Pogacar chases quadruple, Thomas bids farewell – 5 Tour de France talking points
A post shared by Tadej Pogačar (@tadejpogacar)
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is the overwhelming favourite to wear yellow in Paris and move level with Chris Froome on four career titles. And why not? The 26-year-old was outstanding last season, completing the Triple Crown of the Giro, Tour and world title, and has continued to pile up the wins this term. But two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard is ready to resume his now familiar rivalry with the Slovenian confident he is much closer to the form that saw him win in 2022 and 2023 than he was last year, when a devastating crash at the Tour of the Basque Country almost ruled him out of the Tour entirely. With Remco Evenepoel continuing to step forward and Primoz Roglic also racing after the early end of his Giro hopes, there are others who cannot be ignored.
The Philipsen-van der Poel train is back on the #TDF2025 💚
Le train @JasperPhilipsen–@mathieuvdpoel est de retour sur le #TDF2025 🚄 https://t.co/sbfYNT6yHq
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2025
Predicting the sprint stages looks a difficult task this year. Tim Merlier arrives with the most wins, 10, of any of the quick men, but only one Tour victory to his name in his only previous appearance back in 2021. Difficult terrain means there are few pure sprints, something that might seem to favour Jasper Philipsen, who won three stages last year to take his Tour career tally to nine, but his Soudal Quick-Step team have split priorities as Evenepoel eyes yellow. Tour debutant Jonathan Milan could profit from the more difficult finishes, but the parcours also suits Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages last year.
Geraint Thomas will start cycling's biggest race for the 14th and final time before retirement. His overall victory in 2018 was arguably the finest moment of a career that began with Olympic glory on the track, but his relationship with the Tour is a deeper story. Many fans fondly remember how he rode 20 stages of the 2013 race with a broken pelvis, determined to help Froome to victory at great personal cost. After the retirement of Mark Cavendish last year, the fact Froome has likely ridden his last Tour and the impending retirements of both Thomas and Lizzie Deignan, it feels like the end of an era for British cycling.
After last year's Olympics forced the Tour to swerve the French capital for the first time in race history, the now traditional finish on the Champs-Elysees will return in 2025. Before then a race that takes place entirely within the borders of France will challenge the riders with more than 50,000m of elevation, but also an unusually tricky opening week in the north of the country before the Pyrenees and Alps serve up their usual punishment.
Tour de France- here we come 😁 pic.twitter.com/4M0wtZAVv8
— Lewis Askey (@LewisAskey) June 30, 2025
Eleven Brits are due to start the race, including freshly-minted Giro champion Simon Yates, riding in support in Vingegaard, and twin brother Adam, supporting Pogacar. While Thomas waves goodbye, younger riders like Fred Wright, Oscar Onley and Lewis Askey will seek their breakaway opportunities. Jake Stewart lines up for his second Tour, while Sean Flynn and Joe Blackmore make their debuts. Connor Swift and new British champion Sam Watson, another debutant, join Thomas in the Ineos Grenadiers squad.
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Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
Pogacar eyes fourth Tour crown as rivals scramble to keep pace
PARIS, July 2 (Reuters) - Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar begins his bid for a fourth Tour de France title on Saturday, seeking to cement his status among cycling's greatest all-rounders, with rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel hoping to find a weakness in his armour. The race's 112th edition begins in Lille, with Slovenia's Pogacar, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021, and 2024, aiming to join Britain's Chris Froome in the elite club of four-time winners. That would edge him closer to the record five titles held by Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain. The 26-year-old world champion's scintillating spring classics campaign, featuring victories at the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege plus podiums at Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, showcased his versatility and drew comparisons to Merckx and Hinault. Pogacar's dominance continued at last month's Criterium du Dauphine, where he claimed three stages and overall victory by 59 seconds over two-time Tour winner Vingegaard. "For sure, this helps the morale and motivation for the Tour because it is the biggest goal of the season. I think it is a mental boost for all the team," he said after his commanding performance. His sole vulnerability emerged during the Dauphine's 17.4km time trial, where he conceded 48 seconds to Evenepoel and 28 to Vingegaard - a potential weakness with two time trials totalling 43.9km awaiting in this year's Tour. Denmark's Vingegaard, enjoying smoother preparation than last year when he was recovering from a serious injury, aims to reclaim the crown after finishing over six minutes behind Pogacar in 2024. The 28-year-old, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, suffered a concussion during March's Paris-Nice but rebounded to take second at the Dauphine. Vingegaard will be backed by a strong Visma-Lease a Bike team featuring Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates, 2023 Vuelta a Espana champion Sepp Kuss, two-time Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson and the versatile Wout van Aert. "With these eight very strong riders, we believe in the plan we made for the Tour de France. From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas in the general classification," said Grischa Niermann, Visma's head of racing. "We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result." Belgium's Evenepoel, who claimed third on his Tour debut last year, underwent surgery after crashing during December training. The double Olympic champion made a remarkable comeback, winning April's Brabantse Pijl before the Soudal Quick-Step rider finished fourth at the Dauphine, over four minutes behind Pogacar. Germany's Florian Lipowitz emerges as a potential dark horse after his Paris-Nice runner-up finish and third place at the Dauphine. The Tour's 3,338.8km route features 52,500 meters of climbing across 21 stages of cycling's ultimate test.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Humble Wimbledon star Jack Draper still drives seven-year-old VW Polo despite earning millions in prize money
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
World's second-richest tennis star at Wimbledon speaks out about billionaire dad
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