Tour de France 2025 - Stage 16: Montpellier to Mont Ventoux
👑 𝑳𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒊 𝒅𝒖 𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒙 ! 👑#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/D6FemH2o47
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 22, 2025
The route of Stage 16 was unusual. From Montpellier, the peloton faced a long flat start, followed by an explosive finale on the legendary climb, which served as the finish for the 11th time in the history of the world’s most prestigious race. The last 15.7 km, with an average gradient of 8.8%, delivered intense drama – both in the battle for the stage win and between the two main contenders for the overall title, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.
“It’s crazy when a French rider wins a stage on the Tour. I didn’t believe I could do it, but you have to take your chances. On the final climb, I realized I wasn’t strong enough to drop Healy – and he couldn’t drop me. I decided to wait for the sprint. Van Wilder was key here. No one wanted to take the lead because of the headwind, but he kept us ahead of the yellow jersey group. I knew the last few hundred meters were really steep, so I waited for Healy to launch and then countered,” said Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), full of satisfaction.
The 24-year-old Frenchman achieved the biggest victory of his career. This was his third professional win and his second Grand Tour stage victory, having already claimed a stage on last year’s Giro d’Italia. To win, he had to outpace the in-form Ben Healy (EF Education EasyPost), who has been a standout performer during this Tour.
The Irishman set the pace on the climb, and with 4 km to go, he and Enric Mas (Movistar) caught the front. The Spaniard had attacked earlier on the steep lower section of the climb and spent a long time riding solo at the front, but he eventually began to fade. Though he tried to rejoin a few times, he couldn’t stay in contention for the stage win.
With just over 2.5 km remaining, Paret-Peintre launched an attack, but Healy immediately responded with a counter. The Frenchman held on, and soon they were joined by Mas and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious). As the leading trio hesitated, Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) bridged across.
This move proved decisive. Van Wilder took control of the pace in the final 500 meters, setting the stage for Paret-Peintre’s sprint. Healy launched first, but the Frenchman timed his move perfectly to overtake him in the final stretch. Buitrago finished four seconds back, while Van Wilder trailed by 14 seconds.
Van Wilder’s pacing also kept the overall contenders at bay. Pogačar and Vingegaard closed in but couldn’t catch the leaders, finishing fifth and sixth. Near the end, Pogačar accelerated on the final steep pitch, gaining two seconds on Vingegaard. The Slovenian now leads the general classification by 4 minutes and 15 seconds. He also dons the polka-dot jersey.
The main group started the climb about six minutes behind the breakaway. Visma Lease a Bike pushed the pace hard, causing significant splits and isolating Pogačar. But the Slovenian champion was once again brilliant. About 9 km from the finish, Sepp Kuss pulled off, and Vingegaard attacked – only for Pogačar to cover him with ease.
The duo dropped the other contenders and soon caught Vingegaard’s teammate Tiesj Benoot, who led them for about a kilometer. Vingegaard tried another acceleration, but Pogačar remained glued to his wheel. Visma’s plan included another helper, Victor Campenaerts, but even with his brief support, Vingegaard couldn’t shake the yellow jersey.
He tried again at the same spot where he gained 38 seconds four years ago, but Pogačar effortlessly neutralized the move. In the final 2 km, Pogačar launched his own surge. Vingegaard held on but lost two seconds in the explosive finale.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) finished ninth, 1:51 behind the winner. The second Slovenian star worked alongside his teammate Florian Lipowitz, who is third overall. Roglič briefly followed Vingegaard’s first attack but soon settled back, focusing on team strategy. Lipowitz crossed the line two seconds after Roglič and remains third overall, 9:03 behind Pogačar. Roglič is fifth, trailing by 11:42. Between them is Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), 11:04 back.
Wednesday brings a 160 km stage from Bollène to Valence, offering a chance for the sprinters. Thursday follows with the queen stage – three categorized climbs in the Alps, finishing on the demanding Col de la Loze.
