DISCUSSION Tour de France | Who were the biggest surprises of the Tour?

The Tour de France has given us unforgettable moments. From Pogacar’s dominance in the mountains to Van Aert’s amazing solo win in Paris, the race has been full of historical performances that will remain forever in the history books. While some of these moments were somewhat predictable, we also witnessed unexpected performances from other riders who were off the radar.

The biggest stars are always the ones who receive more attention in the media, but domestiques and smaller teams also deserve recognition from us. Without them, it would be impossible to conceive the race as it is right now.

In this edition of the Tour de France, there were a lot of under-the-radar riders who delivered stunning performances. For this reason, in today’s discussion article, we wanted to make a compilation of the biggest surprises of the race. That’s why we have asked some of our writers to share their opinions on this topic.

For me, the biggest revelation of this Tour de France has been Oscar Onley with Florian Lipowitz a very close second.While the media spotlight stayed on Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel, the 22-year-old Scot quietly rode his way into the heart of the race—and into the hearts of cycling fans.

Onley’s consistency in the mountains, his calm under pressure, and his ability to hold his own deep into week three were simply stunning. He didn’t need a stage win to impress. The way he climbed with the very best showed he’s not just a prospect—he’s ready now. Right behind him, Florian Lipowitz delivered an equally remarkable Tour.

The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe rider proved he’s more than a climbing helper. With a strong time trial, smart race reading, and raw mountain power, Lipowitz made it clear he’s a serious GC name for the future. So why does Onley edge it? Both riders exceeded all expectations, but Oscar Onley’s rise feels even more remarkable to me. Lipowitz had already shown flashes of potential earlier this season, while Onley was still a relatively unknown name outside of British cycling.

Seeing him climb shoulder-to-shoulder with Pogacar and Vingegaard during the hardest stages was an eye-opener. Florian Lipowitz we already knew he was capable of doing that.This Tour has changed how I see both riders. To me, they were the most exciting development of the 2025 Tour de France. They’ve sent a clear message to Pogacar and Vingegaard: whenever you falter, we’ll be ready to take over.

Oscar Onley was definitely one of them, for the first time performing as a Grand Tour contender and right away with a 4th place at the whole damn Tour de France. At age 22, with 19 days of brutal racing (+1 slow and one neutralized) this was a Tour that brutalized all riders and it's not common for a young rider to emerge in such conditions. Onley showed great form and talent at the Tour de Suisse but this was definitely a step up and he will be a podium contender in any Grand Tour he starts after this.

In the Top10 we've had the confirmation of Tobias Johannessen and Kévin Vauquelin as Grand Tour riders, both are not as strong climbers as those above but managed their races very well, both were even in the front echelon on stage 1 and rode a brilliant 1st week, and then survived until the end to finish in very respectable positions.

Jordan Jegat for me was the absolute surprise of the Tour, a rider I got to know only this year through a few modest but quality performances in the months leadout up to the Tour. A Top15 at the Dauphiné was strong, but this 10th place is a career highlight.

TotalEnergies had no GC team to back him up, he did this almost all by himself through good climbing legs and immense bravery as he went for several successful breakaways in which he won time to his rivals, including a glorious finale for him on stage 20. The new Guillaume Martin I could say, albeit he packs much less of a name than every single rider around him.

Jhonatan Narváez and Victor Campenaerts impressed with how much they evolved as climbers, supporting UAE and Visma perfectly throughout the Tour; Callum Scotson confirmed his part as one of the World Tour's most underated climbing domestiques after the brilliant work he's done for Felix Gall; And Bruno Armirail showed how good of a climber he can be when on his day, not just a rouleur/time-trialist.

Seeing Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the top two positions in the Tour de France is anything but a surprise. However, the final general classification has left us with numerous surprises, especially in the Top 10.

Watching Florian Lipowitz's Critérium du Dauphiné, we knew he was a great rider. However, I don't know if many were placing him on the final podium before the start of the Tour. Oscar Onley has confirmed with a 4th place, Felix Gall in the Top 5 doesn't surprise me so much but it wasn't a done deal either, Tobias Halland Johannessen has exploded 4 years after winning the Tour du Porvenir....

At the end of the Top 10, Kévin Vauquelin has shown he can finish in the top 10 of a big 3 week race, Ben Healy is more than a classics specialist and stage chaser and Jordan Jegat was an unknown to many before this Tour.

Taking away the classification and sticking with just the stages, equally few would think that Thymen Arensman would take two wins and, on a personal level, I have loved Thymen Arensman. I also didn't expect a sprinter like Kaden Groves to win a stage like stage 20, with a leg-breaking terrain made for riders with other characteristics.

I liked kids like Felix Gall, Oscar Onley, Jordan Jegat, Florian Lipowitz, Kévin Vauquelin... there's a huge vein of talent there. It's a pleasure to watch these kids ride. Clearly Pogacar. He may have been psychologically tired, because his season started early and has been going on for a long time, plus all the media coverage, celebrations, anti-doping tests etc etc, but he still had legs.

Enough legs to take home his fourth trophy. The rider I enjoyed watching the most was Quinn Simmons. He worked, he attacked, he got away. Lidl-Trek has a treasure there. That ‘yes’ from his girlfriend in Paris is the biggest prize of all.

And the kid from EF? Yes, that Ben Healy. He's on the same level as Simmons, but he's raised his arms. Attack cyclist. Long-distance attack cyclist. I like guys like that, not afraid to take risks. I liked MvdP. He wore yellow and deserved it. That Alpecin train was something. Phillipsen, MvdP, Grooves... victory for sure.

If we take a look at the Top 10 in the final general classification, we can already see some of the main surprises in this Tour. Florian Lipowitz, Oscar Onley, and Felix Gall were clear contenders to finish inside the Top 10, but I don’t think many expected them to perform as good as they did, finishing respectively in 3rd, 4th, and 5th position.

The word that best defines their performances is consistency. These three riders have stayed at an optimal level throughout the entire race, and apart from one or two isolated days, they have always been among the best.

Especially shocking to me is the case of Lipowitz and Onley. They are 24 and 22 years old, respectively, and they have shown a maturity and consistency beyond their age. Both of them had already demonstrated signs of stardom (Lipowitz was 3rd in the Dauphiné, for example), but we had never seen them perform at this level during a three-week race.

The German rider was the co-leader of his team alongside Roglic, which further complicated things for him, as it was not clear from the beginning that he would be the chosen rider to fight for the GC. His performance in the Tour has solidified his role as the team's undisputed leader for upcoming Grand Tours, but Evenepoel's entry into Red Bull might change everything…

As for the remaining top 10 riders, we’ve got Tobias Johannessen, Kevin Vauquelin, Ben Healy, and Jordan Jegat. Did anyone expect any of these riders to finish inside the top 10? Probably not many would have bet on that. In the case of Vauquelin and Healy, I am not sure if their initial objective was to fight for the GC, but once they saw themselves in a good position, they decided to go for it.

Jordan Jegat was, to me, the biggest surprise, and the rider I enjoyed watching the most. The Frenchman not only achieved a top 10, but he was also super aggressive throughout the race (he could have won the combative award). He also rode very smart and tactically, as could be seen in stage 20, where he managed to knock O’Connor out of the top 10.

Outside the top 10, we still have a bunch of riders who have delivered impressive performances. I would like to mention some domestiques like Victor Campenaerts, Tim Wellens, or Jhonatan Narváez. I don’t think their impact was the main reason why Pogacar got first, and Vingegaard second, but still, they were, in my opinion, the domestiques with the most influence for Visma and UAE.

In the case of Visma, Campenaerts was never supposed to be the man helping Vingegaard the most in the mountains. During some stages, he was definitely Jonas’ best domestique, protecting him in the peloton, and sometimes playing a tactical role in breakaways. The Tour de France is becoming Campenaert’s race (he won the super combative award in 2023), and he also won a stage last year when he was riding for Lotto Dstny.

Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez exceeded expectations as well. I will particularly remember stage 12 in Hautacam, where he set a grueling pace that anticipated Pogacar’s devastating attack that got him the victory.

The last positive surprise in this Tour for me was the team EF Education – EasyPost as a whole. Not only did they place one rider in the top 10, but they were also extremely combative. Harry Sweeny, Neilson Powless, Alex Baudin, Vincenzo Albanese, and Kasper Asgreen ensured their team had a strong presence in the day’s breakaways.

Finally, some riders that deserve an honorable mention are: Thymen Arensman, Bruno Armirail, Jonas Abrahamsen, Iván Romeo, Kaden Groves, and Quinn Simmons.