Tour de France Tour de France 2025 Stage 21: Mantes-la-Ville – Paris (132.3k)

[Peyroteo94]

Where was this Wout in the spring? I mean he could drop Pog here, I imagine he could've dropped him in Flanders.

This is not similar to RVV. Lenght, vertical meters, Pogacar's preparation. So many things that aren't similar

 

[Charlyghoul]

This was much better than the usual sprint

 

[Peyroteo94]

I actually wouldn't have been upset if he'd won, because he dared to try, and it would have been cool to watch him win the last stage of a Tour he dominated. It would have been a deserved win, for sure.

I agree with you but 10 minutes ago you were saying he didn't deserve anything lol

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

...I've just rewound the last climb 3 times to watch Wout drop Pog, it isn't getting old yet.

Wout explaining to Vingo after the stage how it's done...

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Where was this Wout in the spring? I mean he could drop Pog here, I imagine he could've dropped him in Flanders.

It only took an entier spring campaign, and having to ride hard on every stage for the entire Tour, with Wout getting to ride in the groupetto a lot, for Wout to have better legs. They're going to have to make Flanders a lot longer for him to be able to match Pog in a one day race. I'd love to be wrong, but unfortunately, I don't think I am.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I agree with you but 10 minutes ago you were saying he didn't deserve anything lol

I only meant, based on the legs today. He didn't have the legs, and the guy who did won.

It may seem a strange distinction, I just mean that if he'd had the legs, it would have been cool to see him take it, because of how dominating he was for the rest of the tour.

 

[Charlyghoul]

I’d much rather have see Pog struggle a bit in the mountains and have him win today after the way he raced.

 

[hayneplane]

It only took an entier spring campaign, and having to ride hard on every stage for the entire Tour, with Wout getting to ride in the groupetto a lot, for Wout to have better legs. They're going to have to make Flanders a lot longer for him to be able to match Pog in a one day race. I'd love to be wrong, but unfortunately, I don't think I am.

Interesting take considering it is the length of the monuments that has seen Wout flag in comparison to Tadej when in E3 he stated with him and won the 3 up sprint for the win.

 

[Didinho]

Unpopular opinion. But as a kid I watched the last stage for the ultimate sprint on the Champs-Elysées. Yes of course it was a great stage today. And yes the sprint stages were boring. But they could’ve raced more in the mountains and let sprinters who survived the mountains have their tradition. But get rid of the champagne and photo moments and ride a normal stage.
We’re gonna have less flat stages every year. Even less battle for green. More fatigued riders and less battle in the mountains like the last 2 stages.

Not to hate or anything. Just prefer tradition. Like all the spring classics with their changes etc, not always a fan of it.

 

[Miha81]

Wout explaining to Vingo after the stage how it's done...

So new tactics for 2026 TDF. Be useless for almost 3 weeks and then crush him in final stage. It might work 🤣😂

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Interesting take considering it is the length of the monuments that has seen Wout flag in comparison to Tadej when in E3 he stated with him and won the 3 up sprint for the win.

Not this year, and not next year or any year after.

 

[scribers]

Let’s be honest, everyone who loves cycling is just relieved Pogacar didn’t win for once today. Wout did us all a massive favour and allowed us to enjoy a race again. Brilliant to see.

Cycling: where the strongest shouldn’t win

 

[Cycling111]

I'll be honest, I would have preferred Jorgenson, Mohoric, Trentin, or Ballerini to win. Van Aert complained several times about this stage.

 

[Sciatic]

Pogacar has been trying to prevent Jorgensen or Vingegaard from winning all race. Why can't Visma do the same?

WVA can't even beat Powless in a sprint too. Genuinely not sure he's the best sprinter here.

He didn’t need to be!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

From "...I've just rewound the last climb 3 times to watch Wout drop Pog, it isn't getting old yet." to statement above.

Seems legit.

Some of us aren't on and off switches. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Rackham]

Unpopular opinion. But as a kid I watched the last stage for the ultimate sprint on the Champs-Elysées. Yes of course it was a great stage today. And yes the sprint stages were boring. But they could’ve raced more in the mountains and let sprinters who survived the mountains have their tradition. But get rid of the champagne and photo moments and ride a normal stage.
We’re gonna have less flat stages every year. Even less battle for green. More fatigued riders and less battle in the mountains like the last 2 stages.

Not to hate or anything. Just prefer tradition. Like all the spring classics with their changes etc, not always a fan of it.

It's more messed up than that, i.e. they extended time cuts in mountain stages in order to save sprinter's legs and then took away their "prize" Champs stage at the end of the Tour anyway.

With a similar parcours next year I'd bet a whole bunch of sprinters might just DNF in the final week, which is fine I guess but at least show some consistency and make the time cuts punishing again.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Unpopular opinion. But as a kid I watched the last stage for the ultimate sprint on the Champs-Elysées. Yes of course it was a great stage today. And yes the sprint stages were boring. But they could’ve raced more in the mountains and let sprinters who survived the mountains have their tradition. But get rid of the champagne and photo moments and ride a normal stage.
We’re gonna have less flat stages every year. Even less battle for green. More fatigued riders and less battle in the mountains like the last 2 stages.

Not to hate or anything. Just prefer tradition. Like all the spring classics with their changes etc, not always a fan of it.

And thank god for that. The riders wanting more flat stages have put that on themselves!

This is bike racing. Yesterday was bike racing. Toulouse was bike racing. Carcassone was bike racing. Vire Normandie, Rouen. Basically all the stages where riders want to to jump in the break and race hard! Great stuff today!

 

[Sciatic]

Those Jorge attacks that Pog had to close cost a bit too much

Quite tactically smart by Visma, surprising!

 

[OWIOWI]

Let’s be honest, everyone who loves cycling is just relieved Pogacar didn’t win for once today. Wout did us all a massive favour and allowed us to enjoy a race again. Brilliant to see.

Let me be honest: I love cycling and I really, really love Tadejs way to ride. Always lightening up a race. The only other one, who matches him in that concern is Mathieu. They are my favourite riders...

I was in Belgium last spring and saw them at the Tour of Flanders (I was watching at the Ronde van Vlaanderen Straat) and in Roubaix (I was watching at Carrefour de l'Abre). So just answer one question: What other Grand Tour rider could do the same at the cobbled classics?

So I do not see, why Tadej should be kind of a disease for cycling. I am happy to see a rider like him in my lifetime. I never thougt I would have the pleasure to see a rider like Merckx or Hinault.

So chapeau to Waout, but the bigger one for Tadej!

 

[Gratemans]

I actually wouldn't have been upset if he'd won, because he dared to try, and it would have been cool to watch him win the last stage of a Tour he dominated. It would have been a deserved win, for sure.

Well, I for one think you certainly deserved this win from Wout.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It's the 5th time in a row a Belgian born rider wins in Paris (6th with the Olympics). Who will put an end to this dominance?

 

[Valv.Piti]

It's more messed up than that, i.e. they extended time cuts in mountain stages in order to save sprinter's legs and then took away their "prize" Champs stage at the end of the Tour anyway.

With a similar parcours next year I'd bet a whole bunch of sprinters might just DNF in the final week, which is fine I guess but at least show some consistency and make the time cuts punishing again.

Agree, extended time gaps are something the devil made up.

Pure sprinters can DNF all they want though, who cares. They don't make the race in the slightest. In the end it just makes for a better race if they flat out just didn't line up in Lille as even the flat days would be interesting then. Who would control?

 

[Unchained]

Mate, Jonas is finishing this race on his knees.

Wow I see it completely different.. Even down to his tactics against Pogacar,
today you see Visma breakaway duo work together but also create situation were Pog has to work to further his chances, if he wanted to win, needed to work, if he wanted to ride in a paced, small safer group, in the rain.. He needed to work
.. After he worked small physical flaw exposed, he is attacked, Wout gets the stage. It happened multiple times in this TDF, it's not if Pogacar was to work it's what other riders do immediately before and after he is busy doing something!! Arensman showed twice, you have to be patient against Pogacar, wait for opportunity and exploit it.
Clown coach from Visma had Vingegaard riding on fire from start to finish, nothing surgical, nothing calculated, just raw force all day every day.
Vingegaard was never on his knees and instead of using instincts that had him winning as a child to a top professional, he subscribed to a silly strategy of being on 100% of the time as a team and individual rider..
He was in excellent form.. You can't get anywhere without a plan.. Vingegaard personally has zero to be ashamed of, he didn't pick the team race strategy.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Well, I for one think you certainly deserved this win from Wout.

Aside from Lachlan, he is my favorite rider on a bike. It's nice to leave the Tour with his win.

 

[D. Pecher]

Just realized, Roglic lost more time to Pogacar in the 19th stage than Lipowitz during the entire Tour. I guess there'll be no discussion who the RBH leader is from now on