Philipsen Claims Yellow as Tour de France 2025 Heats Up Early

The 2025 Tour de France started in turmoil and drama with Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen dominating Stage 1 to claim the yellow jersey in Lille after a gusty finish tore apart the peloton. Philipsen, backed by a powerful Alpecin-Deceuninck team, outsprinted Biniam Girmay and Søren Wærenskjold in a reduced sprint, his 10th Tour stage win and first in yellow.

But the day was not so straightforward for all the contenders. The last 20 kilometers had the crosswinds split the field, with GC challengers Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič being caught out, both losing 39 seconds to competitors Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Evenepoel, who finished third in the GC of 2024, admitted his team made a mistake, labeling it as a "collective mistake" but was positive about things improving in the future.

Stage 2, 209.1 km from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer, guarantees more fireworks. It's the longest stage in this year's race and brings the first actual elevation, with more than 2,500 meters of climbing. The last 30 km contain three climbs above category, such as the brutal Côte de Saint-Étienne-au-Mont (1 km at 10.6%) and Côte d'Outreau (0.8 km at 8.8%), and setting up for puncheurs and opportunists to test Philipsen's grip on yellow.

With the GC already in a mess and the roads getting slippery, the Tour de France 2025 has gotten off to a rip-roaring start—one which is already re-writing the script.