INTERVIEW | "You always hope to win, but on a stage like this — top 10... I’m pleased" - Samuel Watson impresses in first ever Tour de France stage
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers' Samuel Watson is having a hell of a week. After claiming the British national road title last week, the Brit was a surprise call-up to the 2025 Tour de France, and in his first ever Grand Tour stage, Watson has picked up a very creditable top-10 finish.
At the line, the newly-crowned British champion gave his immediate reaction to CyclingUpToDate. "I mean, it was obviously super stressful — very nervous in the bunch," admitted Watson, having been part of an elite 30+ rider lead group to reach the final sprint for the line. "Maybe on TV it looks easy on those climbs, but we were all across the road. They were hard climbs, and then when it went in the wind as well... yeah, it wasn’t easy."
All in all, a very tough opening to Watson's Grand Tour career, but as already mentioned, one that he impressed in. "I was pushing — it was hard — but to be honest, I’m pretty happy with how I felt today. Especially after the Nationals, where I didn’t know how I was coming in," he analyses. "I had some days off, so yeah, I was pleasantly surprised."
Still though, that winning mentality comes through, as despite a top-10 in his first ever Grand Tour stage, Watson feels like he could have achieved more. "You always hope for more, you always hope to win, but on a stage like this — a sprint stage — top 10... I’m going to be pleased with that," he concludes.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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