2025 Tour de France S17 to S21 Briefing

2025 Tour de France Stage 17: MERLIER Tim Blocked by Crash, MILAN Jonathan Wins Sprint with Ease

After the brutal battle on Mont Ventoux in Stage 16, riders had a chance to breathe today with the second-to-last flat sprint stage of this Tour. The route stretched 160.4 km with just 1650 m of elevation—a low-difficulty flat stage.

The race began with early attacks, which were quickly reeled back in. At the 4 km mark, four riders launched another attack and successfully formed the day’s breakaway group.

With 45 km remaining, VAN AERT Wout attacked solo from the peloton in pursuit of the breakaway but was caught after 11 km. Meanwhile, rain began to fall, making the roads slippery and foreshadowing trouble...
At 8.1 km to go, the breakaway group was caught. At 900 m to go, the peloton was speeding toward the finish when a crash occurred at the rear due to slick conditions. GIRMAY Biniam and others were caught in the crash, and MERLIER Tim, who was behind the incident, was completely blocked and had to stop before continuing, costing him the chance to contest the final sprint.

Without two of his fiercest rivals, MILAN Jonathan easily surged past the remaining sprinters to win the stage, further solidifying his lead in the green jersey competition.

2025 Tour de France Stage 18: Queen Stage Victory for O'CONNOR Ben, Gap Widens Between POGAČAR and VINGEGAARD

After a “restful” Stage 17, riders faced the Tour’s ultimate challenge today: Stage 18, the Queen Stage. Covering 171.5 km with a staggering 5450 m of climbing, it was the toughest stage of the Tour.

Intermediate Sprint
Before the intermediate sprint, the peloton was calm. MILAN Jonathan comfortably claimed the sprint points.
Right after, WELLENS Tim attacked and broke away. VAN AERT Wout, GROVES Kaden, and others joined him. Soon, a new breakaway group formed, led by O'Connor, Ben, Romeo, and others.

As the climbs began, riders dropped from each of the four front groups. Visma took control in the peloton, setting the pace. At 72 km to go, VINGEGAARD Jonas attacked. POGAČAR Tadej stuck to his wheel, and both quickly joined the first group. JORGENSON Matteo took over pacing duties, and VINGEGAARD claimed 20 points at the summit.

On the descent of the second climb, JORGENSON Matteo descended aggressively, prompting POGAČAR Tadej to comment on the radio about his reckless speed.
At the base of the descent, 42 km from the finish, O'CONNOR Ben launched an attack. Rubio and JORGENSON responded quickly, forming the new lead group of three. Behind them, no one in the yellow jersey group wanted to set the pace.

On the final climb, Visma tried their previous tactics, but fatigue from two HC climbs showed. Support riders YATES Simon and KUSS Sepp dropped off. UAE took over the pacing and reeled in FLORIAN LIPOWITZ.
Up front, at 16 km to go, O'CONNOR Ben attacked solo and opened a growing gap, ultimately claiming a solo stage victory.
POGAČAR and VINGEGAARD launched attacks 2 km from the finish, but it was POGAČAR who crossed the line 9 seconds ahead—further strengthening his lead in the yellow jersey standings.

2025 Tour de France Stage 19: THYMEM ARENSMAN Wins After Four Attacks

This was the final mountain stage of the Tour. The route was shortened to 93.1 km, with the first two climbs removed, making it less taxing on riders.

Because the sprint point was close to the start, no one attacked early. Lidl-Trek's Milan Jonathan, who once again claimed the sprint points.
Soon after, THYMEM ARENSMAN launched an attack at 80 km to go. More than 20 riders, including Primož Roglič, joined the break. Though the time gap wasn’t large, it was stable.

At 47.2 km to go, the chasing group was caught by the peloton, leaving just three riders up front. UAE and UNO-X began accelerating in the peloton.
Though Roglič did not give up, he was reeled in at 22 km to go, right before the final climb.
On the third climb, Roglič dropped back. Decathlon–AG2R pushed the pace, causing all Visma and UAE domestiques to fall behind.
At 14 km to go, THYMEM ARENSMAN attacked again. POGAČAR and VINGEGAARD followed quickly and created a small leading group. ARENSMAN didn’t give up—he rejoined them and soon attacked again, this time successfully going solo.

Behind him, POGAČAR, VINGEGAARD, and FLORIAN LIPOWITZ fought a tactical battle. They accelerated late, allowing ARENSMAN to cross the line 10 seconds ahead, claiming his second stage win of this Tour.

2025 Tour de France Stage 20: GROVES Kaden Goes Solo for Stage Win as Points Race Ends

With the Tour nearing its conclusion, riders faced the final hilly stage: 184.2 km with 2900 m of climbing.
For the jersey holders, this stage wouldn’t change their standings—they only needed to finish safely. For others, it was one last chance at glory.

The race began with attacks from Asgreen and Abrahamsen, all quickly neutralized. Numerous riders attempted solo breakaways without success.
At 66 km to go, the breakaway began the third climb. Many riders chased hard, leading to more selections and breakaways. But since the climbs weren’t too difficult, time gaps remained small.
At 26 km to go, the front group included nine riders—Romeo, GROVES Kaden, and others—holding a 5-minute lead over the peloton.

At 25 km to go, GROVES and Romeo attacked and formed a new front group. On the descent after the climb, disaster struck—Romeo crashed hard on a slick road and hit the roadside barrier. Though he finished the stage, the extent of his injuries remains uncertain.
At 17 km to go, GROVES broke away from the lead group and kept increasing his gap, ultimately winning the stage and completing his Grand Tour stage victory grand slam.

2025 Tour de France Stage 21: VAN AERT Wout Solo on the Champs-Élysées, POGAČAR Tadej Retains Overall Victory

The final stage of the Tour arrived. Many expected a routine sprint, but shortly after the start, organizers announced that—due to weather—final general classification and points results would be based on times at 50.3 km to go, before the three Montmartre laps.
This meant riders could race freely on the final circuit with no impact on standings—a true “free fire” finale.

On the first Montmartre climb, Julian Alaphilippe attacked. POGAČAR and VAN AERT chased hard, bringing MOHORIČ and others along. A large lead group formed.
On the second climb, POGAČAR began his trademark seated acceleration. Only MOHORIČ, VAN AERT, and JORGENSON could follow.

On the third climb, POGAČAR attacked again. VAN AERT stayed with him and launched a counterattack, successfully distancing POGAČAR. He continued to extend his lead and soloed to victory on the Champs-Élysées.