STAGE 3 – VALENCIENNES TO DUNKIRK
Discover Our StoriesSTAGE 3: A RACE TO THE COAST
Clearly there is lots of detail about the TDF route all over the place, so these are just my insights from living here and having vsited most of the towns on the routes of the first three stages. And to avoid repeating myself endlsessly, these three stages are essentially totally flat. What the Tour organisers mark as hills, for example Mont Cassel and Mont Noir on stage one, and Mont Cassel (again), on this stage, are tiny bumps in the road by Tour standards. Although the Tour passes through the area of Paris-Roubaix pavé around Orchies and Mons-en-Pevele, organisers ASO have said they are not incliuding any pavé on this visit.
I’ll add further details to this page closer to the time; hopefully I’ll get the chance to go and drive/ride some of it and look out for good places to view the race. Watch this space as they say!
Valenciennes Hotel de Ville
One of the wrecked ‘little ships’ still visible at low tide on Dunkirk’s beach
Best Spots to Watch Stage 3
Starting in Valenciennes (direct trains from Lille-Flandres), the route essentially heads north-west to Dunkirk, passing about four kilometres from my house! Notable towns along the route are Orchies (trains from Lille), Mons-en-Pevele, a nice hilltop town close to me, Seclin, a small town on the A1 Paris motorway with lots of industrial estates and retail parks, Bethune, Cassel (again), through Bergues and on to Dunkirk.
Arrival in Dunkirk
Lots to do in Dunkirk. Obviously lots of WW2 related sites! Easily accessible by train or car from Lille.
If you look at this section of the 2025 Paris-Roubaix route you can see that the Tour is coming very close to the P-R route and close to some sections of pavé between Orchies and Mons-en-Pevele; sectors 11, 12 and 13. But apparently they are not being included.
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