Valentin Paret-Peintre of the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team secured the first French victory of the 2025 Tour de France, crossing the finish line ahead of Ben Healy. The Movistar rider, who started the day 19th initiated a solo breakaway after a few seconds, gradually accumulating time before the final kilometers. Healy adn Paret-Peintre formed a chasing duo,eventually catching the leader with 4km remaining.
Unexpected Triumph
The stage concluded with a status quo among the main contenders,with Jonas Vingegaard showing renewed offensive intent. Paret-peintre seized the opportunity presented by the dynamics of the race, claiming the win after a long drought of French stage victories, which had spanned 27 stages. Healy finished second, narrowly missing out on the win.
“It’s extraordinary, it wasn’t the plan,” Paret-Peintre stated after his victory. “I really thought Pogacar wanted to win the stage, I didn’t believe it too much, but you never know. I told myself: they will play with the breakaway and we will be able to try to play for victory, I had two teammates with me… Mount Ventoux, it’s different. I can’t realize. Ben Healy was very strong, but a victory like that, you cannot let it go.” The 25-year-old rider achieved this meaningful win in his debut Tour de France appearance.
