Pogacar defies history with the help of the only Catalan to compete in the Tour

BarcelonaFrance hosts the 112th edition of the Tour de France. 3,338.8 km and a vertical drop of 52,500 meters spread over 21 stages, with two big favorites: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, and a Catalan referee: Marc Soler. On Saturday, July 5, Lilla will kick off the competition with a stage finish at the same starting point. It will be three weeks of cycling through French soil, culminating on Sunday, July 27 in Paris. The Camps Elisis will once again be the final finish, after last year's Tour ended in Nice due to the Olympic Games.

On paper, Pogacar is the overwhelming favorite to win the race. The Slovenian, from the UAE Team Emirates XRG, is looking to defend his championship title (he has three Tours under his belt) and move within one victory of the four riders who have won the Grande Boucle five times (Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain). Pogacar's main rival is Vingegaard, from Team Visma Lease en Bike. It is the fifth Tour for the Dane, who has won twice (2022 and 2023) and has finished second in two others (2021 and 2024).

Both have followed a different strategy to arrive in the best possible condition in France. Pogacar has opted for a more event-packed calendar, while Vingegaard has opted for more rest days. However, neither of them participated in the Giro d'Italia and they faced each other a month ago at the Criterium du Dauphiné, where the Slovenian won. That victory was Pogacar's 99th, and he could reach 100 victories in this edition of the Tour.

In a second tier are Primoz Roglic of Red Bull - Bora-Hansgrohe; Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step; and Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Deceuninck. Roglic arrives with doubts after several crashes in the Giro that forced him to withdraw. Furthermore, France isn't a great place for the Slovenian, who has had to withdraw from three of the six Tours he has competed in. Italian champion Simon Yates is part of Team Visa and aims to help Vingegaard in the fight against Pogacar.

Catalan Marc Soler, Pogacar's ally

Once again, Catalonia is represented in the Grande Boucle. However, this year only one Catalan rider is present. Marc Soler, a cyclist from Vilanova i la Geltrú who is part of UAE Team Emirates. He is one of those responsible for helping Pogacar repeat last year's feat and win the Tour again, especially in the mountain stages. There is also a Mallorcan, Enric Mas. Born in Artà, Mas is the main face of the Movistar Team.

This year, however, there are also significant absences. Juan Ayuso has been dropped by UAE Team Emirates after his poor results in the Giro d'Italia, where he had to retire days after a crash and with his face swollen from a wasp sting. Richard Carapaz, who has a gastrointestinal infection, and Mikel Landa, who also came away injured from the Giro, will also be out of the 2025 Tour de France.

New bonuses and a queen stage with a legendary mountain pass

The route, which for the first time since 2020 is entirely on French territory, has a total of 21 stages (7 flat, 6 medium-mountain, 6 mountain, and 2 time trials). There are also two rest days: July 15 in Toulouse and July 21 in Montpellier. The star stage will be the eighteenth (Thursday, July 24): the Alps will host the 171.5 km distance between Vif (Grenoble) and the mythical pass of Col de la Loze, key to Vingegaard's victory in the 2023 Tour de France at the expense of Pogacar. At 2,304 meters above sea level, it will be the highest point for this edition. Meanwhile, both time trials will take place in Caen (stage five) and between Loudenvielle and Peyragudes (stage thirteen), in a race with uneven terrain. Everything will be broadcast on RTVE, Eurosport, and Max.

This year there are also new features in the bonuses. The so-called bonus point, which distributed 8, 5 and 2 seconds to the first three cyclists to reach the top of major mountain passes or specific moments of a race, but the bonuses upon arrival at the finish line of all stages (except for time trials) are maintained: 10 seconds for the first, 6 for the second and 4 for the third.

Next year, Catalan flavor at the Tour

The next edition of the Tour de France, scheduled for the summer of 2026, will start in Catalonia. The competition will begin on Montjuïc with a time trial on July 4th. The following day, Tarragona will be the starting point, and the finish will be on the Magic Mountain, specifically at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The third and final stage in Catalonia will be on July 6th. Cyclists will depart from Granollers and head to France. This will be the first time that the Catalan capital will host the first round of the Grande Boucle, although it was part of the route in the 1957, 1965, and 2009 editions. Catalonia thus strengthens its commitment to cycling, whose main tournament is the Volta a Catalunya, which this year celebrated its 104th edition.