Ben Healy’s beard has sparked a light-hearted look at bearded yellow jersey wearers in the Tour de France, GC after 11 stages, intriguing Tour stats, climbing battles, and team prize money shakeups plus stage announcements for the Tour Down Under and Tour of Britain. It’s EuroTrash time!
TOP STORY: Beards In Yellow?
2025 Tour de France news:
• Beards At Le Tour?
• Interesting Tour de France Statistics
• GC Gaps At The Tour de France 2025
• Tour de France 2025 prize money
Race news:
• Young Guns At Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta
• A prologue Down Under
• Suffolk to host opening stages in Britain
• Baloise Ladies Tour
Rider news:
• Ilan Van Wilder continues with Soudal Quick-Step
Beards At Le Tour
With a bearded Ben Healy on top in Le Tour the question was thrown at me, has there ever been another bearded yellow jersey wearer at the Tour de France in recent history ?
Looking good Ben…
Well I have to admit that I did take a while to think about it and I quickly ran through and abandoned a few ideas. Riders like recently retired bearded strongmen Simon Geschke and Thomas de Gendt had some great performances at Le Tour but never quite achieved le Maillot Jaune…
Simon Geschke and his beard in polka dots at the 2022 Tour
A search on a famous search engine didn’t help me and neither did a certain Artificial Intelligence who recommended the always cleanly shaven Chris Froome !
Not even a hint of a beard with Froomey…
So then I started to go back through the history books checking stages one by one and I came across a certain rider in the 2020 Tour de France who had a beard during his 4 stages in yellow. Sure he wasn’t going to win any records with his beard length but it definitely was a beard even if you may have missed it at that year’s Tour with all interviews done in Covid masks!
There’s a beard under there somewhere!
And who was it? Adam Yates! The then GreenEdge rider wore the yellow jersey from stages 5 through 8 and is now famously of course a key teammate of Tadej Pogacar at this year’s Tour.
Yates repeated his 2020 efforts with yellow again in the 2023 Tour but with just a little stubble rather than a proper beard.
GC Gaps At The Tour de France 2025
With the super long first week out of the way and the first (medium) mountains completed let’s have a quick look at the top 20 on GC heading in to today’s true mountain stage. The GC will certainly change a lot today. Can Healy hold on to yellow? Will Pogacar recover from yesterday’s late crash?
Current GC Top 20 – Tour de France After 11 Stages
01 Healy Ben EF Education-EasyPost 41:01:13
02 Pogacar Tadej UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 29
03 Evenepoel Remco Soudal Quick-Step + 01:29
04 Vingegaard Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 01:46
05 Jorgenson Matteo Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 02:06
06 Vauquelin Kévin ARKEA-B&B HOTELS + 02:26
07 Onley Oscar Team Picnic PostNL + 03:24
08 Lipowitz Florian Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 03:34
09 Roglic Primoz Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 03:41
10 Johannessen Tobias Halland Uno-X Mobility + 05:03
11 Gall Felix Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale + 05:38
12 Rodriguez Carlos INEOS Grenadiers + 05:44
13 Mas Enric Movistar Team + 05:56
14 Jegat Jordan Team TotalEnergies + 06:32
15 Martin-Guyonnet Guillaume Groupama-FDJ + 10:44
16 Narvaez Jhonatan UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 11:29
17 O’Connor Ben Team Jayco-AlUla + 11:50
18 Skjelmose Mattias Lidl-Trek + 12:45
19 Grégoire Romain Groupama-FDJ + 15:15
20 Buchmann Emanuel Cofidis + 15:41
Today’s stage 12 should be brutal with the altitude finish on Hautacam
Interesting Tour de France Statistics
Another Tour de France themed EuroTrash means another chance to delve into the statistics and history of the race!
Irish Eyes Are Smiling: With Ben Healy in yellow he brought the Emerald Isle’s yellow drought to an end being the first Irishman to wear yellow since Stephen Roche in 1987 – 37 years, 11 months, and 18 days ago! Ben Healy is only the 4th Irishman to wear it after Seamus Elliot (four stages in 1963), Sean Kelly (one stage in 1983), and Stephen Roche (three stages in 1987). He is also only the 3rd Irishman to lead the young rider classification after Sean Kelly in 1978 and Stephen Roche in 1983.
A Young French Rider In Polka Dots: At 22 years and 3 days, Lenny Martinez is the youngest French rider to ever wear the polka dot jersey. He did better than Richard Virenque, who took the jersey at 22 years, 7 months and 17 days (stage 2 of the Tour 1992 in Pau). There was a younger French climber, René Vietto who actually won the best climber classification at 20 years, 5 months and 12 days in 1934, but the jersey didn’t exist at the time.
Interestingly Lenny made some family history on Monday as by taking the KOM lead he and his grandfather Mariano Martinez are the first ever grandfather and grandson to have both worn the polka dot jersey. Mariano wore it 16 times, notably winning the best climber classification in 1987.
Polka dot gloves, shorts, socks, helmet and more. Lenny’s grandfather never had that!
Jonas Abrahamsen gives Uno-X Mobility its first Tour victory: The Norwegian team had previously achieved six podium finishes with Abrahamsen (2), Alexander Kristoff (2), Tobias Johannessen (1), and Soren Waerenskjold (1). Yesterday was its 53rd stage, just like Abrahamsen, who made his Tour debut with the team. The Tudor team, participating for the first time, is now the only team of the 2025 peloton without a win at Tour level.
Tour de France 2025 prize money
Each rest day the Tour de France organisation releases the prize money tally so far awarded to the teams and it’s no surprise to see UAE & Jumbo at the top. The difference between the first place in the standings with UAE on €51,560 and last placed Lotto on €4,730 is enormous. Can the anonymous squads in the bottom third of the tally turn things around in weeks 2 & 3 ?
1. UAE TEAM EMIRATES-XRG – 51,560.00 euros
2. TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE – 47,130.00 euros
3. ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK – 41,700.00 euros
4. LIDL-TREK – 39,620.00 euros
5. SOUDAL-QUICK STEP – 39,020.00 euros
6. EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST – 25,080.00 euros
7. TEAM PICNIC POSTNL – 14,050.00 euros
8. TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM – 12,550.00 euros
9. UNO-X MOBILITY – 12,130.00 euros
10. BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS – 11,010.00 euros
11. GROUPAMA-FDJ – 10,450.00 euros
12. DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE – 9,160.00 euros
13. INTERMARCHÉ-WANTY – 9,160.00 euros
14. TOTALENERGIES – 9,120.00 euros
15. ARKEA-B&B HOTELS – 9,060.00 euros
16. INEOS GRENADIERS – 8,490.00 euros
17. RED BUL-BORA-HANSGROHE – 7,940.00 euros
18. COFIDIS – 6,670.00 euros
19. MOVISTAR TEAM – 5,750.00 euros
20. TEAM JAYCO ALULA – 5,290.00 euros
21. ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH – 5,160.00 euros
22. XDS ASTANA TEAM – 4,920.00 euros
23. LOTTO – 4,730.00 euros
Intermarché-Wanty Crash Prone
13th place in the money standings thanks to consistent placings by Biniam Girmay in the intermediate sprints and sprint stages, Belgian squad Intermarché-Wanty have been in the news quite a bit these past 11 stages. Unfortunately not so much for their results but more for their spectacular crashes.
This team seems to have had more than their fair share of bad luck and have probably already exceeded their antiseptic and bandage budget for Le Tour with the likes of Louis Barré, Jonas Rutsch and others looking like cycling mummies at times.
Unfortunately their German champion, Georg Zimmerman couldn’t continue the race after bravely finishing stage 9 but all these bandages and injuries will be forgotten very quickly if they can repeat even one of Girmay’s 3 victories from last year’s Tour.
Baloise Ladies Tour: Zoe Bäckstedt The Fastest
The Baloise Ladies Tour is a six-stage race held over five days from July 16 to 20 and it was Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) who was the fastest in the 3.1km prologue that opened the race on Wednesday in Yerseke. The 20-year-old British Champion raced around the course with a winning time of 00:04.06 beating Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) and Charlotte Kool (Picnic PostNL) by one second to take the stage win and the first leader’s jersey.
Results
1 Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) 00:04:06
2 Ellen Van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) 00:00:01
3 Charlotte Kool (Picnic-PostNL)
4 Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) 00:00:04
5 Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) 00:00:05
6 Margaux Vigié (Visma-Lease a Bike) 00:00:06
7 Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) 00:00:08
8 Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-Protime)
9 Fien van Eynde (Fenix-Deceuninck) 00:00:09
10 Martina Fidanza (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Ilan Van Wilder continues with Soudal Quick-Step
During the first rest of the Tour de France, Soudal Quick- Step announced that Ilan Van Wilder had signed a contract to stay with the team until 2028. Having joined the squad in 2022, Ilan gradually developed into one of the most consistent riders in the peloton, someone who is also able to compete in one-day races, time trials and stage races.
The many solid results he has racked up in these past four years speak volumes about the progress he’s made and the hard work he has put in during these seasons: GC winner at the Deutschland Tour, a spectacular solo victory at Tre Valli Varesine, third overall in Algarve, a top five finisher in Burgos, Luxembourg, Poland, Romandie and UAE, and top ten at Tour de la Provence, Paris-Nice, Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Suisse.
Van Wilder winning at the Deutschland Tour
The 25-year-old, who is currently racing the Tour de France, feels at homeat Soudal-QuickStep and has agreed to a new three-year contract that was offered to him by the team after the many strong results he posted for himself while in our jersey and the impressive amount of work he put in for teammates.
“I am happy to have signed a new contract with the Wolfpack. It’s a great team to ride for, I feel amazing here, and one of my life philosophies is that if you feel good in a place, there’s no need to make a change. I want to keep improving, I am confident I can still make some steps forward, and at the same time, get some good personal results, but also together with my teammates. I’m delighted to continue here in the next three years”, Ilan said after putting pen to paper.
“We are of course happy that Ilan will stay with us. He’s a solid rider, with the right mentality and approach to cycling, and this can be seen in his results and in the amount of work he does for the team. He can get some excellent results in stage races, but also in one-day events and time trials, making him a versatile rider that we are glad will continue to call Soudal Quick-Step home in the next three years”, said team CEO Jurgen Foré.
Jarno Wildar Taking On The Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta
From July 16 to 21, the Lotto Development Team heads to the Alps for a five-day mountain showdown: the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta. With defending champion Jarno Widar (19), surrounded by a strong team, an ambitious squad lines up at the start.
The Giro della Valle d’Aosta is known as one of the toughest U23 stage races. For Widar, this race is not only an opportunity to defend his title but also a crucial part of his preparation for one of his major objectives this season. “I want to use this week to prepare myself for the Tour de l’Avenir, which is high on my list,” Widar explains. “But of course, I won’t let any chances slip away this week. If your big goal doesn’t work out and you haven’t taken your chances, you end up with nothing. So I’m definitely going to try for a strong result.”
Alongside Widar, the team will bring four other strong riders: Kamiel Eeman, Niels Driesen, Lucas Van Gils, and Milan Donie. The riders will face five stages across three countries, covering 497.7 kilometers and over 11,000 meters of climbing. The race starts with a short but intense stage around Aosta, followed by an uphill individual time trial in the French Alps. “Stage two, the climbing time trial, probably won’t suit me as well,” Widar admits. “It’s raced on fresh legs, and that’s not really my strength.”
However, the following stages offer the kind of terrain Widar thrives on. “The last three stages are really tough, with lots of climbing and fatigue starting to set in,” he explains. “It’s usually when fatigue kicks in that I perform at my best.” With that in mind, Widar hopes to make his mark in the second half of the race. “I want to try to go for a stage win,” he says. “After that, we’ll see how I feel and where I stand in the overall classification. The most important thing is to ride a solid week and gain confidence ahead of the Tour de l’Avenir.”
Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta After Stage 1
So how did Wildar actually go in yesterday’s first stage? Not great! He lost 2m44s to the winner, and is currently sitting in 55th place. There’s work to be done if Widar is to achieve back to back victories!
Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta GC After Stage 1
1 Agostinacchio Filippo Biesse – Carrera – Premac 1:55:31
2 Zamperini Edoardo Arkéa – B&B Hôtels Continentale 0:12
3 Carstensen Magnus EF Education – Aevolo ,,
4 Sambinello Enea UAE Team Emirates Gen Z 0:15
5 Putz Sebastian Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe Rookies ,,
6 Place Maxence Wanty – Nippo – ReUz ,,
7 Dockx Aaron Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team 0:18
8 Gal Ryan Development Team Picnic PostNL ,,
9 Kessler Cole Lidl – Trek Future Racing ,,
10 Zanini Simone XDS Astana Development Team ,,
11 Rafferty Adam Hagens Berman Jayco ,,
12 Bicelli Michele Biesse – Carrera – Premac ,,
13 Driesen Niels Lotto Development Team ,,
14 Drouet Jules Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme ,,
15 Peretz Hardeball Matar Israel Premier Tech Academy 2:00
16 Vlot Mees Development Team Picnic PostNL ,,
17 Hannes Victor Wanty – Nippo – ReUz 2:44
18 Martini Marco Team Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna ,,
19 Woodliffe Euan Israel Premier Tech Academy ,,
20 Michels Jente Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team
Tour Down Under News – A Prologue For The Men!
The Santos Tour Down Under has announced the dates for next year’s event with the 10-day festival to again be the epicentre of international cycling from January 16-25 2026. A teams presentation will open the event on Friday, January 16, before the men and women open the UCI WorldTour seasons.
For the first time in TDU history, all 15 women’s WorldTeams are set to be on the start line in Adelaide for the women’s race from January 17-19. And the CBD will roar to life on Tuesday, January 20 when the men’s race begins with an inner-city prologue.
Last held as part of the TDU in 2023, the race against the clock is returning for next year’s event, complete with the time trial-style start ramp and hot seat for the leader.
The 3.6km prologue will begin just outside the City of Adelaide Tour Village in Victoria Square, taking riders east on Wakefield Street, south on East Terrace and entering Victoria Park via Halifax Street where they will do one lap and finish in front of the heritage grandstand.
SUFFOLK TO HOST OPENING STAGES OF THE LLOYDS TOUR OF BRITAIN MEN
Britain’s biggest professional cycle race and the UK’s largest free-to-spectate live sporting event will return to Suffolk this September, as the opening stages of the race take place in the region on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 September.
East Suffolk will host the first stage of the race, with the return of the world’s top male cyclists to the district for a third consecutive year, as Woodbridge and Southwold play host to the stage one start and finish.
A day later the second stage of the race will start and finish in Stowmarket, hosted by Mid Suffolk District Council and neighbouring Babergh District Council, as two stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men take place in the county for the first time.
The announcement follows the success of this year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Women in June, which saw an action-packed edition of the race only decided in the final sprint to the line in Glasgow, as Kiwi rider Ally Wollaston claimed victory.
Cllr Sarah Whitelock, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Communities, Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: “We are excited to welcome the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men back to East Suffolk for the third consecutive year, and to be hosting the opening stage. This is the UK’s largest free-to-spectate live sporting event and directly benefits local businesses and communities. The Tour, and the community activities which accompany it, also helps to promote the physical and mental health benefits of cycling to all ages and abilities and showcases East Suffolk as a cycle friendly destination to a national audience.”
Having hosted the final stage of the 2024 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, East Suffolk will now host the start of racing in September 2025, marking the first time since 2012 that the overall race has begun in Suffolk, and a debut for Woodbridge as a host venue for the event.
Southwold has never hosted the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, but has twice seen the women’s race visit, most recently in 2018 when Jolien D’hoore won a stage finishing on North Parade in the town.
The exact stage route for the opening leg of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be published later in July, but will include passing through Wickham Market, Aldeburgh, Saxmundham, Framlingham, Halesworth, Bungay, and Beccles.
For the second stage, Stowmarket will host the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men for the first time, though like Southwold has hosted a finish of the women’s race, also won by Jolien D’hoore in 2019.
Cllr Andy Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring the Tour of Britain Men into the heart of Suffolk and look forward to welcoming some of the world’s best riders. We already know from the Women’s Tour that our towns and villages will be out in force to cheer them on.
“The race brings real excitement to the district, inspiring others to enjoy the benefits of cycling, as well as giving a real boost to our visitor economy.”
Further details of the route of stage two will also be published later in July, but will include Debenham and Eye in Mid Suffolk, and Sudbury and Hadleigh in Babergh.
Cllr John Ward, leader of Babergh District Council said: “This is fantastic opportunity for us to showcase Babergh’s beautiful landscapes, towns and villages to an international audience.
“We’re also committed to providing opportunities to get involved in sports and physical activity and by hosting this international event showcasing prominent cyclists we hope to inspire the next generation of budding athletes right here in Suffolk.”
Commenting on the announcement of the opening stages, Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said; “Having finished the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women with some great racing and a fantastic festival of cycling in Glasgow, our attention is now on September and the return of the men’s event. We are delighted to begin our announcements with the news that East Suffolk will host the opening stage, and two new venues – Woodbridge and Southwold – will appear on the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men map. Then moving onto stage 2 and a huge thanks to our partners at Babergh and Mid Suffolk, which will see Stowmarket become the third new venue for the men’s race, ensuring a fantastic opening two days in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.
“Over the coming weeks we look forward to sharing more exciting details about this year’s race with fans and building up to what will be another incredible edition of the Lloyds Tour of Britain.”
Further announcements about the host venues of the other four stages, as well as the participating teams for the Lloyds Tour of Britain will be made over the coming weeks.
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