TDF 5

Our continuing coverage of the other big event going on this month.

Tour de France 2025: Stage 5 Recap

Evenepoel’s Time Trial Triumph as Poga?ar Seizes Yellow

Stage 5 of the 2025 Tour de France, a 33-kilometer flat individual time trial in Caen, marked a pivotal moment in the race, showcasing the raw power of time trial specialists and shaking up the general classification.

Celebrating Caen’s 1,000-year anniversary, the fast, non-technical course along wide roads favored pure power riders, delivering high speeds and significant time gaps.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), the Olympic and world time trial champion, lived up to his billing as the favorite, storming the course in 36:42 at an average speed of 54 km/h to claim a commanding stage victory. Tadej Poga?ar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) delivered a strong performance, finishing second (+16s) and seizing the yellow jersey from Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who faded to 18th (+1:44). Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) impressed with a fifth-place finish (+49s), solidifying his hold on the white jersey, while Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) struggled, losing 1:13 to Poga?ar and dropping to fourth overall.

The stage saw no major breakaways, as expected in a time trial, but the flat terrain and headwinds tested the riders’ aerodynamic efficiency and power output. Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) took third (+33s), and Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) rounded out the top four (+35s). Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), a pre-stage favorite, suffered a heavyeneceuninck), who faded to 18th (+1:44). Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) impressed with a fifth-place finish (+49s), solidifying his hold on the white jersey, while Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) struggled, losing 1:13 to Poga?ar and dropping to fourth overall.

The stage saw no major breakaways, as expected in a time trial, but the flat terrain and headwinds tested the riders’ aerodynamic efficiency and power output. Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) took third (+33s), and Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) rounded out the top four (+35s). Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), a pre-stage favorite, suffered a heavy crash 52km into the race and was forced to abandon, dealing a blow to his team.

Poga?ar now leads the general classification by 42 seconds over Evenepoel, with Vauquelin in third (+59s). Poga?ar also retained the green and polka-dot jerseys, while Evenepoel claimed the white jersey temporarily before it reverted to Vauquelin based on GC standings. The combativity award was not awarded for this stage, as is typical for time trials due to the individual nature of the effort.

As the Tour moves to the hilly Stage 6 in Normandy, the GC battle is heating up, with Poga?ar asserting early dominance and Evenepoel proving his time trial prowess. The stage set a dramatic tone for the challenging terrain ahead, particularly with the Mûr-de-Bretagne looming on Stage 7.

2	Sun 07/06	Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)	Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies)	Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis)	Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)	Brent van Moer (Lotto Dstny)
4	Tue 07/08	Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)	Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)	Tadej Poga?ar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)	Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels)	Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Jersey and Award Definitions

• Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune): Worn by the rider with the lowest overall time in the general classification (GC), the race leader and frontrunner for the Tour’s overall victory.
• Green Jersey (Maillot Vert): Awarded to the points classification leader, earned through stage finishes and intermediate sprints, typically favoring sprinters.
• Polka Dot Jersey (Maillot à Pois): Given to the mountains classification leader, based on points from categorized climbs, recognizing the best climber.
• White Jersey (Maillot Blanc): Worn by the best young rider (under 26) with the lowest GC time, highlighting emerging talent.
• Combativity Award: Awarded daily to the rider showing the most aggressive or spirited effort, such as breakaways or attacks, as voted by a jury. Not typically awarded in time trials.