July 22, 2025 • 6 mins
Stage 16 of the Tour de France 2025 was all about the Giant of Provence—and it didn’t disappoint.
French climber Valentin Paret-Peintre stunned the favourites with a late surge to win atop Mont Ventoux, claiming his first Tour stage and sending the home crowd into raptures.
With 140 km of flat terrain before the final climb, the peloton stayed calm until chaos erupted on the slopes. 🚴♂️ Pogačar marked attacks but didn’t strike.
🔥 Vingegaard tried to shake things up.
🇫🇷 Paret-Peintre timed it perfectly. We break down the tactics, the pacing, and the pain of one of cycling’s most iconic ascents. Plus: GC updates, team strategies, and what this means heading into the Alps.
#TDF2025 #RideAndThrive #Stage16Recap #MontVentoux
French climber Valentin Paret-Peintre stunned the favourites with a late surge to win atop Mont Ventoux, claiming his first Tour stage and sending the home crowd into raptures.
With 140 km of flat terrain before the final climb, the peloton stayed calm until chaos erupted on the slopes. 🚴♂️ Pogačar marked attacks but didn’t strike.
🔥 Vingegaard tried to shake things up.
🇫🇷 Paret-Peintre timed it perfectly. We break down the tactics, the pacing, and the pain of one of cycling’s most iconic ascents. Plus: GC updates, team strategies, and what this means heading into the Alps.
#TDF2025 #RideAndThrive #Stage16Recap #MontVentoux
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
One, one, two, Who's a duel in the Crown? As
the riders set off from Montpellier on stage sixteen, But
who was going to be destined for glory? My name's
Dave and this is the Ride and Thrive podcast with
Today at the tour. So before we even got started,
it was a bit of sad news for Matthew vander
Pole who had been feeling unwell. He was said he
(00:21):
was suffering from a bit of a cold and it
turns out that he had pneumonia, so he didn't start
the stage and in fact he was taken off to
the hospital. So that was a bit of bad news
to start the day. So as they got started the riders,
now this was quite a flat stage until we got
(00:43):
to the last twenty kilometers when it ramped up pretty significantly.
So I was expecting to see a breakaway and it
didn't disappoint.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
There was a few.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Early attacks that trying to get away some of the
some of the riders were trying to get a break
away formed, but it wasn't until a good couple of
hours when a group of forty riders got away with
some big names in there, Victor Camperart's Ben Heay, Santiago
Bullschrgo from Borrowing Victorious team and Aaronsman from Indias Grenadiers,
(01:16):
and they all set off and the leading the chasing group,
the GC group seemed to be happy to let that
group go because they, you know, they knew that actual
Von two Mont Von two was where the race was
going to be decided.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
So they got out a healthy lead, did the big
break and so it was.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Until about kilometer one oh five when there was another
another a surge on the front of that particular breakaway group.
Ala Philippe went right, Aaronsman, Henrik Mass. There was a
few of them who were chasing down from that from
that league group, and then it was Julian ala Philippe
(01:55):
who accelerated as soon as they eat the the early
slopes of Mont Vaughan two, and Enrik Mass and Aaronsman
joined him on the way up and they kind of
formed a little breakaway group and they were really going
for it, and it was Enrick Mass actually set off
on his own and he just basically went for broke
(02:17):
the chasing riders. There was a chasing group then being
led by Ben Healey and the French rider Valentine pre
Pentre who was a pseudor quickstep rider, and they were
chasing down this group and eventually they caught them on
the climb and then they were started to chase down
Enrick Mass who was kind of holding firm and he
(02:39):
was actually within touch with two and a half kilometers
from the top when Healey and Pare Pantra eventually caught
up with him. Now they were trading attacks after that
one would attack then the other one. It was absolutely
fantastic to see.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
As this was going on. The GC group had kind
of donek quite.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
A bit of catching up, and it was his vinger
Guard and Pergatcha that were trading blows with each other.
Vinger Guard actually attacked Pergatcha and put him under a
bit of pressure. It's the first bit of pressure we've
actually seen Inger Guard put onto Pergatcha. But Pergatcha did
hold firm. He went with him, He stayed on his
wheel and then he managed to a bit of recovery
(03:23):
and he managed to go and attack Vinger Guard and
this carried on all the way up the slope.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So back at the front it was.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Helium Paropantra who were again trading blows and with a
kilometer to go they were still at each other and Heally,
I must admit Heay did look the strongest, and I
think he went too early.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
With about five four hundred, five.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Hundred meters to go, he hit the front and I
thought he'd had him, but Parapenttra had come back and
he just got him on the line, and I think
Heally was so frustrated. But it was a really good
win for the Frenchman one two. It is kind of
the stuff that dreams are made of, really, and that
was another fantastic win for Sudal who were having a
(04:07):
really good tour so far. So it was Parapentra of
Sudal first, then Ben Healy of Education. Then it was
the remains of the early breakaway Santiago Potrago from Bahrain
victorious who came in third, and Van Wilder of Sudal
who came in fourth, and then Bagatcha and Vinger Guard
(04:30):
made up the top six. So it was quite a
quite predictable stage up until the end, but it was
great to see the racing on the slopes of on two.
So to round out the Jerseys on the end of
Stage sixteen, Bergatcha holds the yellow.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Jonathan Milan holds onto green.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Interestingly, not that many points be ahead of Pagatchia because
Milan didn't pick up any points today in the intermediate sprint.
Martinez has got the Appolica jersey only because he's level
on points with Pergatcha and Pergatchal being yellow. So Martinez
we'll wear the polka dot jersey. He will have a
(05:10):
few days to try and to get that back. And
then Lipowitz has held on to the white jersey. So
Ben Healy makes it back into the top ten at
number nine, which was which was a really good effort.
Onley remains fourth on GC. Rogless is up to fifth,
which he's doing really well, and like I say, ben
(05:34):
Heey comes in at ninth, So that takes us on
to stage seventeen and a bit of a chance for
the sprinters today. They've not had much of a chance
in the last few stages, so I think they'll be
desperate to make this a bunch sprint. In valence, it
(05:54):
is one hundred and sixty kilometers and it's flat, and
it's as much flat as flat as stage as what
they're going to get. So so we'll see what happens.
Tomorrow should be unless the wind gets up and those crosswinds,
it should be a routine stage. But at this tour
(06:14):
this year, doesn't really know what a routine stage is.
So we'll see if the likes of Binny and Gamai
and Jonathan Milan can can put us on a sprint
show tomorrow. Okay, folks, thanks for tuning in today. Tune
in again tomorrow for today at the tour.
One, one, two, Who's a duel in the Crown? As
the riders set off from Montpellier on stage sixteen, But
who was going to be destined for glory? My name's
Dave and this is the Ride and Thrive podcast with
Today at the tour. So before we even got started,
it was a bit of sad news for Matthew vander
Pole who had been feeling unwell. He was said he
(00:21):
was suffering from a bit of a cold and it
turns out that he had pneumonia, so he didn't start
the stage and in fact he was taken off to
the hospital. So that was a bit of bad news
to start the day. So as they got started the riders,
now this was quite a flat stage until we got
(00:43):
to the last twenty kilometers when it ramped up pretty significantly.
So I was expecting to see a breakaway and it
didn't disappoint.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
There was a few.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Early attacks that trying to get away some of the
some of the riders were trying to get a break
away formed, but it wasn't until a good couple of
hours when a group of forty riders got away with
some big names in there, Victor Camperart's Ben Heay, Santiago
Bullschrgo from Borrowing Victorious team and Aaronsman from Indias Grenadiers,
(01:16):
and they all set off and the leading the chasing group,
the GC group seemed to be happy to let that
group go because they, you know, they knew that actual
Von two Mont Von two was where the race was
going to be decided.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
So they got out a healthy lead, did the big
break and so it was.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Until about kilometer one oh five when there was another
another a surge on the front of that particular breakaway group.
Ala Philippe went right, Aaronsman, Henrik Mass. There was a
few of them who were chasing down from that from
that league group, and then it was Julian ala Philippe
(01:55):
who accelerated as soon as they eat the the early
slopes of Mont Vaughan two, and Enrik Mass and Aaronsman
joined him on the way up and they kind of
formed a little breakaway group and they were really going
for it, and it was Enrick Mass actually set off
on his own and he just basically went for broke
(02:17):
the chasing riders. There was a chasing group then being
led by Ben Healey and the French rider Valentine pre
Pentre who was a pseudor quickstep rider, and they were
chasing down this group and eventually they caught them on
the climb and then they were started to chase down
Enrick Mass who was kind of holding firm and he
(02:39):
was actually within touch with two and a half kilometers
from the top when Healey and Pare Pantra eventually caught
up with him. Now they were trading attacks after that
one would attack then the other one. It was absolutely
fantastic to see.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
As this was going on. The GC group had kind
of donek quite.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
A bit of catching up, and it was his vinger
Guard and Pergatcha that were trading blows with each other.
Vinger Guard actually attacked Pergatcha and put him under a
bit of pressure. It's the first bit of pressure we've
actually seen Inger Guard put onto Pergatcha. But Pergatcha did
hold firm. He went with him, He stayed on his
wheel and then he managed to a bit of recovery
(03:23):
and he managed to go and attack Vinger Guard and
this carried on all the way up the slope.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So back at the front it was.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Helium Paropantra who were again trading blows and with a
kilometer to go they were still at each other and Heally,
I must admit Heay did look the strongest, and I
think he went too early.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
With about five four hundred, five.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Hundred meters to go, he hit the front and I
thought he'd had him, but Parapenttra had come back and
he just got him on the line, and I think
Heally was so frustrated. But it was a really good
win for the Frenchman one two. It is kind of
the stuff that dreams are made of, really, and that
was another fantastic win for Sudal who were having a
(04:07):
really good tour so far. So it was Parapentra of
Sudal first, then Ben Healy of Education. Then it was
the remains of the early breakaway Santiago Potrago from Bahrain
victorious who came in third, and Van Wilder of Sudal
who came in fourth, and then Bagatcha and Vinger Guard
(04:30):
made up the top six. So it was quite a
quite predictable stage up until the end, but it was
great to see the racing on the slopes of on two.
So to round out the Jerseys on the end of
Stage sixteen, Bergatcha holds the yellow.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Jonathan Milan holds onto green.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Interestingly, not that many points be ahead of Pagatchia because
Milan didn't pick up any points today in the intermediate sprint.
Martinez has got the Appolica jersey only because he's level
on points with Pergatcha and Pergatchal being yellow. So Martinez
we'll wear the polka dot jersey. He will have a
(05:10):
few days to try and to get that back. And
then Lipowitz has held on to the white jersey. So
Ben Healy makes it back into the top ten at
number nine, which was which was a really good effort.
Onley remains fourth on GC. Rogless is up to fifth,
which he's doing really well, and like I say, ben
(05:34):
Heey comes in at ninth, So that takes us on
to stage seventeen and a bit of a chance for
the sprinters today. They've not had much of a chance
in the last few stages, so I think they'll be
desperate to make this a bunch sprint. In valence, it
(05:54):
is one hundred and sixty kilometers and it's flat, and
it's as much flat as flat as stage as what
they're going to get. So so we'll see what happens.
Tomorrow should be unless the wind gets up and those crosswinds,
it should be a routine stage. But at this tour
(06:14):
this year, doesn't really know what a routine stage is.
So we'll see if the likes of Binny and Gamai
and Jonathan Milan can can put us on a sprint
show tomorrow. Okay, folks, thanks for tuning in today. Tune
in again tomorrow for today at the tour.
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