The parade of 184 riders from the 23 groups collaborating within the 2025 Tour de France occurred Thursday night in Lille, two days forward of the Grand Départ in the identical metropolis for the opening stage.
It isn’t simply an opportunity for followers to see the faces and listen to some feedback from the highest athletes, but additionally take a look at the special-edition team jerseys for the Grande Boucle and the nationwide championship kits many riders will debut in France, and seize some free souvenirs tossed from the stage.
Spectators stuffed the town’s Place du Général de Gaulle to cheer as athletes on every Tour workforce rode their bikes onto a round stage wrapped across the Column of the Goddess statue, towering roughly 18 metres and punctuating the intense, blue sky.
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Group Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale followers throughout the workforce presentation(Picture credit score: Tim de Waele/Getty Photos)
Decorations round Lille forward of the Grand Depart on Saturday(Picture credit score: Tim de Waele/Getty Photos)
US highway champion Quinn Simmons of Lidl – Trek(Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) reveals off his Norwegian highway race jersey (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) will put on the Swiss crimson and white jersey for profitable each the highway race and ITT(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Yevgeny Fedorov (XDS Astana) dons the Kazakhstan colors as twin winner in highway race and ITT(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Danny van Poppel (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) received the Dutch highway race this 12 months(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Iván Romeo (Movistar) reveals off his nationwide Spanish jersey as highway race champion(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
French workforce Cofidis had been the primary to take the stage, to very large applause. Kévin Vacquelin and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Motels) addressed the house crowds, with two extra French groups stirring the nationwide pleasure – Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and Groupama FDJ, which boasted seven compatriots on the workforce.
Talking in English, final 12 months’s inexperienced jersey winner Biniam Girmay mentioned his Intermarché-Wanty workforce had been focusing on one other stage win, however was not guaranteeing he would seize three phases like in 2024.
“It is one other alternative to point out along with my workforce, how robust we’re, after which we’re actually wanting ahead to start right here on this stunning metropolis, Lille,” Girmay mentioned.
“I believe it is going to be onerous to do the identical, like final 12 months, to win three phases within the inexperienced jersey. So for our ambition this 12 months, it is fairly easy, we’re right here to win a stage.”
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Riders from Intermarche – Wanty arrive to the workforce presentation (Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Group Intermarche-Wanty throughout the workforce presentation(Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Among the many 11 highway race nationwide champions within the discipline, Kazakh Yevgeny Fedorov (XDS Astana), Latvian Toms Skujinš (Lidl-Trek) and Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) all scored double victories and also will characterize residence nation colors on all phases. There are six particular person ITT nationwide champions within the discipline, a number of taking the chance to put on their colors on the presentation.
There have been 9 new appears on show from workforce jerseys as properly, two of these a mid-season change that may proceed for the remainder of the 12 months for Ineos and Tudor Professional Biking.
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Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers talks to the gang about his last Tour(Picture credit score: Tim de Waele/Getty Photos)
Geraint Thomas rides to the stage with Ineos Grenadiers(Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Sam Watson rides by way of the gang in his new British highway race nationwide champion’s jersey(Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Ineos Grenadiers, carrying new jerseys with new sponsor TotalEnergies emblazoned on a white band on the chest, obtained cheers for many free bottles tossed to the gang and remarks from former Tour champion Geraint Thomas.
“It’s a unusual feeling. I have not actually thought an excessive amount of about it,” Thomas mentioned about beginning his last Tour previous to retiring on the finish of the 12 months. “Simply needed to come back right here and be in the perfect form with the boys, the nice workforce, and attempt to get the outcomes we wish. There’s pleasure [at] this final one.”
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Dane Jonas Vingegaard of Group Visma-Lease a Bike (Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
The complete Visma-Lease a Bike squad prepares to experience to the stage at Lille’s Place du Général de Gaulle (Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Among the many last groups to take the stage had been the groups of high GC heavy favourites Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike and Tadej Pogačar of UAE Group Emirates-XRG. Their final head-to-head assembly was on the Critérium du Dauphiné, the place Vingegaard completed runner-up to his Slovenian rival.
“It has been a little bit of a bizarre season for me, however it solely offers me extra motivation to do properly right here,” the Danish two-time winner of the Tour mentioned on the stage, referring to his withdrawal from Paris-Good after stage 5.
“Hopefully, I may be even higher than I used to be within the Dauphiné. We now have a robust workforce. We’re all prepared for it.”
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Tadej Pogačar salutes the gang(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Place du Général de Gaulle and Column of the Goddess statue in Lille for the Tour de France Groups Presentation(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
UAE Group Emirates-XRG surrounded the round stage with reigning world champion and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar taking the microphone and displaying off a number of French phrases he had just lately realized.
“Bonne soirée, Lille. Remark allez-vous,” the Slovenian, who has received the Tour thrice, mentioned in a welcome to impress the gang. “Thanks for an enormous welcome. Tremendous stunning metropolis, tremendous stunning followers, and we’re able to battle once more for the Tour de France.”
Throughout his introduction, it was famous he had 99 profession highway wins coming into the Tour, so a stage win in France can be vital.
“Yeah, to win 100 races in a profession is a really huge quantity, and if I can obtain it on the Tour, it is going to be wonderful. Viva le France, Viva le Tour.”
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Remco Evenepoel of Group Soudal-QuickStep (Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck(Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Primož Roglič of Group Purple Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe (Picture credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Photos)
Harry Sweeney (EF Training-EasyPost) appears entertained by the followers(Picture credit score: Tim de Waele/Getty Photos)
The 112th version of the Tour de France begins Saturday in Lille and concludes three weeks later in Paris on Sunday, July 27, with the finale that includes three passes of Côte de la Butte Montmartre earlier than the standard dash on the Champs-Élysées. There are two relaxation days set among the many 21 days of racing, the primary on Tuesday, July 15, adopted by the ultimate relaxation day on Monday, July 21.
Following the dwell introductions of riders, a video presentation was introduced to the native and world audiences to preview the upcoming Tour de France Femmes, which can happen July 26-August 3 between Brittany and the Alps.
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