
2025 Tour de France Stage 15 Report: Belgian champion Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates XRG) impressively soloed to Carcassonne to win the fifteenth stage of the 2025 Tour de France. Wellens, one of Tadej Pogačar’s right-hand men, joined a large break and survived several splits, to attack just before the top of the final leaving Victor Campenaerts, Quinn Simmons, and Michael Storer to fight for second place. Wellens has now won a stage in all three Grand Tours: Giro, Vuelta and now the Tour. There was no changes on the overall.
The final K of stage 15
Race director, Christian Prudhomme: “The road to Carcassonne often favours the sprinters, but 2,400 metres of vertical gain in less than 170 kilometres could encourage the breakaway specialists. The Côte de Saint-Ferréol on the road out of Revel and then the Pas du Sant (2.9km at 10%) could well provide them with the perfect opportunity to eliminate their rivals. After that, there’s 40 kilometres of gentle descent into the medieval city, with the possibility of a strong crosswind too!”
Stage 15 profile
Can UAE add more lions to the bus collection?
After three gruelling days in the Pyrenees, it was the baroudeurs’ turn to shine at the end of the second week of the 2025 Tour de France. Usually tasked with protecting Tadej Pogačar, Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG) made the most of this opportunity to participate in a festival of attacks, while his leader safely navigated the bunch. More than 30 riders managed to break away en route to Carcassonne. Wellens left them all in his wake with 43.5 km to go, claiming his first victory in the Tour de France. Already a winner in La Vuelta and the Giro, he becomes the 113th rider with stage wins in all three Grand Tours, Wout van Aert was the 112th. Wellens also succeeds Van Aert as a Belgian national champion claiming victory in the Tour, Van Aert had done it in 2021. Behind him, Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) took second and third on the stage, ahead of Van Aert. The peloton crossed the line at 6 minutes.
Lenny Martinez has a battle on his hands to keep the KOM jersey
The last effort before the last rest day! After three days in the Pyrenees, the peloton set out for Carcassonne with a hilly course that could favour attackers. Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto) did’t take part in the battle as he withdrew ahead of the start. The Belgian climber was far from the best version of himself after a crash early in the Tour.
Van der Poel looks keen for the green jersey
Early scare for Vingegaard and Lipowitz
As soon as the flag droppped, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) attacked with the hopes to repeat their stunning assault on Toulouse (stage 11). But there were dozens of contenders for the break, which led to a furious battle marked by a crash in the bunch at 17 kilometres.
Yellow is the colour of France in July
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) were among the many riders affected. They led a strong chase but at the front, attacks kept flying, which prevented them from getting back to the bunch until km 38.
The wind split the race in to echelons
MvdP initiates the break
In the meantime, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked at 27 kilometres. He was followed by Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), Clément Russo (Groupama-FDJ), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-Premier Tech) and Jarrad Drizners (Lotto).
The peloton were not taking it easy, but the break eventually had over 7 minutes lead
Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal Quick-Step), Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL), Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) made it 15 riders in the lead at km 34… And the battle goes on, as INEOS Grenadiers want to have someone at the front.
Wellens left the break with 43 kilometres to go
The battle goes on and on
The configuration changes slightly on the Côte de Saint-Ferréol (72.8km), where Jasper Stuyven, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Michael Storer (Tudor) join the break. Onto the Sorèze climb (86.6km), a break from the break emerged with Campenaerts, Wellens, Mohorič, Lutsenko, Powless, Simmons and Storer. Behind them, a huge chasing group formed with 28 rider, including Alaphilippe, Van Aert and Van der Poel and others. Among the chasers, Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) managed to join the front group at 86km. Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) copied him at 110km, and then Alexandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Warren Barguil (Team Picnic PostNL) at 113km.
Wellens now has the Grand Tour stage win full set: Giro, Tour and Vuelta
Wellens flies away
Storer destroyed this group by attacking on the first slopes of the Pas du Sant (114km). He is followed by Simmons, and then Wellens and Campenaerts. The four attackers reached the summit together. After the climb, they are joined by Vlasov, Lutsenko, Barguil and Rodriguez with 44 kilometres to go. Right after the junction, Wellens attacked. His rivals can’t follow the Belgian, who opens a gap of more than a minute en route to Carcassonne. Behind him, the chase groups get back together. Campenaerts attacks inside the last 2 kilometres to take the 2nd place ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) in third.
Victor Campenaerts Victor dropped the break for second place
Alaphilippe seemed very happy with his third place
Rest day on Monday. Stage 16 on Tuesday finishes on the ‘Giant of Provence’ – Mont Ventoux. From the village of Bédoin and the observatory overlooking the finish line, there are 15.7km of climbing, averaging 8.7%
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Tour de France Stage 15 Result:
1. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:34:09
2. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:28
3. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Tudor at 1:36
4. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Axel Laurance INEOS Grenadiers
6. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
7. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
8. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies
9. Michael Valgren Andersen (Fra) EF Education-EasyPost
10. Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Tour de France Overall 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.
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