TRANSCRIPT
(Sounds of Crowd cheering. Announcer says "maybe Tadej will say one last thing")
Cheers as this year's cycling stars roll out to waving crowds in the city of Lille ahead of the big race.
Now in its 112th edition, the 2025 Tour de France will feature 184 riders who will traverse 3,338 kilometres over the next three weeks.
Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar enters the Tour as the overwhelming favourite, fresh off dominating the Spring Classics with wins at the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The Slovenian cyclist is thrilled to be considered the man to beat.
"Yeah it's been great season, so far perfect. Going here to the Tour as one of the favourites, it's an honour. I'm pleased and I hope I can live up to the expectation."
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard is expected to be Pogocar's biggest competitor, and is determined to reclaim the crown after finishing over six minutes behind Pogacar at the Tour in 2024.
It's a years-long rivalry, with the pair both taking home two first and two second-place Tour de France finishes in the last four years.
28-year-old Vingegaard, who won in 2022 and 2023, has had a difficult season, suffering a concussion during the Paris to Nice race in March.
But after rebounding to take second place at the Critérium du Dauphiné, Vingegaard says he's more than ready for this next challenge.
"A bit of a weird season so far for me, but it only gives me more motivation to do well here. And yeah we have a strong team, we're all ready for it, and we'll do everything we can."
From the peloton roll-out in in Lille, to its finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, for the first time in five years, all 21 stages of this year’s Tour de France will take place in France.
The Tour will begin with 10 flat and hilly stages before the cyclists travel into the mountains, winding through the volcanic landscapes of the Massif Central, then climbing grueling peaks in the Pyrenees and Alps before heading North towards Paris.
With Vingegaard known to be a fierce contender on mountain climbs, Pogocar expects to be up for a close race during these long ascents.
"He's (Vingegaard) on the long climbs I think he’s one of the best, if not the best. But he can also do great time trials, sometimes better than me, sometimes worse."
Two-time Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel from Belgium also remains a serious contender, having placed third in his Tour de France debut last year.
He says while the two stars might be the expected frontrunners, he's not going to make it easy for them.
"It’s logic when they (Pogacar and Vingegaard) won together the last four editions, so it means that they are of course top favourites for this year’s edition again. But I think it would be unfair towards myself, towards the team, to say that I’m not here to compete with them. So I’m just here to try and compete against them - and try to make it harder for them."
A total of 23 teams, each with eight riders, will participate in the 2025 edition of the Tour de France.
Recently retired Australian cycling legend Caleb Ewan spoke on the SBS Cycling Podcast with co-host Christophe Mallet.
Ewan says in the last few years, many of the top cyclists at the Tour have been some of the youngest, and whether their success will continue as they get older remains to be seen.
"A lot of really young guys are stepping straight up to the world tour, and flying straight away. So you have 20-, 21-, 22- year-olds winning Tour de France, so are they still going to be winning at 32, 33? I don't know."
Among 10 Australian competitors in this year's Tour, Ben O’Connor is expected to lead the charge for Australia's WorldTour team, after claiming 2nd place on last year’s Vuelta a España.
Kaden Groves, a 26-year-old Australian cyclist, will be making his Tour de France debut with the Belgian team, alongside cycling greats Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen.
Ewan says Groves' varied skill will be an asset in the unprecedented climb up the Montmatre hill in Paris, which will be included in this year's Tour before it finishes with a sprint on the Champs-Élysées.
"It's going to make for a much more aggressive race. As a sprinter you would hate it. All the sprinters will be hating it. Maybe a guy like Kayden Groves who can climb and sprint, a guy like that could be welcoming it."
He says the demanding end to the race will be matched by what's expected to be a chaotic opening sprint on day 1.
"When it starts with a sprint, I think there's less control in the bunch for a longer period of time. It might take three or four or five stages for there to be a bit more control in the bunch. Whereas when there's directly a hard stage, I think it's kind of a good thing for the tour, because a lot of guys are already tired after a few days, then the order kind of establishes itself. Whereas, I think the first day is going to be crazy."
Immediately after the Tour de France, the Tour de France Femmes begins its 9-day race.
You can watch every stage of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes live and free on SBS on Demand.
For in-depth coverage, listen to the SBS Cycling Podcast, or head to www.sbs.com.au/sport/tour-de-france
