Paret-Peintre Claims First French Tour de France Stage Win

Valentin Paret-Peintre became the first French winner on Mont Ventoux in the 2025 Tour de France, securing a thrilling victory in Stage 16 atop the iconic 1,910-meter summit. He narrowly edged out Ireland's Ben Healy in a dramatic sprint finish, with the stage overshadowed by intense battles among the overall classification leaders. Tadej Pogacar, despite battling a cold and repeated attacks by Jonas Vingegaard, managed to maintain and extend his overall lead by two seconds on the climb, highlighting his resilience. Vingegaard, trailing by over four minutes at the start, launched multiple attacks but was ultimately unable to shake Pogacar, although he was briefly knocked off his bike by a motorbike after the finish line. The Mont Ventoux stage, known for its challenging ascent and Tour de France history of epic moments and tragedies, once again proved decisive and dramatic. Paret-Peintre expressed disbelief at his victory, emphasizing the motivation drawn from gaining a home win on such a legendary climb.