Mont Ventoux, France – Valentin Paret-Peintre delivered a thrilling first home victory on Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, narrowly beating Ireland’s Ben Healy in a sprint finish atop the iconic 1910m altitude Mont Ventoux.
Behind the breakaway, the battle for the yellow jersey raged fiercely, though ultimately with little change to the overall standings. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) launched a relentless series of attacks against overall leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) on the 15km ascent of “the Giant of Provence.” Despite being isolated from his teammates early on the climb, the defending champion, Pogacar, tracked the Dane expertly. In a final show of strength, Pogacar even managed to outkick Vingegaard in the closing meters, extending his overall lead by an additional two seconds. Pogacar now holds a 4-minute and 15-second advantage over Vingegaard.
Vingegaard, who started the stage 4 minutes and 13 seconds behind, launched his first attack with 9km left to climb on Mont Ventoux, whose eerie upper reaches resemble a lunar landscape. In a bizarre post-finish incident, Vingegaard was momentarily knocked off his bike by a motorbike but was unhurt and quickly remounted to congratulate Pogacar on another hard-fought battle.
French Triumph on the “Bald Mountain”
The dramatic GC battle was, for a moment, overshadowed by the captivating fight for the stage win between Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step). Paret-Peintre became the first French winner on Mont Ventoux since Richard Virenque in 2002, marking a significant moment for the home crowd.
Mont Ventoux has a storied history, known for witnessing both triumph and tragedy. It was here that British cyclist Tom Simpson tragically died in 1967. Eddy Merckx famously needed oxygen at the summit, and Chris Froome ran part of the way up in 2016 after a mechanical issue.
Healy, who had previously worn the yellow jersey for two days after winning the Bastille Day Stage 6, appeared poised for his second stage victory as the two riders approached the finish. However, a visibly drained Paret-Peintre, fueled by the cheers of the French supporters, found a final surge of strength to overtake the Irishman within 20 meters of the line, holding on for a memorable win. Healy was awarded the day’s combativity prize for his efforts and moved up one place to ninth in the overall standings.
Further down the mountain, German breakout star Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) consolidated his third place in the general classification, extending his lead over fourth-placed Scottish rider Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) by approximately 30 seconds.
Looking Ahead to Stage 17
With only five stages remaining, including two more demanding Alpine stages, Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike did everything in their power to challenge Pogacar on Mont Ventoux. Their hope is that their relentless attacks have at least fatigued the pugnacious Slovenian champion, who resisted all their efforts despite being isolated from his team.
Stage 17, a 160.4km route from Bollène to Valence, is largely flat and expected to favor the sprinters. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), who already has two stage wins, and green jersey leader Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), targeting a second victory, are among the favorites. The final 700 meters into Valence are a straight run. However, the weather could yet play a role in rewriting the script, with strong winds of up to 50kph forecast along the route, potentially leading to echelons and a more challenging day than anticipated for the fast men.
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