Recap: Tour de France 2025 - Opening Days
Philipsen & Van der Poel Fire Early Shots as History Repeats
As the first days of the Tour de France unfolded, Alpecin–Deceuninck took command with a historic one-two punch. Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory on stage 1, while Mathieu van der Poel’s solo brilliance sealed stage 2. From Belgian milestones to French breakthroughs, and a nod to cycling’s rich past, the opening weekend was anything but routine.
🇧🇪 Philipsen Joins Belgian Legends
Jasper Philipsen’s stage 1 triumph in Saint-Étienne marked his fourth consecutive Tour de France with at least one stage win (2022–2025). He now joins an elite Belgian club:
📜 Belgians winning in four consecutive Tours
Sylvère Maes (1934–1937)
Eddy Merckx (1969–1972)
Walter Godefroot (1970–1973)
Wout van Aert (2019–2022)
Jasper Philipsen (2022–2025)
📊 Most recent Belgian riders to win opening stage (or prologue)
2025: Jasper Philipsen
2022: Yves Lampaert
2011: Philippe Gilbert
1983: Eric Vanderaerden
1976: Freddy Maertens
1974: Eddy Merckx
1972: Eddy Merckx
1970: Eddy Merckx
1965: Rik Van Looy
📊 Most Tour de France stage wins – Belgium
34: Eddy Merckx
15: Freddy Maertens
13: Philippe Thys
12: Jean Aerts
10: Jasper Philipsen
10: Walter Godefroot
🟡 Van der Poel Seals Historic Double
Mathieu van der Poel’s stage 2 triumph didn’t just extend Alpecin–Deceuninck’s dream start — it also carved out a unique place in Tour history. The Belgian-Dutch squad became the first commercial team ever to win both of the opening stages and hold the yellow jersey on consecutive days with different riders (Philipsen and Van der Poel).
A comparable feat came in 1961, when the French national team saw André Darrigade and Jacques Anquetil split victories in the day’s double stage (1A & 1B) and swap the maillot jaune. But in the modern era of trade teams, Alpecin–Deceuninck’s “double double” stands alone as a pioneering achievement.
(Thanks to @Jonas_Creteur)
🇳🇱 Van der Poel joins elite Dutch company
With his stint in yellow, Mathieu van der Poel became only the fifth Dutchman to wear a Grand Tour leader’s jersey on at least 10 days. He now stands alongside icons like Joop Zoetemelk and Tom Dumoulin in this rarefied club.
📊👕 Most GC leader’s jerseys by Dutch riders in Grand Tours1:
37 — 🇳🇱 Joop Zoetemelk
23 — 🇳🇱 Tom Dumoulin
17 — 🇳🇱 René Pijnen
12 — 🇳🇱 Wout Wagtmans
10 — 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel
9 — 🇳🇱 Jan Janssen, 🇳🇱 Erik Breukink
8 — 🇳🇱 Gerrie Knetemann
🇫🇷 French Fans Celebrate Thomas & Vauquelin
Benjamin Thomas, a former world team pursuit champion, pulled on the polka-dot jersey — making him only the fourth rider to combine a world or Olympic track title with leading the Tour’s mountains classification:
📊 Track champions & polka-dot jersey in the Tour
2025: Benjamin Thomas (World Team Pursuit champion)
2017: Taylor Phinney (World Individual Pursuit champion)
2012: Michael Mørkøv (Olympic Madison champion)
1964: Rudi Altig (World Points Race champion)
Meanwhile, Kevin Vauquelin became the first Frenchman since Pierre-Roger Latour (2018) to lead the young rider classification.
🟢 Green Jersey Trends: Van der Poel’s Father Was Right
During Vive le Vélo on July 4th, Adri van der Poel suggested that whoever holds the green jersey at the first rest day usually wins it in Paris. He wasn’t exaggerating:
📊 Green jersey on first rest day & final winner – since 2000
2024: Biniam Girmay – 🏁 kept jersey
2023: Jasper Philipsen – 🏁 kept jersey
2022: Wout van Aert – 🏁 kept jersey
2021: Mark Cavendish – 🏁 kept jersey
2020: Peter Sagan (Sam Bennett won overall)
2019: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2018: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2017: Marcel Kittel (Michael Matthews won overall)
2016: Mark Cavendish (Peter Sagan won overall)
2015: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2014: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2013: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2012: Peter Sagan – 🏁 kept jersey
2011: Philippe Gilbert (Mark Cavendish won overall)
2010: Thor Hushovd (Alessandro Petacchi won overall)
2009: Thor Hushovd – 🏁 kept jersey
2008: Oscar Freire – 🏁 kept jersey
2007: Tom Boonen – 🏁 kept jersey
2006: Robbie McEwen – 🏁 kept jersey
2005: Tom Boonen (Thor Hushovd won overall)
2004: Robbie McEwen – 🏁 kept jersey
2003: Baden Cooke – 🏁 kept jersey
2002: Erik Zabel (Robbie McEwen won overall)
2001: Stuart O’Grady (Erik Zabel won overall)
2000: Erik Zabel – 🏁 kept jersey
📈 Result:
16 times (out of 24), the leader on Rest Day 1 kept green.
8 times, it changed hands after the first rest day.
🕯️ Farewell to Giuseppe Soldi (1940–2025)
On July 6th, the cycling world lost Giuseppe Soldi. Born in Stagno Lombardo in 1940, he was part of Italy’s 1965 amateur team time trial world champions alongside Pietro Guerra, Luciano Dalla Bona, and Mino Denti. Soldi turned professional with Bianchi in 1966 but was forced to retire after just three races due to injury. His brief but brilliant career remains part of Italy’s storied cycling heritage.
Grand Tours: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana