"Finishing tenth in the Tour makes you want to do better" – Breakout star Jegat hopes for more in 2026 and beyond

Jordan Jegat’s rise in the peloton was one of the stories of the 2025 Tour de France. The 26-year-old Frenchman, riding for TotalEnergies, finished 10th overall after a gutsy breakaway on the penultimate stage lifted him from 11th. It was a breakthrough moment for a rider who placed 28th in 2024, marking him as one of the standout home riders of this year’s race. His performance has sparked both attention and speculation about his future, and his stock has shot up particularly at home in France.

“I started cycling when I was little because my father was a triathlete, and since then I've always wanted to turn my passion into a career, because it brought me joy. I turned pro in continental cycling thanks to my amateur team, CIC U Nantes Atlantique, moving up a level in 2022, and joining TotalEnergies last year,” Jegat told bici.PRO.

He added, “I only did road racing. I tried cyclocross a bit, but only for fun; to be honest, I wasn't the best... No, I immediately focused on the road, improving year after year.”

While his Tour result may have surprised fans, it also caught him off guard. “Honestly, I've always preferred stage races. Especially the medium-distance ones, like Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Basque Country. I've always liked them and wanted to continue improving, especially in short races, because I've always found a certain aptitude. Certainly, my overall performance at the Tour, such a long and difficult race, surprised even me.”

He credited his support network: “I have to thank my teammates, who were fantastic. At first, I thought a good finish, in the top 20, was possible, and that perhaps even finishing in the top 15 would be truly amazing for our chances. Then the results came day after day. I climbed the rankings, keeping pace with the strongest athletes while gradually seeing my opponents falter. And in the end, I found myself in a completely unexpected position, which redefines all my prospects.”

Alongside Jegat, Kevin Vauquelin and Valentin Paret-Peintre were the other standout French riders. That was of course until Pauline Ferrand-Prevot stole the thunder with her incredible victory at the Tour de France Femmes.

Jegat’s preparation was carefully planned. “The team helped me a lot with my preparation. We went on a training camp in the Sierra Nevada in May, and then I was able to participate in the Dauphiné without any specific results. I finished 14th, and there we thought that trying to get a good overall ranking, without taking any leaps of faith, would be a good goal for the Tour. The team put me in the best possible mental state for training, and I was also able to choose my race schedule before the Tour de France.”

The reaction to his ride was overwhelming. “I honestly didn't expect to receive all this attention. There was so much hype surrounding this result, I still receive congratulations every day for the Tour de France. It's really crazy, but I have to say that even within the team, my placing was celebrated as if it were a victory. TotalEnergies is a team that has been cycling for many years, and they told me it's been 10 years since the last time the team reached this level at the Tour. So it's fantastic.”

His form has carried over into other races, with a 6th place at the Tour de l’Ain. “At the start, my goal was to win, and I also knew I was in good shape. Sometimes you participate in races, but you don't really know your physical condition. I knew I was in good shape after the Tour, so I was confident because I felt that my condition, after those three tiring but also important weeks for improving my fitness, was the best I'd seen in a long time. And in the end, the result was positive. Among those with the Tour in their legs, I was the best.”

Looking ahead, Jegat is targeting the Worlds. “I really hope to be at the World Championships. The team will be decided at the beginning of September, so I hope to perform well in the Italian competitions during that period, convincing the coach to give me a chance to contribute to the national cause.”

His future beyond 2026 remains open, “It's true that I'm still under contract next year, so it's not a problem I'm having right now. Then for 2027, we'll see based on the offers and my growth. I don't deny that I'd like to compete in other Grand Tours other than the Tour, like the Vuelta or the Giro. Finishing tenth in the Tour makes you want to do better. And why not do it in another Grand Tour? But on the other hand, I also think I feel really good on the team, so I might even stay. It depends on the requests that come in.”