Mixed emotions for France: Vauquelin and Alaphilippe impress, Grégoire struggles
CyclingFriday, 20 June 2025 at 09:04
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Follow us on GoogleIn France, they will slowly but surely be rubbing their hands in anticipation of the Tour de France. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) has already won a stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné. On day 5 of the Tour de Suisse, there was cause for optimism for new leader Kévin Vauquelin and the strong Julian Alaphilippe. Unfortunately, Romain Grégoire was less successful yesterday.
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The 22-year-old Grégoire won the opening stage and wore the yellow leader's jersey for days but crashed in Thursday's queen stage. The French climber finished almost seven minutes behind stage winner Oscar Onley and second-placed João Almeida, leaving Grégoire suddenly in thirteenth place in the GC. “I was just exhausted, already on the first lap of the final circuit. I had no energy left, even though I did everything I could,” he said in his analysis after the race.
Grégoire had shown no signs of weakness in the first five days, so his sudden collapse was a surprise. “Valentin (Madouas, ed.) helped me on the flat to limit the damage, but on the last climb, I was alone. With such steep gradients, I couldn't do anything; I was completely exhausted. I had no expectations for the GC and knew it would be difficult, but I had hoped for less damage. With a stage win, however, this is still a successful race.”
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Vauquelin discovers himself as stage rider
The yellow jersey changed shoulders on Thursday but remained in French hands. Vauquelin couldn't believe his luck at Arkéa-B&B Hotels as the new leader in the GC. “Finally, the yellow jersey,” sighed the 24-year-old climber to L'Equipe. “I've been working towards this for years, and it's now paying off. As a teenager, I mainly rode smaller races, which meant that my body lacked the experience of such strenuous efforts as today's for a long time. I think I've reached a turning point.”
Vauquelin won a stage in the Tour de France in 2024 and was a stage and overall winner in the Star of Bessèges and the Région Pays de la Loire Tour this season. That will bode well for the Tour in July. “I knew today would be an important day, so I wanted to focus on myself and my efforts. I did that on the final climb because I felt really good. Julian Alaphilippe's attack caused me to lose ground on Oscar, but I climbed well.”
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Alaphilippe continues to attack, but loses ground
Alaphilippe is in second place in the GC, 29 seconds behind Vauquelin. What a boost for France, even though Loulou also lost time on Onley and Almeida in the final. The 33-year-old puncher from Tudor had his attacking spirit on the final climb to thank for that. “I stayed true to myself. I felt good and wanted to accelerate, but I quickly reached my limit. As a result, I lost a lot of time towards the top.”
Would he have been better off if he had conserved his energy a little better? "I'm glad I ended up in that first group and never expected to be in contention for the overall classification. I have a nice lead over the guys behind me, so I'll keep fighting for the team. We'll do our best so that we have no regrets on Sunday. Hopefully, I can still win because the feeling is good."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - Enric saying “limit the damage” feels right, but he can’t keep giving Pog 5–10 seconds every summit. Minor gripe: the article glosses over Gall’s watts—would’ve loved some data. Grande etapa, pero faltan números, no?lindae28-08-2026
- - Red Bull-BORA with Roglič a minute back—does that gap matter this early or is it normal to let Pogačar have a cushion before the high mountains/time trial? Also, is Stage 9 a proper queen stage or just media hype?cadencekingm28-08-2026
- - Quick question: why did Decathlon take it up if it helped Pog in the end? Wouldn’t it have been better to sit on UAE’s tempo and wait? I’m still figuring out how these team tactics work on summit finishes.julien28-08-2026
- - Not sure I buy Mas’ “frustrated” angle. Pogacar just rode the numbers when Gall opened the gap, then closed and added six seconds for free. If that’s irritation, I hope my GC leader gets angry like that every day.samanthak28-08-2026
- - Gall looked sharp today. That Decathlon CMA CGM pull on the last climb actually made sense tactically—force UAE to respond, then Felix goes. Pog’s counter was vintage: measure, then sting. Stage 9 is going to be carnage if he’s already this comfy.patriciaw28-08-2026
- - Slightly sceptical about the piece framing it as frustration. The quotes from Pogacar read like he was in control. Maybe we’re overreading the body language?tourdeforce928-08-2026
- - “We’re here to win the GC, not to mess around.” That line says it all. He saved UAE’s matches and still gained time. Efficient as ever.andrewf28-08-2026
- - Can someone explain why Decathlon was pacing for Gall if he couldn’t follow when Pog pushed on? Is that a normal tactic or did it backfire?gearguru3328-08-2026
- - Mas stirring the pot a bit there. Don’t think Pog was “angry,” more like opportunistic when the gap opened. That steady-pace surge is his trademark. GC contenders behind must be fuming.patriciaw28-08-2026
- - Loved how Pogacar downplayed the drama. Classic Tadej: calm, clinical, and straight to the point. If Decathlon want to light it up for Gall, he’ll just ride them off his wheel anyway.lindae28-08-2026
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