Simon Yates Wins First Mountain Stage, Healy Takes Yellow

🌋 𝒀𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅 ! #TDF2025
🎨 A.S.O. / @maximelth pic.twitter.com/pE0pw0LDKF

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2025

The first mountain stage of the 112th Tour de France came on Monday, July 14, with 4,450 meters of climbing packed into a 165 km route through the Massif Central. As a result, the first rest day will only follow on Tuesday, after nearly half of the race has been completed.

From a powerful breakaway of 29 riders that formed just 5 km after the start, Simon Yates, the winner of this year’s Giro d’Italia, emerged victorious. The Briton crowned the aggressive racing of his Visma Lease a Bike team, shaking off his last four breakaway companions on the final climb to Puy de Sancy (3.3 km at 7.7%).

“I Grabbed the Opportunity With Both Hands”

“I wasn’t feeling my best, as the stage was demanding right from the start. I didn’t expect an opportunity like this on the Tour, as we’re here for Jonas and the general classification. But the stage unfolded in such a way that I grabbed the opportunity with both hands,” said Yates after his 32nd career win and 11th stage victory on a Grand Tour.

Healy Snatches Yellow Jersey

Tadej Pogačar took advantage of Ben Healy’s presence in the breakaway to hand over the yellow jersey and the responsibilities that come with it. With support from two EF Education EasyPost teammates, Healy built a six-minute lead. By finishing third on the stage, he moved ahead of Pogačar by 29 seconds. Starting the day 11th overall and 3:55 behind, the winner of Stage 6 is known for his solo breakaway triumphs but is not considered a contender for the final general classification.

“This feels like a fairytale, a dream come true,” Healy said emotionally. “If someone told me before the Tour that I’d wear the yellow jersey after winning a stage, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’m very proud to represent Ireland. I can’t even comprehend this success,” added the English-born rider, who chose Ireland after being overlooked by the British track cycling program.

Before Healy, only Shay Elliott, Sean Kelly, and Stephen Roche had worn the yellow jersey as Irish riders. “From now on, I’ll focus on defending my overall position, respecting the yellow jersey, and trying to keep it as long as possible,” Healy declared.

Visma Attacks Fail to Break Pogačar

Behind the break, Visma Lease a Bike launched a series of attacks in the final 25 km, with Sepp Kuss and especially Matteo Jorgenson trying to isolate Pogačar, while Jonas Vingegaard stayed conservative. Primož Roglič remained present in the lead group of ten riders.

On the final climb, Pogačar tested his legs, followed only by Vingegaard, before both decided to ride calmly to the finish, sheltered behind Lenny Martinez, who claimed the polka-dot jersey with mountain points.

“It’s never easy to lose the yellow jersey. But we lost Joao Almeida yesterday, and Pavel Sivakov is still recovering from illness. Our goal was to fend off Visma’s attacks. We did a great job, and now I’m looking forward to the rest day. Honestly, I’m glad I don’t have the yellow jersey, so I won’t have to do as many interviews,” said Pogačar.

Regarding Visma’s tactics, the world champion added: “Their attacks were a bit annoying, so I decided to make one strong move. I saw Lenny Martinez ahead and joined him; it meant more to him than to me.”

Roglič Drops Six Seconds, Still Ninth Overall

Pogačar finished ninth, just ahead of Vingegaard in tenth. Three seconds later, Florian Lipowitz and Jorgenson crossed the line, followed another three seconds later by Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič in 16th place.

In the overall standings, Healy jumped to the top, while the best Frenchman, Kevin Vauquelin, dropped from third to sixth after showing signs of weakness. Pogačar is now second, 29 seconds behind Healy, and Roglič remains ninth, 3:12 down.