Tour de France 2025 Stage 16 recap - Tadej Pogacar weathers Jonas Vingegaard attacks on Mont Ventoux, Valentin Paret-Peintre wins

France’s Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) ended the host nation’s long wait for a win with a nail-biting Stage 16 victory on Mont Ventoux as Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) weathered the storm to extend his grip on the yellow jersey by two extra seconds on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Vingegaard put in no fewer than three big attacks on the Giant of Provence – benefitting from Visma satellite riders Teisj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts to put his big rival Pogacar under pressure.

But the triple Tour winner had an answer for everyone of the Dane’s accelerations before kicking clear on the final ramp to cross the line in fifth place after what was a thrilling four-way battle for the stage spoils.

Paret-Peintre rode in a leading trio alongside Ireland’s Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Colombia’s Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) after Spain’s Enric Mas (Movistar) was distanced entering the final kilometre of the savage ascent.

As the pace eased, a fourth rider battled back on – but it was not Mas, but Paret-Peintre’s Soudal Quick-Step team-mate Ilan van Wilder instead. The Belgian put in a turn on the front to give the Frenchman a break – and when Healy put in his final push for a second victory on the Tour, Paret-Peintre had his measure.

After the sharp final bend, the 24-year-old whippet climber rounded Healy on the steep ramp to the line to take the biggest win of his career – and his Soudal Quick-Step team’s fourth win on this Tour after Tim Merlier’s two sprint scalps and Remco Evenepoel’s victory in the Stage 5 time trial.

Stage 6 winner Healy took second place and rose back to ninth in the general classification, while Buitrago completed the podium ahead of Van Wilder.

The battle for yellow played out less than a minute down the road, with Pogacar matching Vingegaard’s flurry of attacks and then seeing the Dane hold firm after his own acceleration in the final kilometre. But the Slovenian’s superior uphill kick eventually saw the 26-year-old open a small gap over his Danish rival on the final ramp as Pogacar came home 43 seconds down on Paret-Peintre for fifth place.

Mas, who led the race for much of the ascent of Ventoux, took seventh place ahead of fellow escapee Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) before Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe duo Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz completed the top 10 just over a minute behind Pogacar.

Lipowitz consolidated his third place on the virtual podium and grip on the white jersey after his Scottish rival Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) was tailed off on the climb and finished 33 seconds behind in fourteenth. Roglic, meanwhile, rose into the top five at the expense of Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) after the Frenchman conceded the best part of two minutes.

The Slovenian race leader extends advantage by two seconds as his compatriot Roglic moves into top five. Over 20 minutes between first and tenth now as gaps grow.

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +4:15
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +9:03
4. Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +11:04
5. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +11:42
6. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +13:20
7. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +14:50
8. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +17:01
9. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) +17:52
10. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +20:45

"Some photographer just ran out in front of me straight after the finish line. I don’t know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more.

"I was feeling very good today. Happy with the feeling today and happy with the attacks I tried. Of course, I didn’t take any time, but I take a lot of motivation from today.

"We wanted to have someone in the break. The team did really amazingly today. Everyone worked with what they had. There was commitment from everyone and everyone did great – I have to thank them all.

"Pogacar followed me every time I attacked, and I followed him when he attacked. I don’t know if I could see any weaknesses, but at least it gives me some motivation and I will keep trying."

1 Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
2. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) "
3. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) +04
4. Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) +14
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +43
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +45
7. Enric Mas (Movistar) +53
8. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) +1:17
9. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +1:51
10. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +1:53

Oscar Onley took 14th at 2:29, Carlos Rodriguez 15th at 3:02, Felix Gall 17th at 3:33, Kevin Vauquelin 20th at 3:42 and Tobias Johannseesn 28th at 5:11. So we should see a bit of movement in the top 10.

The yellow jersey dropped his big rival on the final ramp to add another couple of seconds to his lead. Vingegaard tried his best to drop the Slovenian, but it wasn’t enough – and Pogacar inches ever closer to a fourth Tour triumph.

You don’t often see that – a four-way battle for glory on the Giant of Provence. What a role Van Wilder played there to return and then leadout his team-mate, who had to reel in Healy before darting clear – all while keeping an eye on Santiago Buitrago, who took third.

France finally have their stage win! Valentin Paret-Peintre swings by Ben Healy on the final ramp and the Soudal Quick-Step rider wins Stage 16 on Mont Ventoux. What a fantastic finish.

Another Soudal rider seems to have returned! It’s Ilan van Wilder and he’s setting things up for his team-mate Paret-Peintre. Pog and Vingegaard are just 150m behind now…

Healy is stuck on the front – he doesn’t have a sprint but he needs to just keep the pace high and try to burn them off his wheel.

Paret-Peintre makes a move under the flamme rouge, taking Healy and Biutrago with him - but Mas is distanced.

The yellow jersey puts in his move – but Vingegaard has it covered before trying his luck himself. But there’s nothing separating them today.

Wow – a Hispanic alliance as Buitrago and Mas battle back into contention, so we have a leading quartet now. They should hold on because behind Vingegaard is spent and Pogacar refuses to pull. The gap stays 1’40".

Enric Mas battles back before Valentin Paret-Peintre puts in the attack that puts the final nail in the Spaniard’s coffin. Healy digs deep to claw his way back. He puts in his own attack and they trade blows. The Big Two are 1’50" behind.

The Irishman takes Paret-Peinre with him but Mas starts to go backwards.

Further behind, Campenaerts pulls hard before Vingegaard puts in his third big attack. But once again, Pogacar has his measure. The Slovenian shows no signs of cracking.

Ben Healy must be the big favourite now as he and Paret-Peintre draw level with Mas. But can they hold off the Big Two, who are 2’25" back?

Healy and Paret-Peintre pass under the 5km banner with a deficit of just 20 seconds now. Mas is clearly struggling from his efforts. The yellow jersey group is 2’55" down and one minute ahead of the likes of Onley and Lipowitz.

Vingegaard and Pogacar are picking off the remnants of the break – Jonas Abrahamsen and Simone Velasco being the latest. They’re about to catch Victor Campenaerts, who will act as the last relay for Vingegaard. Let’s see what he can do.

Just as Benoot peels off after his sustained pull, the Dane puts in a second acceleration – but Pogacar has it covered. The gap continues to drop: 3’30" now. Could they do it?

Mas, meanwhile, is approaching Chalet Reynard. He still has 40 seconds on the Healy group.

The Irishman is laying into Buitrago, who he clearly feels isn’t pulling his weight. They’re still 45 seconds behind Mas and not making any in-roads. What’s more, Vingegaard, Benoot and Pogacar are now just 3’45" behind.

The Dane blows the group of favourites apart with his big attack. Pogacar goes with him in a flash, while Roglic digs deep just behind. But the others have been left in drops and drabs behind. Vingegaard quickly links up with Tiesj Benoot, who has dropped back from the break and acts as a relay. Pogacar, meanwhile, has passed Soler so there’s no man up the road for the yellow jersey – whereas Visma still have Campenaerts. Interesting.

Back in the main GC group, it’s Carlos Rodriguez who puts in the first attack – and perhaps that will coax a move from one of the GC favourites.

Ben Healy, meanwhile, rolls the dice from the chase group and takes Buitrago and Paret-Peintre with him. But Arensman and Alaphilippe are distanced. They trail the lone leader Mas by 50 seconds.