After ten days of intense racing, the first week of Tour de France 2025 ended this Monday with the July 14 stage in the Massif Central. The peloton will finally be able to enjoy a little respite and a first well -deserved rest day in Toulouse on Tuesday. The opportunity for runners to blow a little … and for our dear columnist Cyrille Guimard debrief pour Cyclism’Actu This first half of Tour Very lively to reach the Pyrenees from Lille! Calm and mastery of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) faced with the feverishness of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), to foil of Ben Healy (EF Education-Easypost) and certain stages, French without victory and in their place despite the Kévin Vauquelin-Mania (Arkéa-B & B Hotels) and the polling jersey of Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) … The “druid” has always delivered Notice without tongue in wood and trenched analyzes for Take a full overview halfway to this 112nd edition. We like or don't like it, but it is to read and/or to look below!
Hello Cyrille Guimard, first day of rest of this 2025 Tour de France, after a first very very long week, July 14 requires. Not too tired after these ten days of intense racing?
No, it's fine very well. In fact, there was no mountain so I'm not tired (laughs). On this first week, we have not yet attacked the first dish of resistance with the Pyrenees and yet there is already a hierarchy that has been set up, with less interesting lessons.
“We saw crazy things … Ben Healy, another madman of this Tour de France”
What do you remember from these first ten days across the North, Normandy, Brittany and the Center? We finally arrived in the Pyrenees but it still happened a lot of things over these first ten days.
Many things, first the race was alive, interesting but it is always the case when you do not put a prologue to start. There was a waltz of yellow jerseys too since we are returned to the fourth I believe, with advantage van der poel four days in yellow, Pogacar only three. Things may be reversed elsewhere. We really had a race that moved and atypical, when we see the breakaway of Van Der Poel with Rickaert where he was joined 700 meters from the finish line. Crazy things, yes we can say crazy things. Ben Healy, another madman of this Tour de France, of this peloton. A race that was still very interesting with a time trial which has a little hierarchical the positions in the general classification.
“Tadej Pogacar runs just … And opposite, we feel a feverishness at Vingegaard, he is not serene”
When we see all the names of the stage winners, we only have very large champions in the list in ten days, it's quite impressive.
Yes, we only have tops, whether it is the sprinters with Tim Merlier, Philipsen who unfortunately left the Tour a little quickly, Milan. We had everything we can hope for in a first week of the tour where the mountain is absent … But not the coasts. Normandy was still quite damaged, Brittany too. Really a nice start to the race, a great week. And then we still have a number of lessons. Among those who seem the most important to me, it is the way of running from Tadej Pogacar. Pogacar who must have bought a pack of wisdom candies and who masters the race, but who masters it well, intelligently, who makes the efforts when it is necessary, that is to say that he has practically not done from the start, outside the counter the ride but there everyone is tied.
No, he just runs. And opposite, we feel a feverishness at Vingegaard who is not serene, who tries to reassure ourselves through racing movements. But for now, taking Pogacar default, it was not possible this first week. And then I said, in this first week, the Tour favorites did not give a pedal stroke, always safe in the wheels of their train. So they will attack the mountain after Toulouse in full possession of their means, with a small handicap anyway for Pogacar: it was Almeida who was forced to go home unfortunately. All the other teams still have all their cards.
Precisely, do you give advantage to points to Pogacar on this first week? Since one still has the impression that it was a course that corresponded to him more, with very punchy efforts, and he never managed to win Jonas Vingegaard, apart from the time of course. Isn't that something that can be worrying for the future, especially after losing Almeida?
No, that's what reassures me (laughs)! Why make efforts? The efforts he made, it was to get bonifs, a few seconds to the right, a few seconds to the left. But he did it on two pedal strokes, that is to say without getting into it, even on Monday stage at Mont-Dore. He attacked at a time when it was starting to annoy him a little bit, when it was necessary to put things in order a little bit. But what did he do? He made 800 meters and then he got stressed, Vingegaard was very happy elsewhere. And that allowed Lenny Martinez to be able to ride in front of Pogacar. A funny scene yes, but it's a beautiful image. He can put her in his living room saying “Look, there it is I who roll, I hurt them”. To return to Pogacar, in all, he has made two kilometers of effort from the start, regardless of the time of course.
“Lenny Martinez can dream of the polka dot jersey … If Pogacar is not fighting to get all the jerseys”
We talked a bit about the two Tour Cadors, the Champions Ball since the start of this 112nd edition. French, were they invited or not? No stage victory. We still saw a small Vauquelin-Mania over these first ten days. So we have the impression that with the mountain that happens, it will calm down a bit. What did you think of this first week of the French?
Unfortunately, and I have repeated each time and for years, we have been in our place. We are very happy with the progression, the maturity that is taking Vauquelin. He still showed some limits to the Sancy well. But everything he has done since the start of the Tour is good, his time trial too, which was a very good performance. But we are in our place. The second French, there too, is a good surprise. It is Jordan Iat, that we will find in the top 15 today. But for the general classification, no, we are not in it. For sprints, we are not in it. But we knew it before departure.
The other satisfaction is Lenny Martinez. He had a very complicated start, especially in the Bosses de Cassel, among others. There was a little health, despite a small blunder, when he left to make a raid, when he had been much wise to stay quietly in the peloton. Maybe if he hadn't done this raid, yesterday he would have gone to win the final. He went to get the polka dot jersey, which he will wear tomorrow (Wednesday). I think it is a beautiful goal on which it can hang on. He has another chance in his team is that Buitrago is out of the blow and that he is the one and only leader. It means another status, so it will be protected now permanently.
Yes, he can dream of a polka dot jersey in the Champs-Elysées. Now there are 5 arrivals at the top. We will still have to go and take points in these arrivals, because we will likely find the podium of the Tour in these arrivals, of course. The more the time trial which is also in the coast. It will be difficult, but if it runs well it is possible. And also if Pogacar does not fight to get all the jerseys, because if he wants them, he will go get them. But we understand, that's what we saw this first week and that's the main teaching, it is that today, he runs to the economy, intelligently, and he runs according to a specific objective: to be yellow in Paris. Everything else is completely indifferent … until today.
“Pogacar against everyone … he must not one day have without”
If we project ourselves a little, we have the Pyrenees who arrive. What do you see as a scenario? The turn crushed by Pogacar in Hautacam and in the time trial of Peyragudes, or a beautiful battle with Vingegaard and all will be played in the Alps?
I think we are going to have a little bit against everyone. We are talking about Vingegaard, but Matteo Jorgenson is still someone on whom we have to keep his eyes wide open, because who says he is not stronger than Vingegaard? They still have two cards that are more than very interesting. Should we remove Roglic and Lipowitz from the ranking? It may be difficult to say it today. Especially since the high mountain often changes power relations. But I think that if he continues to run as he runs, in defense and not in attack – the attack, she will come on her own naturally – Pogacar is off to a good start. One thing is certain, he must not have one day without. In order not to have one day without, it must run for the economy every day.
“A French victory … I'm going to get wet and say anyone”
The next day of rest will arrive very quickly. We are only going to have 5 days of racing in the meantime. Will the French victory counter be released by next Monday?
If we let go from afar, with French people still being good, or even very good climbers, because the punchers will not be there. Possibly in Carcassonne. But from French victory to the pedal, no, it would be known. On long -term escapes, it is possible. But it will be annexed to the real race. But who?
Do we think of Lenny Martinez or Jordan Jegat for example?
With the polka dot jersey as he has it, it may not be easy. Especially since Ben Healy will not keep the yellow jersey for too long, and the polka dot jersey, it can interest him too. He walks a lot, the little Irishman.
“Ben Healy? If he had a sharp sense of race, he could have another record but …”
What do you think of Ben Healy? We know that it is an outstanding adventurer. Afterwards, it tends to have sometimes quite significant level variations. But there, on this Tour de France, it is at a fantastic level.
He mainly has variations in behavior at the level of the race. But it's part of the folklore. It does not have an extraordinary sensitivity of the race. Finally, the sense of race. But he still has horses. And then, we saw him already arriving juniors. It is certain that if he had a sense of sharp race, he could today have another record. But it's his way of running. Everyone has their own. We were talking about Van der Poel earlier. We saw Van Aert a few years ago too. They are in another register. But it takes.
On the French side, for a stage victory, I'm sorry it may not be original, but I'm going to get wet for anyone and no victory.
In any case, we hope that you will be wrong and that we will have to celebrate one or more victories by next Monday.
I also hope it (laughs)!
