc and also put in the work at the front of the team. For example, to shield their best rider, acting as a windbreak so to speak. The person that is in the lead gets to wear the coveted yellow jersey. There are four main categories and colour of jersey:-
Leader eg fastest time (yellow jersey)
Points or also known as the Sprinters jersey (green jersey) – this is a person who wins many stages on the tour so is the fastest, however, they don’t generally win it overall as they are not as good in the mountain stages. In fact, many can struggle to finish a tough mountain stage in the time allocated. The yellow jersey contender is ordinarily a very good mountain climber and good all rounder.
Mountains Classification (polka dot jersey) is the rider that gets the most points and is the fastest in the mountain stages. It is not unknown for the yellow jersey wearer to also hold the polka dot jersey as well for a period of time.
Best Young Rider (white) just like the yellow jersey eg the fastest classification but for the youngest riders who are under the age of 26.
What makes the race exciting is that you have many competitions within one race and, in addition, you will have a time trail whereby the rider is racing against the clock.
Each stage of the tour has a category eg flat, hilly etc. It is arguably the toughest sporting race in the world and showcases France to the maximum. The footage from the helicopter, the fans lining the streets make it a event watched by millions worldwide. It is a wonderful advert for France. It could also be said that this race is a major influence in the reason, why, France continues to be the top tourist destination in the world.
It is so profitable and world renowned that it did not even stop during the Covid pandemic.
Also, note that stages vary—flat, hilly, mountains, time trials—and how they impact each classification. That context helps understand why certain riders target specific jerseys.
We have turned this map to show vertically for ease of reference from the official Tour de France website.
Now, for our corner of Normandy we are most interested in the time trail in Caen which is on Stage 5 with a distance of just 33km on Wednesday 9 July 2025. This will start at 13.10 at the Caen Memorial and the last rider starts at 17:42. This will be against the back drop of William the Conqueror’s stomping ground and the millenium celebrations that are taking place in Caen all year.
And next up will be us! Stage 6 sees the tour start in the beautiful town of Bayeux home to the tapestry at 12.45 pm and finishing up in Vire at 17.14 pm – just 10 minutes from our office here in Sourdeval. This stage is on Thursday 10 July and is 201 km long, hilly with category 3 climbs and a 4 at the end.
As you can see it will pass through Pont D’Ouilly, Flers, Ger, Barenton, Romagny, Saint Barthélemy, Chérénce-le-Roussel, Le Mesnil-Adelée, Saint-Pois, Saint-Michel-de-Monjoie, Champ-du-Boult before finishing in Vire. We have included the links to some of these towns below.
We would suggest you get to your designated spot early, bring some seats, blanket, picnic, sun cream, umbrella! flags, banners and soak up the atmosphere. Perhaps pick a spot where the riders will be going up hill, although they will invariably breeze up any! The hill leading up from Saint-Pois to Saint-Michel-de-Monjoie or the hill leading up to Champ-du-Boult from there could be a good vantage point. Either way enjoy and make a day of it!
Even if you have never watched the tour or are in no way a fan of the vélo – the atmosphere, the team cars, the drama, the helicopter, the scooters and free giveaways will make it an unforgettable experience!
