🇫🇷 Stage 16: Paret-Peintre Masters Mont Ventoux, Pogacar and Vingegaard Locked in GC Shadowplay
Ventoux Delivers a French Fairytale
On one of cycling’s most iconic climbs, Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) ignited the crowd with a ruthless final push to claim his first Tour de France stage victory — and he did it in the most poetic way possible: atop Mont Ventoux. The Frenchman edged out the ever-aggressive Ben Healy by mere seconds in a final kilometer drenched in sweat, courage, and strategy.
“I emptied everything in that last 500 meters,” Paret-Peintre said post-stage. “Healy was a monster. I had to become one too.”
🏁 Stage 16 Top 5 Results
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Paret-Peintre | Soudal Quick-Step | — |
| 2 | Ben Healy | EF Education–EasyPost | +0:00 |
| 3 | Santiago Buitrago | Bahrain Victorious | +0:04 |
| 4 | Ilan Van Wilder | Soudal Quick-Step | +0:14 |
| 5 | Tadej Pogacar | UAE Team Emirates | +0:43 |
See all the standings after stage 16 result.
Pogacar and Vingegaard crossed together, +43 seconds behind the French winner, the GC still volatile but unchanged — at least numerically.
The Battle Behind: Pogacar and Vingegaard Shadowbox
Stage 16 wasn’t just about the breakaway heroes. Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard lit their own fireworks in the final 8 kilometers of the Ventoux. The attacks were relentless, but neither could shake the other.
Vingegaard launched at 8.5 km, 7.5 km, and again inside 2 km to go — Pogacar shadowed every pedal stroke. The duo finished neck and neck, conserving their GC gap but burning through their matches.
GC Duel Notes:
- ❗ Pogacar launched inside the final 2 km
- ❗ Vingegaard countered immediately
- ⚖️ Both riders finished together at +43’’
- 🧮 No time change in GC, but legs were spent
The Winning Move: French Firepower at the Right Time
Let’s break down what made Paret-Peintre’s win so clinical:
Last 5km Breakdown
- 5km to go: Mas leads solo; Healy & Paret-Peintre 25’’ behind
- 3.5km: Healy attacks, Paret-Peintre follows, Mas is dropped
- 2km: Healy and Paret-Peintre take turns testing each other
- 1km: Van Wilder arrives, ramps pace
- Final 500m: Paret-Peintre sprints at 30.3 km/h to win
Van Wilder’s late arrival proved decisive — he towed Paret-Peintre at exactly the moment Healy was running out of matches. Team tactics perfectly executed.
What This Means for France, and for Soudal Quick-Step
- 🇫🇷 First French winner on Mont Ventoux since 2013
- 💥 Soudal Quick-Step takes their second stage of the Tour
- 🔥 Van Wilder’s teamwork turns him into a quiet hero
- 🤯 Healy again proves he’s one of the most aggressive riders in this Tour
It’s not often you see a non-GC rider outclimb the Ventoux against climbers like Buitrago, Mas, Healy, and Pogacar. Paret-Peintre wrote his own myth today.
Pro Analyst Verdict: The Tour’s GC Battle Is Simmering, Not Boiling
This wasn’t a GC shakeup stage. But it was a psychological war:
- 🧠 Vingegaard is attacking more often — a sign he may not feel in control
- 💪 Pogacar is marking moves easily — but hasn’t landed a killer blow in three stages
- 🫤 Roglic? Vanished today.
- 🧬 Lipowitz, Onley, Rodriguez? Showing flashes, but not yet podium material
The real GC shifts may still come. But for now? France celebrates, the legends of Ventoux grow, and Paret-Peintre gets his moment etched in Tour lore.
Next: Stage 17 heads into the Pyrenees. Will this détente last? Or will someone finally risk it all? Explore the stage 17 Queen Pyrenees of the 2025 tour!
