French cyclist Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) won the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, held between Montpellier and Mont Ventoux over 171.5 kilometers, while the leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) resisted the attacks from Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) and his teammates to neutralize the only one capable of causing him any trouble in the French race.
The Mont Ventoux did not disappoint, as its long, wind-exposed ramps are always a danger for the peloton, but it was not the place for a change in the Tour. The Jumbo-Visma team tried, putting several members in the breakaway to, once they realized they couldn’t go for the stage win, start saving energy for when their leader arrived to give him a high pace push.
And so it was, with the Belgians Tiesj Benoot or Victor Campenaerts, but the result was always the same: Tadej Pogacar, sitting, glued to Vingegaard’s wheel who tried everything, but couldn’t do anything to add more spark to this Tour. However, when Pogacar changed the pace on the final ramps, reaching the satellite that marks the summit, the Dane was also able to follow him and only conceded two seconds at the finish line. Now, the Slovenian has a 4:15-minute lead over the Dane in the General Classification.
Among the other favorites, the 15.6 kilometers climb to Mont Ventoux and the high average of 8.7 percent gradient felt long. And tough. Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) had better sensations this time than his teammate Florian Lipowitz, whom he helped so he could surpass Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) with whom the German is fighting for the podium. Thanks to Roglic, Lipowitz gained 14 seconds and strengthens his virtual third place.
France achieves the first victory in the 2025 Tour
Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost) was one of the protagonists of the stage. The Irishman, leader for two stages of this Tour, was close to achieving his second victory but, despite his efforts, he finished second just behind a Valentin Paret-Peintre who had more ‘punch’ at the finish line.
The 24-year-old cyclist, in his first season with Soudal Quick-Step, achieved his third professional victory and becomes the first Frenchman to win a stage in this Tour de France 2025.
Both, along with Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) and Ilan van Wilder, teammate of the winner who provided a bit of relief to the Frenchman so he could finish off Healy, were the only ones to survive in a large breakaway of 32 riders.