


Tadej Pogačar has won the Tour de France 2025. The world champion from Slovenia was already certain of victory 50 kilometers before the finish in Paris, as the times were neutralized due to slippery conditions. Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Florian Lipowitz shared the final podium. The last stage, featuring three laps of Montmartre, rainfall, and a finish on the Champs-Élysées, turned into a spectacle and a stage win for an unleashed Wout van Aert.
After a detour to Nice, the Tour de France returned to the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the final day, but with a twist. The ASO included the Montmartre climb in the route during the last laps—three times, in fact. The cobbled climb (1 km at 6.5%) to Butte Montmartre, near the Sacre-Coeur, had been part of the 2024 Olympic road race course. The summit of the final climb was 6.5 kilometers from the finish line, so a bunch sprint was far from guaranteed.


Tradition honored: calm start and lots of photos
The final stage kicked off with the traditional photo moments. With Tadej Pogačar (yellow jersey and polka dot jersey), Jonathan Milan (green jersey), and Florian Lipowitz (white jersey) already crowned winners of their classifications, they were allowed to ride upfront. Ben Healy and Quinn Simmons were also honored as winners of the Super Combativity award and the best teammate of this Tour de France, respectively.
Various teams took their group photos. UAE Emirates XRG chose the moment for a team picture, as did the Italians, Australians, and teams like Arkéa-B&B Hotels and TotalEnergies. Well before reaching Paris, the peloton’s tempo increased sharply as riders needed to contest the local circuit on time. It was yellow jersey Pogačar who also took some turns at the front.
Neutralized finale in Paris
Meanwhile, news came from Paris that predicted rainfall would cause slippery conditions on the Champs-Élysées’ cobbles and on Montmartre’s pavement, prompting officials to stop timing at the fourth passage of the finish line. All riders still had to cross the finish, but the last 50 kilometers, including the three laps to Montmartre, only counted toward the stage victory.
After the first passage at the finish, where UAE Emirates XRG was first to cross, the racing truly began. Magnus Cort was the first to launch an attack, followed by several others trying their luck. Notably, Jonas Vingegaard took a strong turn upfront, wanting to give something back to his teammates on the final day. When the timing was halted, 50 kilometers from the finish, Quinn Simmons and white jersey Florian Lipowitz were narrowly ahead of the peloton.
Breakaway with Pogačar and Van Aert in the rain
Before the first climb of Montmartre, they were caught as the pace surged, especially driven by Alpecin-Deceuninck, Tudor, and Visma | Lease a Bike. On the climb, Julian Alaphilippe launched the first acceleration, followed by Arnaud De Lie, Pogačar, and Van Aert. They initiated a breakaway group of nearly 30 riders that remained after the descent. Jordi Meeus and Jonathan Milan missed the move and had to chase while a large part of the peloton believed in the break.
With 30 kilometers remaining, the rain started falling, making the cobbles even more challenging. Alongside Pogačar, Van Aert, De Lie, and Alaphilippe, riders including Victor Campenaerts, Matteo Jorgenson, Neilson Powless, Biniam Girmay, Axel Laurance, Jasper Stuyven, Kaden Groves, Kévin Vauquelin, Mike Teunissen, Pavel Bittner, Tobias Lund Andresen, Jenno Berckmoes, and Jonas Abrahamsen were involved. The stage winner was in this group.
A surge by Pogačar on the second ascent of Montmartre caused a new selection. Only Davide Ballerini, Jorgenson, Van Aert, and Matteo Trentin could keep up with the yellow jersey, while Matej Mohoric bridged up on the descent. The group of six worked well together and gained 20 seconds on the chasing group at the start of the final lap of nearly 17 kilometers. That gap quickly extended toward 40 seconds, putting Kaden Groves’s group out of contention.
Pogačar leads, but Van Aert strikes on last Montmartre
In the final lap, Visma | Lease a Bike tried to use their numbers advantage, with Jorgenson attacking. That move was quickly countered, leading to a final showdown on Montmartre. Pogačar set the pace, with Van Aert glued to his wheel. The Slovenian pushed hard on the steepest section, but Van Aert still had another gear. On the wet cobbles, he opened a gap and managed to break away from Pogačar and the rest.
With a lead of over five seconds, the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike descended the treacherous lightning-fast hill at full risk. Van Aert charged into the last five kilometers as the yellow jersey faded in the distance and dropped back into Jorgenson’s group. The (unique) solo victory on the Champs-Élysées was then secured. After previously winning a bunch sprint in Paris, Wout van Aert this time claimed a solo triumph on France’s most famous boulevard.
This was Wout van Aert’s tenth Tour de France stage win, having earlier this year also won a Giro d’Italia stage over gravel roads. Behind him, Davide Ballerini and Matej Mohoric took second and third place, just ahead of the fading Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, who, of course, crossed the Champs-Élysées finish line with celebration.

photo: Cor Vos

photo: Cor Vos
| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:07:30 | |
| 2 | + 19 | |
| 3 | " | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | + 26 | |
| 6 | + 38 | |
| 7 | + 01:14 | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
Stage winner and classification leaders after stage 21
| Rank | Rider | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 76:00:32 | |
| 2 | - | + 04:24 | |
| 3 | - | + 11:00 | |
| 4 | - | + 12:12 | |
| 5 | - | + 17:12 | |
| 6 | - | + 20:14 | |
| 7 | - | + 22:35 | |
| 8 | - | + 25:30 | |
| 9 | - | + 28:02 | |
| 10 | - | + 32:42 |