Tadej Pogacar is dominating in France, Zoe Bäckstedt did the same in Belgium and Jaror Widar absolutely destroyed the competition in Italy. We have all the latest results, news, statistics and more in today’s EuroTrash cycling roundup!
TOP STORY: Tour Domination ?
2025 Tour de France news:
• Pogi’s Domination ?
• Interesting Tour de France Statistics
• GC Gaps At The Tour de France 2025
• Borrowed Helmet Almost Made The Podium
• Ineos Finally Gets A Win
• Milan’s Loving Green
Race news:
• Young Guns At Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta
• Baloise Ladies Tour
• Tour of Britain Route
• L’Etape du Tour
Rider news:
• A Soudal Quick-Step Extension
Pogacar dominating even more than last year?
TOP STORY: Tour Domination
Tadej Pogacar is dominating this year’s Tour de France but is he really ‘dominating’ more than last year’s Tour ? Let’s have a look at last year’s Top 10 on GC after fifteen stages and compare to the current top 10 after 15 stages :
2024 Tour de France GC After 15 Stages
1 Pogačar Tadej UAE Team Emirates 61:56:24
2 Vingegaard Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike @ 3:09
3 Evenepoel Remco Soudal Quick-Step @ 5:19
4 Almeida João UAE Team Emirates @ 10:54
5 Landa Mikel Soudal Quick-Step @ 11:21
6 Rodríguez Carlos INEOS Grenadiers @ 11:27
7 Yates Adam UAE Team Emirates @ 13:38
8 Ciccone Giulio Lidl – Trek @ 15:48
9 Gee Derek Israel – Premier Tech @ 16:12
10 Buitrago Santiago Bahrain – Victorious @ 16:32
2025 Tour de France GC After Stage 15:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 54:20:44
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:13
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 7:53
4. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 9:18
5. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 10:21
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 10:34
7. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 12:00
8. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 12:33
9. Carlos Rodríguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 18:26
10. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 18:41.
So at this time last year many thought that the race was already over but amazingly this year Pogacar has actually increased his lead over 2nd and 3rd by about 50% more. Has Pogacar stepped up his level or is Vingegaard simply not at his best? One interesting thing to note in this comparison is that there are only 3 riders in the top 10 from last year at this time from Le Tour who are there again this year (Pogacar 1st & 1st, Vingegaard 2nd & 2nd, Rodriguez 6th & 9th).
So it’s pretty clear that Pogacar is dominating but there is still a long way to go and anything can happen of course. One thing I don’t see coming though is Tadej breaking the record of the biggest winning margin at Le Tour – that goes to France’s Maurice Garin who won by 2 hours, 49 minutes, 21 seconds over Lucien Pothier in the inaugural edition of the race…
In the post WW2 Tour de France history the largest victory margin of victory is a massive 28 minutes, 17 seconds in 1952 by Fausto Coppi of Italy over Constant Ockers of Belgium – now that’s dominating!
Baloise Ladies Tour
Now speaking of domination…Zoe Bäckstedt was on fire at the Baloise Ladies Tour this past week. First up she won the prologue, finished 2nd in Stage 1, won 2 stages on the one day (3a&3b) on Saturday and finished safely in the front group on Sunday to claim a well deserved GC win. What a ride!
Zoe winning stage 3a, just hours before doubling up with a TT victory in stage 3b
Final GC Baloise Ladies Tour ’25
1 Bäckstedt Zoe CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto 11:37:11
2 van Dijk Ellen Lidl – Trek @ 0:12
3 Goossens Marthe AG Insurance – Soudal Team @ 0:26
4 Vigié Margaux Team Visma | Lease a Bike @ 0:28
5 Koch Franziska Team Picnic PostNL @ 0:32
6 Kool Charlotte Team Picnic PostNL @ 0:34
7 Veenhoven Nienke Team Visma | Lease a Bike @ 0:40
8 Vinke Nienke Team Picnic PostNL @ 0:43
9 Markus Femke Team SD Worx – Protime @ 0:44
10 von Berswordt Sophie Team Visma | Lease a Bike @ 0:46
Widar Dominates In Italy
Still on the dominating theme now with Lotto’s young superstar, Jarno Widar. He absolutely destroyed the race in what was a very emotional victory after the death of his former teammate, Samuele Privitera on stage 1.
Widar bounced back after the tragedy in fine style dedicating his wins on stages 3, 4 & 5 to Privitera to easily claim the GC for the second consecutive year.
“Cycling isn’t always a beautiful sport. It’s been a tough edition this year. I tried to make the most of it, and I’m happy I was able to finish it off today.”
The Giro della Valle d’Aosta was Widar’s final race of the season in Lotto colors. In a few weeks, he’ll line up with the national team for the Tour de l’Avenir and the national championships. “I’ll head home for two days now, and then leave for a three-week altitude camp in Andorra — hopefully to perform well at L’Avenir.”
2025 Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta Final GC
1 WIDAR Jarno Lotto Development Team 12:47:55
2 RAMÍREZ Mateo Pablo UAE Team Emirates Gen Z 00:03:51
3 FAYOLLE Jean-Loup Arkéa – B&B Hôtels Continentale 00:04:33
4 O’BRIEN Liam Lidl – Trek Future Racing 00:04:35
5 SCALCO Matteo VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè 00:05:02
6 MEEHAN Jamie AVC Aix Provence Dole 00:05:04
7 ARSAC Rémi Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme 00:05:50
8 BRAVO Henrique Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team 00:05:51
9 SCHOOFS Jasper Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team 00:07:38
10 GRUSZCZYNSKI Filip Biesse – Carrera – Premac 00:08:31
Tour de France Stats !
Pogi Recordman : Winner of his 4th Tour individual time trial, Tadej Pogacar raised his arms for the 21st time in the Tour on Friday surpassing Luxembourg’s Nicolas Frantz as the 6th rider with the most wins. This is the second time he has achieved 4 wins in a single Tour, the first being in 2024 (6 wins) and he is now only one behind Frenchman André Darrigade.
Sprinters Saved !: The time limit for Friday’s uphill TT was calculated according to the best time plus 33%, but it was exceptionally increased to 40% before the start. A change that saved 5 riders! Without this, the time limit would have been 7’40, which would have led to the elimination of Biniam Girmay (30’54”), Arnaud Démare (30’59”), Elmar Reinders (31’10”), Tim Merlier (31’27”), and Luka Mezgec (31’28”).
It was almost ‘au revoir’ for Girmay on stage 13
Shortest Time Trial In History : Still on Friday’s stage, it was the 222nd individual time trial in the history of the Tour but more importantly: being 10.9 kilometers long, it was the shortest — excluding prologues and half-stages. The previous one was the Clermont-Ferrand – Puy de Dôme done in 1959 (stage 15), which was 12.5 kilometers long.
A Duel For The Ages : After Friday & Saturday’s podium spots, Jonas Vingegaard is now on a strike of 9 Tour de France stage podiums without a victory. Six of these 9 podium finishes are 2nd place behind Tadej Pogacar…
Win Percentage : Tadej Pogacar is the opposite of Jonas’ statistics of course and he has now raced 120 Tour stages in his career for 21 victories. That’s an amazing 17.5% success rate!
A Trio For Wellens: By winning a Tour de France stage for the first time yesterday, Tim Wellens became the 113th rider to have won at all three Grand Tours. The Belgian has twice triumphed at the Giro (stage 6 in 2016, stage 4 in 2018) and the Vuelta (stages 5 and 14 in 2020). The 112th to join this list was another Belgian, Wout van Aert, after winning a Giro stage last May.
Ineos Finally Gets A Win
Before Arensman’s win on Saturday, the Ineos Grenadiers team had not won a Tour stage since July 15, 2023, when Carlos Rodriguez conquered stage 14 in Morzine. A drought of two years or 41 stages, the team’s longest period without a Tour victory.
Before that, the previous “record” for the team was 35 stages without winning: from stage 17 of the Tour 2020 to stage 11 of the Tour 2022, before Tom Pidcock’s success at L’Alpe d’Huez.
Ex Ineos man, Tom Pidcock taking the win on Alpe d’Huez in ’22
Milan’s Loving Green
Jonathan Milan took his 11th green jersey yesterday – a new record for Italy! Surprisingly for a traditional cycling country like Italy, the green jersey has never been held for longer than 10 days by an Italian although the most important green – the last one in Paris has been won twice by Italians: Franco Bitossi in 1968 & Alessandro Petacchi in 2010.
Can Milan hold on to Paris and become the third Italian points classification winner in the history books? Pogacar and Van der Poel are clearly his biggest rivals in the race for green.
Current Green Jersey Standings After Stage 15
1 Milan Jonathan Lidl – Trek 251
2 Pogačar Tadej UAE Team Emirates – XRG 223
3 van der Poel Mathieu Alpecin – Deceuninck 210
4 Girmay Biniam Intermarché – Wanty 169
5 Merlier Tim Soudal Quick-Step 150
6 Vingegaard Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike 135
7 Turgis Anthony Team TotalEnergies 130
8 Simmons Quinn Lidl – Trek 93
9 De Lie Arnaud Lotto 92
10 Abrahamsen Jonas Uno-X Mobility 90
Borrowed Helmet Almost Made The Podium
Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) spent an enormous amount of time in the hotseat after a storming time trial on Friday very nearly making the podium for the stage. His time would eventually be good enough for 5th on the day which was a very impressive ride for the current Australian Time Trial Champion on a course that didn’t play to his strengths at all.
‘Plappy’ on his way to the hotseat and an eventual 5th place on the stage
And a little known fact from his super ride, he did it all in a borrowed helmet ! Why would the Aussie Champ need to borrow a helmet for the ride ? Well he has a collection of TT lids in the Aussie champion’s colors of course but he wanted a standard road helmet with more ventilation for the hot mountain time trial and all he had was his normal team ones in purple.
Solution ? Current Australian road champion Luke Durbridge just happens to be in his team and his Aussie colored helmet was just sitting there in the bus…thanks Luke !
16,000 cyclists from around the world conquer La Plagne
L’ÉTAPE DU TOUR DE FRANCE 2025: For this 33rd edition, 16,000 riders tackled the roads between Albertville and La Plagne (over 131 km with 4,500 metres of elevation gain), coming from all over the world (with 90 nationalities and 27.4% of the peloton from outside France) and having prepared for the event for weeks and months, or even sometimes having dreamt of it for years. Among them, 44% tackled this legendary cyclo-sportive for the first time.
Several kilometres after the start, they first got their teeth into the Héry-sur-Ugine slope (11.3 km at a gradient of 5%), which was the day’s first climb, before heading towards the Col des Saisies pass (13.7 km at a gradient of 6.4%). The descent then took them towards Beaufort where they then faced the formidable ascent of the Col du Pré pass and its 12.6 km at an average gradient of 7.7%. Next came the Chapelle de Roselend before tackling the second part of the Cormet de Roselend climb (5.9 km at a gradient of 6.3%). With already heavy legs, they reached Bourg Saint-Maurice and then began the 19 km final climb at a gradient of 7.2% to La Plagne and the long-awaited finishing line.
At the front of the race, two men took the lead at the halfway point. At the summit of the Cormet de Roselend, 26-year-old former mountain-biker Victor Vidal, a member of the CC Etupes club since the beginning of the season, was accompanied by Arthur Blanc, a little more than 2 minutes ahead of a group of eight riders including last year’s winner Damien Jeanjean (who finished 10th). On the final climb, Vidal, who won the Bourgogne Franche-Comté championship in mid-June and was seventh in the French amateur championships three weeks ago, broke away to grab his greatest victory. “I was patient at the beginning,” explained the man from Montpellier. “Before the Col du Pré pass, we managed to put some distance between ourselves and other riders. I accelerated on the climb and that left just two of us. We worked well together until the foot of the ascent to La Plagne, where I broke away from him. I then tackled the climb at my own rhythm. The final part was really tough. I was losing time to the riders behind me but I managed to win. It’s crazy”. Crazy is a suitable word for his entire day. “I’m absolutely delighted because I really wanted to win, but saying it is one thing, doing it is something completely different,” admitted the winner. “All the more so because the peloton was packed with good riders. L’Étape du Tour de France is the best cyclo-sportive in my opinion. Even if I came here to enjoy myself, I know that it can be a good springboard to joining a professional team. It’s so well organised and there are spectators everywhere. I didn’t think there would be as many people on the roadsides, it was incredible, and everyone is cheering you on, it was wonderful”.
In the women’s race, 30-year-old German rider Stephanie Meder, who was sixth in the German championships on 28th June, triumphed with a time of 5:14’02’’. She led from the start and finished 3’47’’ ahead of Frenchwoman Aurore Pachet. Swiss rider Selina Burch completed the podium, 10’13’’ behind. “In the last climb, I even thought I was going to have to stop,” explained the winner, who lives in Zurich in Switzerland. “I was lucky enough to be accompanied by Stefan Kirchmair [an Austrian former professional who won L’Étape du Tour de France in 2022]. Winning L’Étape du Tour de France was one of my prime goals for the season because it’s the most prestigious event. It was fantastic. It’s rare to see so many spectators on the roadside. The landscapes were incredible, too. We don’t always have the time to look at them when riding but you have to try and enjoy them as well”.
Martin Svrcek extends with Soudal Quick-Step
Slovak talent Martin Svrcek will continue his journey with Soudal Quick-Step, adding an extra year to his contract and committing to the team through the 2026 season.
Having turned professional with the Wolfpack in 2022, the 22-year-old has steadily developed within the squad. The 2025 season began promisingly, with Svrcek playing a key role in securing the team’s first European victory of the year at the Etoile de Bessèges, before lining up in a series of one-day races.
However, his spring campaign was abruptly halted by a heavy crash on the descent of the Cipressa during Milano–Sanremo, resulting in multiple fractures – including his right collarbone, scapula, and several ribs. After months of rehabilitation, he made a successful return to racing in June, capped off by a brilliant performance at the Slovak National Championships, where he claimed two medals.
At least one more year with the Wolfpack for Martin
Now training in Val di Fassa alongside several teammates, Martin shared his excitement about the new deal: “I want to thank the team for the support they have shown me, both after the crash and in agreeing to this new contract. Before Milano–Sanremo I was feeling really good and ready to race, and that mentality hasn’t changed. Each year that I’ve been with the team I feel I have improved, and I believe that if I can stay healthy and consistent next season, I can really prove my value to the team across a range of races.”
Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré welcomed the extension, saying: “Martin is an extraordinary character and we’re very happy he will remain with us in 2026. His resilience and determination, particularly after his awful crash, have been inspiring. We know how talented and committed he is, and we look forward to seeing him get the opportunities he deserves.”
WARWICKSHIRE, MILTON KEYNES, AND AMPTHILL JOIN LLOYDS TOUR OF BRITAIN MEN ROUTE
Stages three and four of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will take place across Milton Keynes, Central Bedfordshire, and Warwickshire this September, following this week’s earlier announcement that the UK’s largest free-to-attend sporting event would start with two stages in Suffolk.
Britain’s biggest professional cycle race will return to the city of Milton Keynes for the first time 2008 for the start of stage three on Thursday 4 September, with the stage heading to Ampthill, as Central Bedfordshire host the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men for the first time.
A day later Warwickshire will welcome the return of the world’s top cyclists for a testing hilltop finish, as the county hosts stage four on Friday 5 September between Atherstone and Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
Commenting on the announcement, Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said; “It is great to be working with Milton Keynes City Council and Central Bedfordshire Council to bring the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men to their communities this September.
“Warwickshire has a long and proud history of hosting the Lloyds Tour of Britain with great support from the communities across the county, so we are delighted to be returning, especially with such a challenging finale at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, that will draw spectators from right across the heart of England.
“Over the coming weeks we look forward to sharing more exciting details about this year’s race with fans and building up to what will be another incredible edition of the Lloyds Tour of Britain.”
Stage three will start from Midsummer Boulevard in Milton Keynes city centre, and finish on Woburn Street in Ampthill, Central Bedfordshire.
It marks the first time that the Lloyds Tour of Britain has come to Central Bedfordshire and Ampthill, and a return for Britain’s national tour to Milton Keynes for the first time 17 years, with the city last hosting a start during the 2008 race.
Cllr Mick Legg, Milton Keynes City Council’s Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure said: “Milton Keynes is truly a cycling city with more than 200 miles of redways, two national cycle routes and so many passionate cyclists. We’re excited to welcome the Lloyds Tour of Britain back to our city and it promises to be a fantastic celebration for all our cycling enthusiasts.”
“We’re incredibly proud to be hosting a stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain cycle race for the very first time,” said Cllr Adam Zerny, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council. “Many of us remember the moment we were inspired to take up a sport, so perhaps amongst those who watch the athletes whizz past them in September will be a future cycling champion. We hope it will be a thrilling day for all residents and visitors alike and are looking forward to welcoming the riders and celebrating this world-class sporting event with our communities.”
Stage four will take in all five districts and boroughs of Warwickshire (North Warwickshire Borough; Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough; Rugby Borough; Warwick District; and Stratford-upon-Avon District), as the county hosts the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men for the first time since 2019, with a stage heading from Atherstone to the ever-popular hilltop finish at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
The challenging finale will see riders tackling the 700-metre climb of Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, averaging almost 9% gradient, on three occasions in the closing kilometres, the final time for the stage finish, making for a great location to see the riders at their limit on multiple occasions.
Matthieu Van der Poel winning at Burton Dassett back in the 2019 Tour of Britain
Warwickshire school children will also have the chance to be involved once again, with Warwickshire County Council launching competitions giving pupils the chance to design the flag that will start the race in Atherstone, and also the trophy that will be presented to the stage winner at Burton Dassett.
Cllr George Finch, Interim Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “This is a fantastic boost for Warwickshire, and I am particularly delighted to see the breadth of the county that will be encapsulated within the Tour. From north to south, towns to countryside, this event will shine a light on what an incredible place Warwickshire is to live and visit onto an international stage.
“We’re thrilled to have been given the opportunity to host such an exciting and esteemed event, and I hope the people of Warwickshire will take to the streets and the hills, as they always have, to give the Tour the support it deserves.”
This September will be the third time that Warwickshire has hosted Britain’s biggest professional men’s cycle race, with the most recent occasion being in September 2019, when Dutch sensation Mathieu van der Poel won atop Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma also won a stage of the women’s race in the same location that year, with Warwickshire having also hosted the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on five occasions in the last decade.
The county has also hosted the men’s and women’s road races in the Commonwealth Games in August 2022, with both events starting and finishing in Warwick.
The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on Tuesday 2 September, with an opening leg between Woodbridge and Southwold, followed by a second stage in Suffolk at Stowmarket.
Further announcements about the host venues of the remaining stages, as well as the participating teams for the Lloyds Tour of Britain will be made over the coming weeks.
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