Seemingly unable to find his very best level ever since he crashed out of La Vuelta last year, Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike) today took one of the most glorious wins of his career on the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris.
It was, without exageration, a win for the ages. It was perhaps the most exciting final stage of the Tour since Lemond Vs Fignon in 1989. The only downside was the race organisers and commissaires chickening out and taking the times for the general classification with 50km to go.
On a new course around the French capital, incorporating three pasages of the Montmartre climb used in the Olympics last year, Van Aert rode race leader, and now winner, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) of his wheel to win solo. And he will go down in the history books as the only man to crack cycling's new cannibal on Tour de France 2025.
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Van Aert and Pogačar were the last two men standing from a 30-rider group that went clear first time up the climb. And though Pogačar pressed on, and attacked, multiple times on the stage, on the final passage of the climb when the duo pulled ahead, Van Aert simply rode the yellow jersey off his wheel and went solo for the final 6km to the line.
? @WoutvanAert's final kilometer alone on his way to his 10th stage victory in the Tour de France!
? Le dernier km en solitaire de @WoutvanAert vers sa 10ème victoire d'étape sur le Tour de France !#TDF2025 | @Continental_fr pic.twitter.com/fn15sYXHIR
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025
On a day when the field split to pieces, and many riders simply rode around to finish once they were out of contention, Van Aert took the victory by 19 seconds from a three-man chasing group. It was led in by Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana Team) from Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) and Pogačar.
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Ireland's only ride left in the race, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) was, for once, anonymous today, despite saying before the start that yesterday was perhaps his best day of the Tour in terms of how his legs felt.
Today, however, Healy was seen at the back of the main field and once the GC times were taken, he was one of the riders in a group who rode around the course to finish. He finishes this race a superstar after winning stage 6, taking the yellow jersey for two days, winning the combativity award on three stages.
Before the start today he was also awarded the 'super combative' prize - for the most aggressive rider through this Tour - and was also 9th overall. It has been an incredible race for him.
Cork's Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) started the Tour but after taking 4th on stage 6, he crashed on stage 7 and was unable to start the following day due to an arm injury from that high speed fall. However, Dunbar can hopefully recover and get back into shape in time for an anticipated appearance at La Vuelta, where he won two stages last year.
Overall at this Tour, and though he was schooled by Van Aert on the wet streets of Paris today, Pogačar was untouchable through the race. He has won his fourth Tour today, some 4:24 clear of runner-up, and two-time winner, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), one of the revelations of the season, was 3rd, at 11:00, and also one the young rider classification. Oscar Onley, another name to add to the 'revelations of the year' list, was 4th for Team Picnic PostNL at 12:12.
The points classification was by sprinter Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek), who also claimed two stage wins but was nowhere to be seen today. Pogačar claimed the king of the mountains classification and Visma Lease a Bike won the team classification.
