Jasper Philipsen wins the first stage of the Tour and wears the yellow jersey

The 112th edition of the Tour de France started with an explosive stage in Lille Métropole, marked by tension, wind, falls, and a sprint finish that crowned the most anticipated, Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian from Alpecin-Deceuninck did not fail in the first big appointment of the Tour, he flew in the sprint and won the victory and the first yellow jersey of this edition.

Jasper Philipsen wins the first stage of the Tour de France 2025: a nervous stage from kilometer zero

Just after the start, five riders embarked on an adventure in a breakaway with a clear French flavor: Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B), and Jonas Rutsch (Intermarché-Wanty). Their lead never exceeded two and a half minutes, with a peloton controlled at all times by Alpecin and Lidl-Trek, the teams of the top sprint favorites, Philipsen and Milan.

Benjamin Thomas was the main animator in the categorized climbs of the day, but hostilities increased in the second half of the stage, with cobblestone sections and wind that stretched the group.

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With 30 km to go, a split in the peloton altered the expected script. A leading group of about 30 riders was formed, including Vingegaard, Pogacar, Philipsen, Girmay, Van der Poel, and other important men. But among the stragglers were heavyweight names like Rogli?, Evenepoel, Merlier, Milan, Van Aert, or Almeida. The difference stabilized at around 30-40 seconds and, despite the hunting attempts, the sprint favorites in the second group were left out.

Filippo Ganna and Stefan Bissegger were the hardest news of the day as they abandoned after separate falls, while Ben O'Connor also went down in the last five kilometers, although without losing time in the general classification.

The entry into the final kilometers was a lesson in tactical positioning by Alpecin-Deceuninck. With Mathieu van der Poel and Kaden Groves as locomotives, the Alpecin train positioned Philipsen in an unbeatable position to finish. The Belgian did not fail and crossed the finish line with impressive power, ahead of Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), in a sprint where the rest of the top sprinters could not be due to the previous split.

Furthermore, this victory leaves Philipsen as the first yellow jersey of the edition.

Top 5 stage 1 Tour de France 2025 (top 5)

1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)
3. Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility)
4. Davide Ballerini (Astana Qazaqstan)
5. Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels)

The second stage promises more nerves, with a hilly profile and the possibility of another sprint if the wind and attacks do not shake up the peloton again. Philipsen, for now, has already marked his territory with his tenth stage victory in the Tour and his first leadership in the Grande Boucle.