Wout van Aert won the closing stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, winning the at the end of the revamped stage around the centre of Paris.
The Visma-Lease a bike rider was part of a six-man group which formed on the second lap of the new Montmartre circuit under the pressure of overall winner Tadej Pogačar. Despite the rain soaked, cobbled streets, the group were totally committed, holding off a larger chasing group.
On the final lap the Belgian star followed another move from Pogačar which dropped the rest of the group, Van Aert making his own decisive move close to the top. On the descent, Van Aert committed totally, soloing to a memorable victory.
Behind him Pogačar was caught by the group with Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) finishing second and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) in third.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was confirmed as the overall winner for the fourth time. His victory was declared with 50km of the race to go, the threat of rain too great for organisers who neutralised the GC timings on the fourth passage of the Champs Elysées fish line, with just over 50km to go, before the race headed to the new Montmartre circuit.
Despite the rain, the neutralised general classification and the small group contesting the stage win, the new Montmartre circuit produced thrilling racing. From the moment the peloton passed the finish line for the first time the race was on, then, on the first lap of the new circuit the peloton split, some riders accepting their GC time, while others were desperate for the stage win.
That the yellow jersey was the instigator in chief of the winning group just added the spectacle, even though he was unable to take the win.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
No longer the purely processional stage almost guaranteed to finish in a bunch sprint, organisers changed the final stage of the Tour de France for 2025, incorporating the Montmartre climb which featured in the Olympic road race last year.
Before reaching Paris, though, the race had to ride there from the start in Mantes-La-Town, taking on a couple of fourth category climbs before they reached the Champs Elysées and the finish line after 61.6km of the 132.3km stage.
Before riding the new closing circuit, the race rode the old one three full times before heading out to ride three laps of the new circuit, including the climb of Montmartre, where more mountains points were available.
After the requisite smiles, photos and Champagne in the early kilometres, UAE Team Emirates-ADQ came to the front, with Pogačar himself leading, lifting the pace, and the race began to make some progress towards the centre of Paris. As they did so, the rain began to fall and race organisers declared the GC time would be taken the fourth time across the finish line, before the first Montmartre circuit.
Before that, though, the attacks came themoment Pogačar’s team led across the finish line for the first time, though nothing stuck until the start of the fourth lap, when US road champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and white jersey Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) created the smallest of gaps. The pair were allowed little more than 10 seconds and were eventually caught as they turned right, off the old circuit by the Place de la Concorde, with 43km to go.
Tudor took to the front as the cobbled streets took the race uphill towards the Basilique du Sacre-Couer, Julian Alaphilippe attacking first, with Pogačar and Wout van Aert among the a small group forming on the climb, though that came back together on the descent.
At the end of the first Montmartre lap the heavens truly opened and the organisers’ decision to neutralise the GC was fully justified, as a group of 28, including Pogačar led the race across the sodden cobbles.
On the second lap Pogačar attacked once more, and while he split the group, he had five others on his wheel, Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling) and the Visma-Lease a Bike pair of Matteo Jorgenson and Wout van Aert forming a group which worked well to hold off the chasers.
At the start of the final lap, with 16.8km of the Tour remaining, the six-man group led by just 19 seconds. On the approach to the final ascent of the climb Jorgenson but in repeated attacks, but failed to get away leaving Pogačar to make his move on the steepest section. There, though the yellow jersey dropped everyone else, Van Aert put in his own effort, dropping Pogačar and headed onto the descent with a gap.
RESULTS
TOUR DE FRANCE, STAGE 21, MANTES-LA-VILLE > PARIS (132.3KM)
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 3:07:30
2. Davide Ballerini (Ita) XDS-Astana, +19s
3. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, at same time
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +26
6. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling, +38s
7. Arnaud de Lie (Bel) Lotto, +1:14
8. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
9. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS-Astana
10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Lotto, all at same time
FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 76:00:32
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, +4:24
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +11.00
4. Oscar Onley (Gbr) Picnic-PostNL, +12:12
5. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, 17:12
6. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) UNO-X Mobility, +20.14
7. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, +22:35
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +25.30
9. Ben Healy (Ire) EF Education-EasyPost, +28:02
10. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies, +32:42
