Valentin Paret-Peintre claimed victory on stage 16 of the Tour de France, becoming the fifth French rider to win atop Mont Ventoux. The 24-year-old debutant outsprinted Ben Healy at the summit, securing his second Grand Tour stage win after a victory in the 2024 Giro d'Italia.
Paret-Peintre admitted he had not expected to win, given the presence of Tadej Pogacar. However, the absence of his team leader, Remco Evenepoel, who abandoned the race in the Pyrenees, opened an opportunity. 'I could see that I wasn't strong enough to drop Healy in the finale, so I focused on trying to beat him in the sprint,' he said.
Behind the breakaway, Jonas Vingegaard launched several attacks on Pogacar, as promised. His Visma-Lease a Bike team worked cohesively, with Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert and Tiesj Benoot setting the pace. Despite his efforts, Vingegaard could not shake the race leader, who responded to every move.
On the final bend, Pogacar opened a small gap, increasing his overall lead by a couple of seconds. Vingegaard said, 'He followed me every time he attacked and I followed him. I don't know if I could see any weaknesses today but at least, how good I felt gives me motivation.'
The pair shattered the previous record for the ascent, set by Iban Mayo in 2004, with Pogacar finishing one minute and 20 seconds faster. Pogacar dismissed suggestions he was Superman, saying, 'I was born in Ljubljana. Today was an epic climb.'
In the overall standings, Oscar Onley remains fourth after finishing 14th on the stage, while Primoz Roglic moved up to ninth.
