From Col de la Loze to Montmartre: the decisive week begins

From Col de la Loze to Montmartre: the decisive week begins

The second rest day of the 2025 Tour de France has arrived. After a demanding week in the Pyrenees, wecan look back at an action-packed week and ahead to the challenges that await in the Alps and beyond…

Fighting Spirit in the Pyrenees

The past week showcased the team’s determination. Wout van Aert kicked things off with a fifth place from the break in stage 11. Jonas Vingegaard battled hard on Hautacam, taking second behind Pogacar, but struck back with a powerful ride in the uphill time trial to Peyragudes, finishing runner-up again. Matteo Jorgenson also showed his consistency with sixth place.

In stage 14, Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates joined the early breakaway, while Vingegaard once again challenged Pogacar, finishing on the podium despite Pogacar’s sprint win. Stage 15 saw Victor Campenaerts and Van Aert launch another bold attack, finishing second and fourth.

On to the Alps and Paris

The Tour is far from over, with the most thrilling stages still to come. Mont Ventoux returns as a summit finish, where Van Aert last claimed a memorable victory in 2021. Stage 18 stands out as one of the hardest days of this year’s race, with 5,450 meters of climbing and the iconic Col de la Loze, a climb that brings back golden memories for Vingegaard as he sealed his overall victory here in 2023. A place full of good memories.

Stage 19, the final mountain stage, finishes atop La Plagne, another opportunity for Yates, Kuss, or Vingegaardto aim for glory. After that comes a hilly stage tailor-made for attackers like Campenaerts and Van Aert, before the grand finale in Paris. This year, the closing stage breaks tradition: instead of a Champs-Élysées sprint, the peloton will tackle Montmartre three times, inviting late heroics, perhaps from Van Aert, before rolling into the City of Light. Plenty of racing left before the Tour de France Femmes takes over!

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