2025 Tour de France Stage 21 Report: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) has won the 2025 Tour de France. The Slovenian World champion knew he had won 50 kilometres before the finish in Paris, when the times were neutralised due to wet, slippery conditions. Pogačar joined Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) on the final podium. The final stage, with three climbs up Montmartre, finish on a wet Champs-Élysées and proved to be a spectacle with the stage victory going to a solo Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike).
The final Tour kilometre of 2025
Race director, Christian Prudhomme: “A return to both tradition and to the Champs-Élysées… after Nice stepped in for the capital during the Olympics last summer, the Tour will return to Paris. And we’ll be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of both the first finish on the Champs-Élysées and Bernard Thévenet’s first overall victory. That was in 1975. Happy anniversary!”
Stage 21 profile
The inclusion of the Côte de la Butte Montmartre in the finale of stage 21 delivered exhilarating racing in the rain. Clad in the Maillot Jaune, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) attacked on all three ascents… but he couldn’t respond when Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) countered at the top of the final climb. Already a winner on the Champs-Élysées in 2021, the Belgian all-rounder took his 10th Tour stage victory – the first since the time trial at Rocamadour in 2022, exactly 1,100 days ago. Pogačar eventually crossed the line 4th and celebrated a new overall triumph, after having ruled the 2020, 2021, and 2024 editions. He also dominates the KOM standings for the third time (2020, 2021). Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) complete the podium, with the German youngster also claiming the white jersey. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the points classification in his maiden Tour participation.
Geraint Thomas starts his last Tour stage
The Tour jerseys at the start
The moveable feast has finally reaching Paris! After 3,169.7km of race effort, a 160-man peloton start from Mantes-la-Ville for a final stage that promises fireworks. The riders not only eyed a prestigious win on the Champs-Élysées – the 50th in Tour history – they also headed for a spectacular celebration with the inclusion of the Côte de la Butte Montmartre to be tackled three times in the finale of the stage.
UAE Emirates XRG had a special jersey
A parade and a neutralisation
After due celebrations, Tadej Pogačar and his six Emirates-XRG teammates go first on the Champs-Élysées (61.6km). They are in for three laps on the 6.8-km circuit that traditionally concludes the Tour de France. And then, they’ll cover three more laps on a new 16.8km circuit featuring Montmartre.
Paris, the Champs and the Arc
Due to the wet conditions making the roads slippery, it was decided, in accordance with the commissaires of the UCI and representatives of teams and riders, to stop the time at the 4th passage on the finish line, i.e. before the three laps featuring the Côte de la Butte Montmartre. Attacks fly as soon as the riders pass the line. Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) is the first to open a gap, with 69 kilometres to go. But he’s quickly reeled in due to the flurry of attacks.
The race split in the rain
Alaphilippe and Pogacar set the race on fire
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) honours his green jersey with yet another victory in the intermediate sprint (56.4km to go). Then his teammate Quinn Simmons set off and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) joined him at the front. They were a handful of seconds ahead of the bunch as they crossed the finish line for the fourth time. The due were caught with 44 km to go.
The yellow jersey kept attacking
Tudor drive the peloton towards the first climb of Côte de la Butte Montmartre. Julian Alaphilippe attacked to the delight of the crowds. He is followed by Arnaud De Lie… and Tadej Pgoačar, who goes first over the top. The battle was in full swing and there were less than 30 riders at the front for the last two laps.
Pogačar insists, Van Aert counters
The Maillot Jaune attacked again on the second ascent of Montmartre. Four riders manage to follow him at the summit (22.8km to go): Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana), Matteo Jorgenson, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor). Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) joined them on the downhill to make it a 6-man group leading the way into the final lap (16.8km to go).
Wout van Aert went for the solo win
Onto the final ascent, Pogačar accelerated again… but Van Aert counter-attacked inside the last 300 metres of the climb, dropping everyone. The Belgian soloes to the finish, taking victory 19 seconds ahead of Ballerini, Mohorič, and Pogačar, in that order. The Slovenian claimed his fourth Tour de France win. Jonas Vingegaard (2nd in the overall standings), Florian Lipowitz (3rd overall and white jersey), and Jonathan Milan (green jersey) also secure their prizes after three weeks of competition.
Solo stage win for Wout van Aert
Stage winner, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was incredible, a truly special day. Winning again on the Champs-Élysées is always unforgettable, and this time, with the climb up to Montmartre, it was even more unique. The rain made things quite tricky, but I managed to stay on my wheels with the total support of my teammates. They believed in me countless times, and today they took me all the way to the finish line, to the Butte Montmartre. That was our plan and we achieved it. There were a lot of emotions. When I saw a gap to get past Pogacar, I went for it, but then I couldn’t hear how far ahead I was. I only felt relieved when I entered the Champs-Elysées. I was very focused on what I could do today and that made the difference. It wasn’t always easy to stay confident, but the whole team supported me and that’s why I persevered. Yesterday, I didn’t feel good enough to break away. But because the people around me believed in me, I was able to do it today. We came to this Tour with the ambition of also winning the Yellow Jersey. But the strongest riders in the race, and especially the best rider in the world, won it. I’m proud of the way we raced. We kept fighting, trying to put up resistance. We’re not coming home empty-handed: two stage wins, Jonas on the final podium, and victory in the team classification. That’s something to be proud of.”
Tour de France No.4 for Tadej Pogačar
Final overall winner of the 2025 Tour de France and 4th on the stage, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “In the end, I found myself in the front even though I didn’t have the energy to motivate myself today. I was really happy they neutralised the times of the GC. Then it was more relaxed to race and you just had to have good legs to be in front. I tried but hats off to Wout [van Aert], he was incredibly strong. It was a really nice race. I’m just speechless with my fourth win in the Tour de France. It’s six years in a row on the podium and this one feels especially amazing. I’m super proud that I can wear this Yellow Jersey. It’s hard to say how and where I won this Tour. It starts with how we race with the team, with a great atmosphere, a great spirit. We went fighting from day 1 and after Mûr-de-Bretagne on stage 5 I knew I had good legs to compete for the victory. We just kept on fighting and then I think the second week was the decisive moment, taking more advantage. We went more comfortably into the third week. I spoke with Jonas Vingegaard in the neutral start. We talked about how much racing against each other has changed us in the past five years. We raise each other’s level much higher, we push ourselves to the limit to try to beat each other. Battling against Jonas was again a tough experience. I must say respect to him and congratulations on his fight and incredible race. Now is time to celebrate. Everybody has different ideas about how to celebrate. I want some peace and beautiful weather, enjoying some quiet days at home.”
Adios amigos, la Vuelta a España soon!
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Tour de France Stage 21 Result:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:07:30
2. Davide Ballerini (Ita) XDS Astana at 0:19
3. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:26
6. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor at 38
7. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto at 1:14
8. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
9. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana
10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Cofidis.
Tour de France Final Overall Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 76:00:32
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:24
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 11:00
4. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 12:12
5. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 17:12
6. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 20:14
7.Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 22:35
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 25:30
9. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 28:02
10. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies at 32:42.
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