The UCI Pro Cyclists are Coming to the 2025 Tour De Bloom

The gold Balsomroot and the purple Lupine flowers call out from the Wenatchee foothills,  bursting in color and announcing the arrival of the Apple Blossom and the annual Tour De Bloom bike race. 

Tour de Bloom has changed its format this year, moving from a four-day to a five-day event to accommodate UCI professional racers. Here are the changes coming to Washington’s most significant and brightest cycling event. 

What are the changes in this year’s Tour de Bloom?

Craig Still and Steve Johnston stopped in to share the exciting changes.

The pro/elite time trial will start in the Palisades near the end of the pavement, close to Wagon Road, and race 9 miles towards Highway 28 before turning around and finishing approximately a mile before Wagon Road. 

Another significant change is that there will not be a time trial in Palisades on Saturday morning - this year it will be conducted on Monday morning, May 5th.

Instead of all competitors participating in the individual time trial, it will be limited to professional men and women only.  This year’s women’s race will be sanctioned by the UCI (the international cycling union). As such, we have teams attending from the Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand, Ukraine, Iran, and several teams from Central and South America, as well as the United States and Canada. This year, in 2025, there are only two UCI-sanctioned races in the US, and the Tour de Bloom is one of them. 

The Higher level of UCI Women’s Pro Cycling comes with Strict Regulations.

• The women’s race will require a fully closed course, meaning that once the race begins at 9 am on Monday, any local traffic needing to travel on the course will need to be diverted. Tour de Bloom will provide pilot cars and motorcycles present to minimize the impact on local traffic as much as possible. This portion of the race should be complete by 11:30 AM. 

• The men’s race will take place at 12:30 and will be an open course, as it has been for the past two years. It is expected to be completed by 3:30.

Tour de Bloom 2025 Day by Day

Friday May 2nd, 2025

Still Properties Waterville Road Race

Road cycling in the classic Waterville wheat country. This course is flat with rollers, but the wind may play a role in the outcome. 

The 2025 Waterville Road Race course again uses the two-loop format introduced in 2022. The “Town Loop” is approximately 9 miles long and passes through downtown Waterville on Main Street. The “Country Loop” is roughly 20 miles long and includes the classic elements of our usual course.

Saturday May 3rd, 2025

Mission Ridge Ski + Board Resort Hill Climb (Amateurs Only)

The 4-mile climb takes the riders near the entrance of Squilchuck State Park to the Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort!

Rookard Pools Twilight Downtown Crit

The lightning-fast one-kilometer rectangular course takes the racers through the heart of historic Wenatchee. The Finish Line beer garden attracts hundreds of cheering spectators to urge on racers.

The start and Finish line are located between First Street and Orondo Avenue in Historic Downtown Wenatchee, Washington.

Sunday May 4th, 2025

Arlberg Sports Plain Road Race

This year’s race will once again utilize the forest roads north and west of Plain, including the scenic North Shore Drive alongside Lake Wenatchee. The stage will conclude with a steep, winding climb to the summit of Beaver Hill, offering amateur racers their final opportunity to earn King and Queen of the Hill points.

Monday May 5th, 2025

Builders First Source Time Trial (Elites & UCI Women’s Pros)

The pro/elite time trial will start Monday morning in the Palisades near the end of the pavement, close to Wagon Road, and race 9 miles towards Highway 28 before turning around and finishing approximately a mile before Wagon Road—blazing-fast racers in space-age, aerodynamic helmets, racing kits, and bicycles.

Tuesday May 6th, 2025

Biosports - Ed Farrar Queen Stage (Elites & UCI Women’s Pros)

The 62-mile stage (with 8,492 feet of elevation gain) will begin with three laps in lower Malaga, and sprint points will be at play in this fast portion of the stage. The peloton then launches up difficult Joe Miller Road, the same training route that Tour de France stage winner (and Wenatchee native) Tyler Farrar used. Just past the church at the top of "4 corners," the racers will make a fast descent of Stemilt Creek Rd.

The racers make one more climb up Joe Miller before taking a left at 4 Corners, then proceed up Stemilt Hill, which locals refer to as the River to Sky portion of the course. The racers will roll by the original Stemilt orchards, which Clyde Mathison bought and began farming in 1893. Zooming down Wenatchee Heights, the racers will make their final climb up Squilchuck Road, past Squilchuck State Park, to the iconic Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort.