CYCLING – Matej Mohoric of Bahrain Victorious finished third, behind Davide Ballerini (XAT) and winner Wout van Aert (TJV), in the final stage of the Tour de France on Sunday.
The 2025 Tour de France ended with a reimagined Paris finale from Mantes‑la‑Ville to the Champs‑Élysées, including the cobbled Côte de la Butte Montmartre. There were three laps of the traditional circuit, before three of the Montmartre loop, followed by the incomparable setting of the finish line in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.
The climb was used to great acclaim at the Olympic road race last year, and once again provided the stage for a captivating battle.
Rainy weather meant GC times were neutralised with around 50 km remaining, as Slovenian Mohoric was in contention for the win as a lead group of six went over Montmartre for the third and final time. Ultimately, Van Aert attacked powerfully and held on, while behind, Ballerini narrowly out-sprinted Mohoric.
An emotional Mohoric reflected: “I was really disappointed to miss out on the biggest chance I had yesterday but I was proud of my performance today. I didn’t give up or blame it on bad luck. I was hoping that Wout wasn’t on a good day, but he deserves the stage win. Fair play, chapeau. He was the strongest rider on the course, he was willing to risk it all on the corners. But I was willing to put everything on the line, I was either going to end up on the podium or in the hospital.”
This new-look closing chapter gave an absorbing, exciting, and unpredictable denouement to this 112th edition of the world’s biggest bike race, even if the wet conditions did change how the peloton took on the 132.3 km parcours.
2022 Milano-Sanremo winner seized his chance in the break, showing tactical nous and resilience on the tough climb. Even though van Aert eventually prevailed, Mohoric’s display reaffirmed his reputation as a rider who excels on dramatic finishes.
Fred Wright also played a key role on Sunday, featuring in the decisive early move. He and Mohoric got into the lead group when overall winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE) drove the pace. Though Wright ultimately dropped back, his presence helped shape the selection and enabled his teammate’s challenge.
Also worth mentioning was Lenny Martinez, who secured third in the mountains classification, a testament to his consistency and climbing throughout the race.
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