France. Prestigious Tour de France Celebrates Milestone Anniversary with Gold and Silver Proof Coins

The Tour de France was first organised in 1903 by the newspaper L'Auto, with the aim of bringing public attention to the sport and, above all, increasing readership over its rival Le Vélo. Today, the Tour de France is the 3rd most watched sporting event in the world, after the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games. However, the three-week long race hasn't always ended on the Champs-Elysées as this spectacular finish dates back only to 1975, thanks to journalist Yves Mourousi. It was his phone call to the-then President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, that he suggested the idea of the backdrop of the boulevards of Paris. As more than 1.5 million applauding spectators lined the famous Parisian throughway, the French cyclist Bernard Thévenet crossed the finish line and was crowned winner of the 1975 Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées. It is now this final stage which has now become un-missable and has made these repeated scenes an iconic venue for competition and celebration, engraved in the history of international sport.

For 2025, the race commences on the 5^th July in the city of Lille and concludes on the 27^th when all the riders race down the Champs-Elysées to the finish line. The route will include 21 stages over 23 days and is over 3300 kilometres or, 2050 miles long cycling through 34 cities or villages in 11 regions. The tournament expects to welcome 176 competitors in 22 teams of 8 cyclists.

This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of the amended place of conclusion. Another highlight of the race this year is after 5 years of major departures and passages abroad, the 2025 Tour de France will take place within the borders of France and there will be no foreign crossings this year. The last time the Tour was entirely on French soil was in 2020.

The gold and silver proof coins are designed by Chief engraver of the Monnaie de Paris, Joaquin Jimenez

Departure and arrival - €200 Gold - €10 Silver. This coin highlights the start and finish locations of the 2025 Tour de France. The Tour will kick off in Lille and finish on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. A cyclist is depicted in the foreground, with his drawn shadow, going from the LILLE marker to the PARIS marker. The ‘I’ in Lille is drawn in the shape of the Belfry, a landmark in the city and the ‘A’ in Paris is drawn as the Arc de Triomphe. The background of the coin and the spokes are reminiscent of a bicycle wheel. In a slanted direction above the primary design is the stylised text TOUR DE FRANCE 2025.

The Route - €5 & €50 Gold - €10 Silver. The focus of this coin is the official route of the Tour de France, which depicts a cyclist in front of the official route that will be taken by all participants in July 2025. Divided in two by a line representing a stage, half of the cyclist and his bike are represented as a linear drawing. The background of the coin and the spokes are reminiscent of a bicycle wheel. To the left of the cyclist is the stylised text TOUR DE FRANCE 2025.

Both designs share a common reverse, the four jerseys of the Tour are heraldically represented in markers: the yellow jersey for the leader of the general individual classification, the green jersey for the leader of the points classification, the red polka dot jersey for the leader of the best climber classification, and the white jersey for the leader of the youth classification. Within the markers are the initials RF, the face value and 2025, the year of issue. The official Tour de France logo is superimposed over the primary design near the top half.  And just near the year is the mintmark and insignia of the designer.

Available from the 17^th June, each gold and silver proof coin is encapsulated and presented in a heavy-gauge card case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Monnaie de Paris.