"No regrets. I fought right to the end" - Kevin Vauquelin shows first sign of weakness on stage 10 of 2025 Tour de France

After his breakout stage win last year, Kevin Vauquelin has again impressed at the Tour de France in 2025. On the first day in the mountains though, the Frenchman showed his first signs of weakness, losing around half a minute to his main rivals and dropping from 3rd to 6th in the GC standings.

"That 10th stage was an absolute energy drain," he admitted afterwards, in a post-stage press release posted to the official website of the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team. "The pace was intense all day long. The breakaway was incredibly strong – hats off to them. We rode really well as a team. I gave it everything, and I have no regrets."

"We knew it was going to be tough, and it certainly was today. I fought right to the end, just as I said I would," Vauquelin added, not getting too downhearted after one bad day. "Thanks to the entire Arkéa - B&B Hotels team for their hard work. It’s another bit of experience gained. Tomorrow’s rest day will be very welcome."

With the future of the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team so uncertain currently with sponsors departing and riders linked elsewhere, the performance of Vauquelin so far this Tour de France has been a real positive. As such, despite a slight disappointment on stage 10, the team remain fully behind their young French leader. 

"We knew this stage would be a key moment, and Kevin Vauquelin rose to the occasion. He’s now sitting sixth in the provisional general classification on the eve of the rest day," explains sports director Laurent Pichon in the same post-stage press release. "I want to highlight the team’s collective commitment – their positioning in the peloton was excellent. Kevin is becoming a real leader; his teammates are rallying around him and giving everything for him."

"He was caught out in a small split on the penultimate climb, but he never gave up," Pichon adds in conclusion. "He wasn’t far off finishing with the Yellow Jersey group. After ten days of racing, tomorrow’s rest day will do everyone a world of good."