ANALYSIS | Who are the 5 key losers from the 2025 Tour de France?

The 2025 Tour de France delivered fireworks at the front: Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth title, UAE Team Emirates - XRG bossed the race from start to finish, and riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier and Ben Healy gave fans unforgettable moments. But while the winners took the spotlight, others were left behind in the shadows, battered, bruised, and looking for answers. Here are five riders and teams who leave this year’s Tour with more questions than trophies, and will spend the rest of 2025 looking for ways to salvage their season.

Ah, where to start with this supremely talented young rider.

This Tour was supposed to be Remco Evenepoel’s defining moment. Instead, it unraveled in the Pyrenees. The reigning Olympic champion came in after a tough winter of recovery from injury, and with some question marks surrounding his form. Despite this, he looked sharp early on, winning the Stage 5 time trial and leading the white jersey classification. But the cracks appeared fast and deep.

“The Tour de France was my main goal,” Evenepoel admitted in an emotional Instagram post. “After my crash in December, I did everything with one clear objective: to be ready in time for July. The goal gave me focus, but it also created a lot of time pressure.”

The pressure showed. Evenepoel suffered through three consecutive off-days before stage 14’s ascent of the Col du Tourmalet proved too much. “Despite everything, I gave it my all... But in the second week, the efforts started to take their toll. I held on, but deep down I knew I wasn't at my best. Until my body finally said 'enough.'"

He pulled out that day, citing physical and mental exhaustion. He’ll miss San Sebastián this weekend and is expected to be off the bike for a while, refocusing on the World Championships later in the year. Meanwhile, all signs point to a switch to Red Bull – BORA – Hansgrohe for 2026, where he hopes for stronger support in future Tours.

Overall, this was a Tour the Belgian will want to forget.

Last year, Biniam Girmay was the green jersey winner and a triple stage victor. This year, he was barely visible.

Girmay finished third in the points competition, miles behind Jonathan Milan, and failed to notch a single win. His best result was second on the opening stage, but that came without Milan and Merlier in the mix due to early chaos in the peloton.

From there, it was largely anonymous. Milan ran away with the green jersey. Philipsen won a stage before crashing out. Merlier was clearly the fastest sprinter when he made it to contest the sprint. Girmay? Empty-handed. For a rider who looked like the future of sprinting 12 months ago, this Tour was a sharp reality check. Hopefully he can rediscover his form soon.

Carlos Rodríguez came into the Tour with high expectations, especially after finishing fifth two years ago. But his 2025 campaign turned disastrous almost from the start.

He was dropped on key climbs, lost big time in the first week, and never found rhythm in the mountains. Any hopes of a GC fight disappeared fast, and his Tour ended in pain after a crash involving Julian Alaphilippe on stage 17. Although he finished the stage, further assessment confirmed injuries that ruled him out of the Vuelta and the World Championships.

This was Rodríguez’s first DNF in a Grand Tour. It was also his least competitive. For INEOS Grenadiers, only Thymen Arensman’s two brilliant mountain wins salvaged what could have been a brutal team performance.

Six years without a Tour stage win. By next year, it will be seven. That’s the reality for Groupama – FDJ after another frustrating July. Team boss Marc Madiot, never one to hide his feelings, struck a calm tone when speaking to Cyclism’Actu after the race, but the pressure is clear.

“When you finish fourth in the Tour with Gaudu or ninth, those are still interesting results. It's a bit easy and reductive to sum up our Tour as zero stage wins since 2019,” he said after the race.

But results are results, and the absence of French victories in the biggest race on home soil is a sore spot. Madiot admitted it too: “We agree. Especially since yesterday, we suffered a crash while we were fighting to win the stage, so it's frustrating, disappointing, but that's racing.”

There are sparks of hope, as Romain Grégoire continues to develop, but even Madiot acknowledged the gap at the top. “When you're up against Pogacar or Van der Poel, he's still missing a little bit of a step. But he's getting there, progressing. We have to stay the course.”

French cycling has been under scrutiny for years. No Frenchman has won the Tour since 1985, and each year that pressure only intensifies. Madiot's project is long-term, but fans and media alike are growing impatient. “The result of the Tour depends on us, but not only on us,” he said. “There are the circumstances of the race and adversity. We have to remain objective.”

Did Cofidis race the Tour de France?

They were barely seen at the front of any stage, didn’t contend for jerseys, and had no stage wins to show. One of their most visible moments was off the bike, when 11 of their machines, worth an estimated €143,000, were stolen during the first week. On the road, Bryan Coquard was involved in the crash that forced Jasper Philipsen out of the race, though it was ultimately ruled a racing incident.

That’s about it. Cofidis came and went, and few fans noticed.

The Tour is always about more than just who stands on the podium in Paris. For every Pogacar and Van der Poel, there are riders left in disappointment after 12 months of brutal preparation. For Evenepoel, Rodríguez, Girmay, Groupama – FDJ, and Cofidis, the 2025 Tour de France ends not with celebrations, but more questions than answers.