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SPRINTERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The opportunity to battle for the first Maillot Jaune of the Tour de France has been the stuff of dreams for sprinters ever since the route of stage 1 was unveiled. Alexander Kristoff was the last to seize such an opportunity, in Nice in 2020, following in the footsteps of stars like Mark Cavendish at Utah Beach (2016), Marcel Kittel in Ajaccio and Harrogate (2013-14) and Thor Hushovd in Strasbourg (2006), to name just a few in the 21st century. The world’s best sprinters now gear up to battle it out tomorrow on Boulevard Vauban, just outside the citadel of Lille.

Many eyes are on Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages and the green jersey in 2024. Although he has no victories in 2025, the Eritrean remains optimistic: "My start to the season hasn't been perfect, but I've had a few second places and I feel that I'm in good shape, more or less like last year. Winning this stage won't be easy, but it's a dream for me. And I might also have the chance to wear the Maillot Jaune at the finish of the second stage in Boulogne-sur-Mer, which suits me even better.”

Jasper Philipsen, his closest rival last year with three wins as well, is in a similar position. With a modest haul so far (Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and a stage in the Tour of Belgium), his appetite is immense: “This is the first time that the Maillot Jaune is really my target, because when I took part for the first time in 2019, I was really very young.” When asked about his main rivals, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader believes that “Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan will both have a chance too.”

Merlier (Soudal-Quick-Step) is making his return to the Tour de France, where he already raised his arms in 2021. This time, he is wearing the European champion's jersey and has 10 victories to his name since the start of the year: "It's true that there's a lot of pressure on this first stage, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. But when I found myself on the podium at the Grand Place, I got goosebumps!"

For Lidl-Trek’s Italian powerhouse (7 wins in 2025), the challenge is to claim yellow on his first day in the Tour de France, as Colombian Fernando Gaviria did in 2018: “It's a whole new challenge for me. I don't feel like the favourite for Saturday, there's Tim and Jasper, but I can count on a superb lead-out. We’re going to try and make the most of this drag race for the first Maillot Jaune.”

MVDP - WVA: “SOME DAYS WILL FEEL LIKE A CLASSIC”

The first ten days of the Tour 2025, with many tricky and punchy finales, invite the best stage hunters to get on the move, starting with Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

“There’s quite a few exciting stages with a lot of possibilities for our team”, the Flying Dutchman anticipates, as he chases a second win, four years after a memorable success in Mûr-de-Bretagne that also earned him the Maillot Jaune his grandfather Raymond Poulidor never wore. “In the bunch sprints, we’ll go for Jasper [Philipsen], and I still aim to help him to be in the best position possible”, Van der Poel clarified. “And on punchy stages, we can play both cards. We’ll have opportunities but there’s a lot of different riders who will be up there, including GC contenders who are also good in the classics.”

“I’m quite sure it will feel like a classic some days”, Van Aert confirmed. The Belgian all-rounder won nine stages until 2022, a year that notably saw him fly to victory in Calais, 30 kilometres from Boulogne-sur-Mer (finish of stage 2), and over the Mont Ventoux (stage 16). “These are two of my most memorable victories”, Van Aert smiled as he discussed his ambitions for this edition: “In general, I would say my chances are bigger on punchy stages. I feel there is a nice balance inside the teams between the goals we have and I also feel supported for the goals we chase with me in this Tour de France. I’m not afraid of pressure because it’s always there, so it doesn’t really matter.”

A LUXURIOUS LIST OF “NEOS”

Among the 184 riders lining up for the Tour 2025, 49 are rookies. Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal-Quick Step) is the oldest of them as the Belgian discovers the biggest race of the world at just three months before turning 33. Expect him to race with the enthusiasm of a child, as his mission will be to launch the sprints for his schoolmate Tim Merlier.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ivan Romeo (Movistar Team) is the youngest - 21 years old - and he’s coming to his first Grand Tour pumped up and excited after his recent victories in a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné and at the Spanish national championships. “I don't feel any pressure: cycling is still a game for me”, he says. "My priorities will be to learn and help my leader, Enric Mas. Later on, if I can, I'll look for a victory from the breakaway." Two debutants had such successes last year: Kevin Vauquelin and Remco Evenepoel. France’s Alex Baudin (EF Education-Easy Post) and Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty) are among the “neos” who will try to emulate them.

Lidl-Trek also bring talented debutants like Jonathan Milan and Thibau Nys. “It's not going to be a walk in the park”, the Belgian rising star anticipates. “I will try to enjoy the Tour and get the best out of it - help the team, get some nice results myself, and get to Paris. Just finishing the Tour would mark a step up in my career. There are a lot of question marks and blank spots as of now. I’m excited, yet not as confident as I was hoping to be at this moment.”

Florian Lipowitz, following in the tracks of Primoz Roglic and soon to take the helm of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, expressed his eagerness to start racing. “Coming to the Tour de France was my big goal for the year”, he said in awe in the mixed zone at the team presentation. "Everyone had told me that this race was special but now it’s incredible to see all the people cheering and I can’t wait to get to the mountains!”

184 RIDERS : RAW STATS

• Twenty-six countries are represented in the peloton. France has the largest contingent, with 38 riders (compared to 32 in 2024), followed by Belgium (29 representatives, a record since 1989, when it had 36) and the Netherlands (13).
• For the first time since 2014, South Africa will not have any rider at the start of the Tour. In fact, Eritrea's Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) will be the only African in the peloton. Luxembourg is absent for the fifth time only since 2000. Conversely, Norway matches its record high participation from 2023, with eight riders.
• The average age of the peloton is 28 years and 343 days.
• The youngest rider is Ivan Romeo (Movistar), aged 21 years and 323 days at the start in Lille on Saturday. He is one of 49 debutants in this Tour de France, bringing the total number of riders who have taken part in the race since its inception to 5,449. He is also one of 48 contenders for the white jersey, reserved for riders born in 2000 or later. The 2024 winner, Remco Evenepoel, is the oldest of these hopefuls, at 25 years and 161 days.
• The most experienced rider is Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), aged 39 years and 41 days, heading for his 14th and final appearance. He is followed by Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla) and Warren Barguil (Picnic-PostNL), all three starting their 11th Tour. The record is still held by Sylvain Chavanel, with 18 participations.
• The riders with most stage wins among the 184 entrants are Tadej Pogacar (17), Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen (9 each).

23 TEAMS BY THE NUMBERS

• In 2025, 23 teams will line up at the start, one more than in 2024. A newcomer will be making its debut: Tudor Pro Cycling Team, featuring Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi. The veterans are Movistar (43rd consecutive participation, formerly Reynolds, Banesto, Illes Balears, Caisse d'Épargne), Visma-Lease a Bike (42nd participation, formerly Kwantum, Superconfex, Rabobank, Jumbo...), and Lotto (38th participation, despite missing two editions at the start of its history).
• Intermarché-Wanty has the youngest team, with an average age of 25 years and 183 days. Their “oldest” rider, Georg Zimmermann, is only 27 years and 267 days old - and he already has four Tours under his belt. Just behind them, Picnic-PostNL has an average age of 25 years and 197 days, with five debutants in its eight-man line-up: Pavel Bittner, Tobias Lund Andresen, Sean Flynn, Tim Naberman and Niklas Markl. Only one team doesn’t have any “neo”: XDS-Astana.
• The teams whose riders accumulate the most Tour appearances are those of the two big favourites: UAE Team Emirates-XRG (with 36 appearances) and Visma-Lease a Bike (35). They are followed by Cofidis (34), which also has the oldest team with an average age of 31 years and 104 days.
• The success of UAE Team Emirates-XRG in the Tour 2024 is reflected in the stability of its roster: seven of the eight riders are returning, with only Juan Ayuso being replaced by Jhonatan Narvaez. Conversely, three teams have retained only two riders from last year's eight: Ineos Grenadiers (Carlos Rodríguez and Geraint Thomas), Lidl-Trek (Toms Skujins and Jasper Stuyven) and Soudal-Quick Step (Remco Evenepoel and Ilan Van Wilder).
• Five teams in the current peloton have already won the general classification: Movistar and Ineos Grenadiers (7 wins), UAE Emirates-XRG (3), Visma-Lease a Bike and XDS-Astana (2)
• In terms of stage wins, Visma-Lease a Bike dominate their rivals with 72 victories, ahead of Soudal-Quick Step (52) and Lotto (41). At the other end of the scale, Uno-X, which has been competing since 2023, and Tudor, making its debut this year, have yet to win a stage.

“L’AVENIR À VÉLO”: ROUND TABLES FOR A FUTURE ON TWO WHEELS

When the bikes of champions are used for everyday cycling, the Tour de France goes beyond competition and becomes a powerful lever for changes. This observation served as the starting point for a series of round tables organised on Friday morning at Lille City Hall, bringing together numerous representatives of institutions involved in the promotion of soft mobility, tourism, solidarity or educational initiatives.

The various sessions explored issues such as cycling policies implemented by cities. Lille Mayor Arnaud Deslandes highlighted that the Tour de France's “ville à vélo” (cycling city) label contributes to infrastructure development: "We are committed to continuous progress. For example, we have created a sustainable mobility centre and, whenever we rebuild a road, a maximum of 50% of the space is dedicated to cars."

To address the topic of cycling tourism, Franck Borel, head of sports for the Vaucluse department, travelled to Lille to talk about the impact of the Tour's visits to Mont Ventoux: “It's a mountain that fascinates people, and that comes from the Tour de France. It attracts 160,000 cyclists per year. We've also created a 55-kilometre memorial route.”

“LA PERRUCHE” HAS FLOWN AWAY

Jacques Marinelli, wearer of the Maillot Jaune for six stages in 1949, died just before the start of the 112th Tour de France and six months before his 100th birthday. He was not the oldest living former leader of the race - Antonin Rolland turned 100 last year - but he was the one who had worn the Maillot Jaune the longest time ago (Rolland did it in 1955).

Marinelli was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) on 15 December 1925 and will be remembered as an athlete who went on to become involved in public life. Mayor of Melun (Seine-et-Marne) from 1989 to 2002, he welcomed the start of the final stage of the Tour de France, the sporting event that never left him, in his town in his last year in office.

From 1948 to 1954, he took part in the race six times, completing it twice and finishing third overall in 1949 behind the legendary Italians Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. A very talkative man, he was nicknamed “la perruche” (“the parakeet”) during this glorious Tour. He also wrote a daily column in L'Équipe and remains a pioneer in this field. After his cycling career ended, he opened an electrical appliance store in Melun, followed by other businesses that made his fortune. During his lifetime, he saw a sports complex, a street in his town and a cycling criterium named after him.