Paris-Roubaix winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made history with an exceptional solo victory on the queen stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, featuring a challenging summit finish on Col de la Madeleine, showcasing a shift in women's cycling with lightweight climbers challenging traditional powerhouses.
Stage 19 of the 2025 Tour de France, shortened to 95km due to cattle disease outbreak, features intense mountain climbing with key attacks from riders like Roglič and Martinez, and is expected to deliver flat-out action in the high Alps.
Stage 18 of the Tour de France 2025 was a grueling mountain stage featuring multiple long climbs, with Vingegaard and Pogačar showcasing impressive climbing performances. O'Connor won solo from a breakaway, while GC contenders like Pogačar and Vingegaard struggled to gain significant time, with Lipowitz's attack backfiring. The stage highlighted the intense competition and endurance of the riders, setting the stage for the final mountain showdown.
Stage 14 of the Tour de France is a challenging mountain stage featuring four major Pyrénéan climbs—Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde, and Superbagnères—stacked in the final 110km, promising significant time gaps among riders and reminiscent of the 1986 route.
Simon Yates won the first mountainous stage of the Tour de France, while Ben Healy took the overall lead and the yellow jersey, marking a significant moment in the race. Healy's aggressive riding earned him the most combative rider award, and Yates's strategic break secured his third stage victory. The stage was challenging, featuring multiple climbs in the Massif Central, and set the stage for a rest day.
Visma and Jonas Vingegaard are preparing for the Tour de France's first mountain stage after attempts to create gaps in crosswinds have been only partially successful, with plans to deploy their top climbers to gain an advantage.
Jonas Vingegaard finished second in a challenging mountain stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Tadej Pogačar winning and taking the yellow jersey; Vingegaard remains 43 seconds behind Pogačar overall, and the team is optimistic for the upcoming stage.
Geraint Thomas expressed confusion over the tactics used by race leader Isaac del Toro during the final mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia, which saw Simon Yates take the overall lead after breaking away on the Colle delle Finestre.
Stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia features a dramatic battle for the pink jersey on the challenging Colle delle Finestre, with Simon Yates making a remarkable comeback and leading the race, while GC contenders like Del Toro and Carapaz are closing in, making for an exciting mountain showdown.
During the penultimate mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia, Nicolas Prodhomme won the stage with a solo break, while Richard Carapaz and Del Toro gained significant time in the general classification, narrowing the gap to the race leader. The stage featured intense attacks and strategic riding, with Yates dropping out of the top ten and the overall race tightening as riders faced brutal climbs and challenging heat conditions.
Tadej Pogacar gained a few more seconds on Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France, but the Danish cyclist maintained his overall lead. Pogacar, the reigning champion, strategically chipped away at Vingegaard's lead during the mountain stage, finishing third and gaining four seconds on his rival. With 13 stages completed, Vingegaard holds a nine-second lead over Pogacar. The race continues with challenging stages in the Alps, and Pogacar remains confident in his chances of catching the leader.
Tadej Pogacar gained eight seconds on Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France's Stage 9, cutting into Vingegaard's overall lead. The stage featured the challenging climb of Le Puy de Dôme, returning to the Tour for the first time since 1988. Pogacar showcased his climbing form, but Vingegaard still holds a 17-second lead. The battle between the two favorites is expected to continue in the upcoming mountain stages.