It would be fair to say that Kévin Vauquelin is not a cycling superstar — yet. Despite claiming an unexpected maiden stage win at last year’s Grande Boucle, he started this year’s Tour de France out of the limelight and out of the headlines. He wasn’t a pre-race GC favourite, a sprinter or an absolute shoo-in for a stage victory. And yet, as the race barrels across northern France, the 24-year-old from Normandy finds himself not only at the pointy end of stages — but on the general classification podium, rubbing shoulders with the headliners like Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel.
Bienvenue to the big time, Kévin. Stage six starts in his home town of Bayeux — home to the famed tapestry that so vividly chronicles conquest and legacy. In a nod to history, Vauquelin’s performances over the first five days feel like a new thread being carefully woven into the rich tapestry of the Tour — not yet a centrepiece, but something with promise and presence. He may not be a headline act just yet, but his story and image is starting to take shape — and it’s one that’s well worth following.
His numbers tell their own story. He now sits third overall, behind the new yellow jersey Pogačar and stage five winner Evenepoel. In the time trial around Caen, Vauquelin wasn’t expected to challenge the likes of those two, but he put in a gritty ride that confirmed what many had begun to suspect after impressing on the previous stages: this is not just a rider on form, this is a rider with range. The most surprising aspect of the fifth place result was the fact that riding for Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Vauquelin will not have anywhere near the same amount of funds available for TT equipment or aerodynamic testing compared to the super teams like UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike. Yet, Vauquelin beat both Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson by over 30 seconds.
From the moment the Tour set off, Vauquelin has defied expectations. His performances on stages two and four, two punchy days, showed he was active and willing to lose in order to win. He clung to the favourites on the climbs that cracked more seasoned contenders. Even when he was dropped he clawed his way back. He finished the time trial 49 seconds off Evenepoel’s pace. That would be enough, in most years, to remain anonymous in the top ten. But in 2025, it keeps him firmly on the podium — and still within striking distance of yellow. He now sits just under a minute behind Pogačar and if UAE allowed him to get into a breakaway we could see him pull on the maillot jaune. Besides Van der Poel, he would certainly be granted more leeway than any other rider currently in the top 10, by the Tour leaders, to get into breakaway and take the jersey.
Or will Vauquelin even go for the general classification at this Tour? It’s a tall order to maintain such a high level for three weeks, but he has defied expectations so far this year and not just at the Tour. Vauquelin finished second on GC at June’s Tour de Suisse (albeit with a caveat of gaining a lot of time by breaking away on stage one) shows that he has some experience of holding onto a GC result. French fans will be dreaming of the Norman recreating Julian Alaphilippe’s run of form at the 2019 Tour.
What he and his team decide to do in terms of strategies may be dictated by the race. He isn’t a featherweight climber. He’s the kind of rider who picks off breakaway victories — not someone who sticks with the best in a Grand Tour. And we haven’t come across a climb longer than a couple of minutes yet at this Tour, so it could all be decided by the road. He was second behind Pogačar at La Flèche Wallonne earlier this spring — if stages two and four were not proof enough that he can mix it with the very best on short, savage climbs. But it will be the iconic climbs like the Hautacam and Ventoux that will decide the GC at this race.
He is not a favourite to come top five or even a top 10 at this Tour. There are mountain passes to come, time gaps yet to open, team dynamics still to play out. But he has something the others don’t: he is racing without the weight of expectation. His moves are bold, but never reckless — when it comes to the GC battle, if he wants to remain in it, he can’t lose because any result is a bonus.
He encapsulates what French cycling is all about, the daring, the romance, the panache. Stage six rolls through the roads he once trained on as a junior, which will now be lined with banners bearing his name. The Normandy crowds have found their hero. What comes next is unknown. The Pyrenees and the Alps are merciless. But even if he fades, this Tour has already propelled his name further into cycling’s conscience.
