After the Grand Départ in the far north of France and the start in Lille, the route was fast, hilly and painful from the north to the sea and through Normandy - days garnished with bunch sprints, crashes, attacks, tension, wind edge, jersey swaps, triumphs and tragedy. We have compiled the photo highlights of the Tour de France 2025 so far in our picture gallery.
Tour de France 2025: Spectacular first week
The first week of the Tour de France 2025 had numerous highlights to offer. The first day was spent on the windy edge around Lille. Jasper Philipsen took the first stage win of this year's Tour and with it the first yellow jersey. On the second day, Philipsen's Alpecin team-mate Mathieu van der Poel came into his own, beating Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the uphill sprint. Day three was overshadowed by a crash and the subsequent elimination of Philipsen in the green jersey. Tim Merlier secured the victory.
We continued in the direction of Rouen. Pogacar put on a great show there. The Slovenian crowned the day with his 100th victory as a professional cyclist. In the subsequent time trial on stage 5 of the Tour de France 2025, Pogacar put the next pin in the overall standings. Only Remco Evenepoel was faster than the 26-year-old, while Jonas Vingegaard suffered a bitter defeat, losing more than a minute to his great rival.
On stage 6, the hour of the breakaway struck for the first time. Irishman Ben Healy stormed to victory with an impressive solo from an escape group around Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutch superstar was able to console himself by taking the yellow jersey once again, which he snatched from Pogacar by a mere second. The following day, the world champion struck back. On the Mur de Bretagne, Pogacar secured his second stage win of the Tour de France 2025 in superior style and slipped back into the yellow jersey. The following day, the sprinters were once again in charge. Jonathan Milan secured the first Italian stage win at the Tour de France since 2019, when Vincenzo Nibali won a section of the Tour of France. On stage 9, Mathieu van der Poel set off with his Alpecin team-mate Jonas Rickaert and broke away immediately after the start. The Dutchman almost got away with it - Tim Merlier won in the end. The French bank holidays followed with a challenging ride through the Massif Central. Giro winner Simon Yates celebrated the stage win as the breakaway leader, while fellow escapee Ben Healy snatched the yellow jersey.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
