Valentin Paret-Peintre delivered a thrilling performance to claim victory on Stage 16 of the Tour de France, conquering the iconic Mont Ventoux summit finish. The French rider from Soudal Quick-Step edged out Ben Healy of EF Education-EasyPost in a nail-biting sprint to the line, securing France’s first stage win of the 2025 Tour de France. Paret-Peintre’s teammate, Ilan Van Wilder, played a crucial role in setting up the win, pulling the group along the final kilometer and paving the way for Paret-Peintre’s decisive move.
The stage was marked by intense battles, both for the stage win and the overall lead. Enric Mas of Movistar Team had initially taken the lead, but Healy and Paret-Peintre caught up, setting the stage for an epic showdown. Despite Healy’s strong sprint, Paret-Peintre found the energy to overtake him in the final meters, crossing the line first in a time of 4:03:19. Santiago Buitrago of Bahrain Victorious took third place, four seconds behind.
Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates solidified his grip on the yellow jersey, withstanding repeated attacks from Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike. Pogačar’s defensive riding earned him a two-second advantage over Vingegaard, extending his overall lead to 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Pogačar also set a new record for the climb, completing the 21.5km ascent in 54 minutes and 41 seconds, one minute and 10 seconds faster than the previous record.
The victory marked a significant moment for French cycling, with Paret-Peintre becoming the first French winner on Mont Ventoux since Richard Virenque in 2002. Soudal Quick-Step celebrated their fourth stage win of the tour, following victories by Tim Merlier in the sprint stages and Remco Evenepoel in the time trial.
