“I apologize for not having succeeded” - Kevin Vauquelin comes agonisingly close to ending French woes at Tour de Suisse

Kevin Vauquelin came within touching distance of a landmark victory at the 2025 Tour de Suisse, but in the end, it was Joao Almeida who ripped the yellow jersey from his shoulders in a dramatic final stage.

The Frenchman had worn the leader’s jersey since Stage 4 and went into the concluding time trial in Vaduz with a 39 second lead. But Almeida produced a clinical performance to overhaul the deficit and deny Vauquelin what would have been the first French win in a men’s WorldTour stage race since Christophe Moreau triumphed at the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné.

Speaking to L’Équipe, the 24-year-old didn’t hide his disappointment. “I'm obviously disappointed, there were a lot of expectations on myself, my legs were a little strange today, it's a lot of emotion in a short time,” Vauquelin admitted. “I tried to give my all, I felt that I was missing that little bit of guts that you have when you follow someone like yesterday (Saturday) when Joao tried to make me explode on the climb. It's still this work that I need to do. I felt that I had a little less watts, that's how it is.”

Still, second overall represents a huge result for a rider who began the week without GC ambitions. “I came in expecting a slap in the face. We really didn't want to make the overall standings. I find myself second in the Tour de Suisse, having achieved milestones in my career. It's just phenomenal,” he said. “I did decent numbers, but I didn't break my records, I didn't have the extraordinary day I would have liked to have, that state of flow. I have no regrets, I gave it my all.”

Vauquelin’s performance also comes amid deep uncertainty for his team, Arkéa – B&B Hôtels. Rumours of financial instability have dogged the team for months, and Vauquelin was quick to highlight how resource disparities played a role.

“Against teams like UAE, it's not the same,” he said. “This week, we didn't have a chef, we have much less resources, we're in a complicated financial situation. But we're getting through it, we're showing that we're here, I hope this result can bring sponsors and help B & B Hotels, Manu Hubert, we need it. I built myself thanks to the team, I turned pro in 2022, I grew with them, I'm here thanks to them.”

It was a brave ride in the circumstances, and while he came up short of a historic French victory, Vauquelin’s honesty resonated. “I was under pressure, but I didn't think it was bad. Why not, if you're afraid of making history for your country... It would have been really great, I apologize for not having succeeded.”