Victory on the Last Leg: Breathtaking Solo Performance on Montmartre Claims Tour de France Title

Tour de France 2025: Wout van Aert Triumphs in Final Stage as Tadej Pogacar Misses Out on Fourth Title

The final stage of the 2025 Tour de France saw a thrilling conclusion on the Champs-Elysees, with Wout van Aert claiming victory in a dramatic finish.

The day started with a neutralized start at 16:10 local time, setting the stage for an exciting race that included undulating terrain, four laps of the Champs-Elysees, and three different laps featuring a detour to the Côte de la Butte Montmartre.

As the race progressed, dark clouds loomed ominously above Paris and the rain began to fall on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees. Despite the challenging weather conditions, the racing was fierce with attacks from riders trying to get themselves up the road.

Jonas Vingegaard and Oscar Onley crossed the line in a group around seven and a half minutes behind Wout van Aert, but this had no impact on the general classification. Tadej Pogačar, who was aiming for his fourth Tour de France title, was dropped from the chasing group and finished in fourth place.

Meanwhile, Geraint Thomas, who won the maillot jaune in 2018 and finished on the final podium on a further two occasions in 2019 and 2022, concluded his Tour de France career on this stage.

The two-man breakaway, consisting of Simmons and Lipowitz, held a narrow advantage over the peloton as they passed through the finish line for the fourth time, with GC times having been taken. However, they were eventually caught by Alpecin-Deceuninck, who came to the front of the main bunch, positioning Kaden Groves before the first ascent of Montmartre.

The race organizers announced that general classification times would be taken at the 4th crossing of the finish line due to the weather conditions in Paris. This decision proved crucial as Tadej Pogačar, who had been leading the race with an advantage of four minutes and 24 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, was dropped on the Côte de la Butte Montmartre.

In the end, it was Wout van Aert who triumphed, dropping Pogačar on the Côte de la Butte Montmartre before time trialling his way to the finish. Davide Ballerini finished second on the stage, with Matej Mohorič in third place.

Jonathan Milan and Florian Lipowitz secured the maillot vert and maillot blanc respectively, while Kaden Groves won the super combativity prize at the 2025 Tour de France.

As the race entered Paris and passed through Versailles, the 2025 Tour de France came to a close, with Wout van Aert being hailed as the deserving winner of the final stage. Tadej Pogačar's fourth title will have to wait for another day, as he missed out on the opportunity to make history in this year's Tour de France.

Victory on the Last Leg: Breathtaking Solo Performance on Montmartre Claims Tour de France Title