Our team took its victory tally to six Grand Tour stage victories after the Grande Boucle.
Paris, the city that Ernest Hemingway described as a moveable feast, welcomed the peloton for the final stage of the Tour de France. The world’s most prestigious race concluded on the beautiful Champs-Élysées after 88.7 kilometers through the city, including the famous Montmartre, where the riders had to cover three laps of the cobbled climb that earned its place in cycling folklore following the 2024 Olympic Games.
For Soudal Quick-Step, it was the 24th consecutive presence in the Tour de France, and another memorable one, after our team scored a hat-trick of victories with Tim Merlier, the best sprinter in the world. The only squad this side of the century to have won at least a stage in 14 consecutive years, Soudal Quick-Step didn’t miss any opportunity it had to leave its mark on the Grande Boucle.
It wasn’t just Tim Merlier that shone for the Wolfpack, also Valentin Paret-Peintre took center stage several times. Winner on the mythical Mont Ventoux at the previous edition, the Frenchman was constantly on the attack and joined numerous breakaways in his quest for the polka dot jersey. Paret-Peintre won fourteen classified climbs and concluded third in the mountains classification, after a solid final week that constantly saw him at the front of the race.
We can be very happy with our Tour.
- Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels -
“Tim won three magnificent stages, and the one in Bergerac stands out as the most beautiful one, a phenomenal 400-meter sprint that people will remember years from now. Jasper was incredible in the lead-out and even came close to a stage victory in the final week, while Valentin fought until the end for the KOM jersey. Chapeau to him, he gave everything, and we remain confident he can win it one day. The speed and the heat made it an incredibly hard Tour de France, and the guys can be proud of what they achieved”, said sports director Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
