The 2025 Tour de France is done and dusted.
Over 3,300 kilometers have been raced and hundreds of thousands of words have been said by its protagonists.
Velo has compiled our rundown of the sharpest soundbites from three weeks of racing.
All killer, no filler.
Witty, quirky, compelling, controversial – and that’s just Tadej Pogačar’s best from his yellow jersey press conferences.
A Paris finish with an ‘insane’ twist
“Even if we couldn’t crack Tadej, it was really fun to try.” Sepp Kuss tells NBC.
“The crowd was insane … it was horrific today, the worst last stage I’ve ever done. But at the same time, that last lap was the best I’ve ever done in my life.” Geraint Thomas finishes his 14th and final Tour de France, enjoying his moment through Montmartre.
“I’m totally f**ked, to be honest. I just want to sleep two days in a row, full gas.” Biniam Girmay is done in Paris and heading to bed.
“Every year we say it is the hardest Tour ever, the hardest thing we have ever done. But honestly, I know that this year was something on another level.” Tadej Pogačar after stage 20
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“Didn’t win a stage, but did win the game of life.” All’s well that ends well for Quinn Simmons after his girlfriend said yes on the Champs-Élysées.
“It was a good f**k-up. The attack of Lipo was never planned.” Red Bull sports director Enrico Gasparotto is frank reflecting on Florian Lipowitz’s failed solo move onto the Col de la Loze on stage 18.
Pogi changes the record
“Thank God! Really, really. I already don’t like to hear my own voice. So I never watch my interviews or anything. Because in my head I sound different than you hear on TV. It was a bad moment it was not the best moment of my carer and then on Eurosport, it was all the time when it was on the commercial break.” Pogačar is happy his “I’m dead, I’m gone” race radio message from 2023 can be consigned to history after his strong Col de la Loze showing.
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to cheat.” Lenny Martinez after three sticky bottles incurs the wrath of the commissaires.
Lenny Martinez loses 8 KOM points, 15 UCI points, a 10 second penalty and fined 200CHF for his sticky bottle(s) on Stage 18 at the Tour de France. #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/qDv8QMKsm5
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 24, 2025
“People in the finish area – they should use their eyes a bit more.” Jonas Vingegaard after hitting a photographer moments after crossing the finish line on Mont Ventoux.
In vino veritas
“Will I ride it again? No, I’ll be down in the vineyards drinking some wine, looking at it.” Geraint Thomas after climbing Mont Ventoux.
“There were a few men in mankinis, which was a little bit off-putting.” British champion Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) on the stranger side of the Mont Ventoux atmosphere.
“I’m definitely not Superman, I waas born in Ljubljana, not on Krypton.” Mere mortal Tadej Pogačar after stage 16.
“You have to take it on a funny way. Even after the line, Wout said to me ‘no, no, there are people in front!’ After the crash, my radio didn’t work. I did it on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, now I did it on the Tour,” Julian Alaphilippe, posting up to celebrate… third place into Carcassonne.
“I hope not. But if it’s the case, I think Quinn could also attack first and take the moto’s help – if there was help. But today, I think the legs did the work, not the moto.” stage 15 winner Tim Wellens responds to Quinn Simmons’ comment that the moto played a part in his breakaway victory.
“I will never give up, it is not in my nature”. Remco Evenepoel, 20 hours before giving up on the Col du Tourmalet during stage 14.
“It’s hot, no? I work on it [my tan] for the summer without the lines.” Primož Roglič on his short socks.
“Mountains are mountains.” Australian climber Michael Storer when asked if he prefers the Alps or Pyrenees by Velo.
“To the poor, very kind and dumbfounded man who opened his RV door to me, I want to first say thank you, but also apologize profusely for the state I left your bathroom in. Let’s just say, 120 grams of carbs per hour for four consecutive hours does not come out nicely.” When you gotta go… Michael Woods’s stomach problem on stage 10
“They were a bit annoying with all the attacks, so I decided to make a better attack.” Pogačar on stage 10 after being peppered by Visma-Lease a Bike accelerations.
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“I’m currently trying to find us some friends. It’s not going well.” Lidl-Trek’s Quinn Simmons over race radio, trying to rally the troops and chase down the Alpecin duo.
“It’s Châteauroux, kind of sprint royalty with Cavendish. I sent him a message asking him what’s the secret to winning here and he hasn’t replied so maybe he’s keeping that secret to himself.” Jake Stewart ahead of stage 9.
Five pukes, dream made
“I always wanted to be on the Tour podium, so I made a joke of it that we’d go with two from the start. But it seems Mathieu [van der Poel] was serious, so we just continued. I was slowly dying.” Jonas Rickaert (above) goes up the road on stage 9, successfully chasing his dream and puking five times on the way to the Combativity prize.
“I’m very thorough so I was doing my research into the psyche of an Irishman and I had a couple of pints of Guinness – and it worked out.” Tom Southam reflects on Ben Healy’s stage win into Vire Normandie.
“Winning a stage in this race can change your life, second place can’t.” In contrast, Quinn Simmons’ painful near-miss to the Irishman.
“Do you have any tips?” Yellow jersey Mathieu Van der Poel to pundit and ex-world champion Tom Dumoulin ahead of the stage 5 time-trial.
‘Tadej, let me adopt you.” A fan’s sign outside UAE Team Emirates-XRG bus outside stage 4.
“My first professional victory in Volta ao Algarve was something incredible for me, I’ll never forget it. And today, 100 victories later, it still feels super good to cross the finish line first.” Tadej Pogačar after reaching the century on stage 4 into Rouen.
Jasper’s disaster
“In a second, we went from euphoria to disappointment.” Philip Roodhooft, Alpecin-Deceuninck sports director after stage 1 winner Philipsen crashes out on day three.
“I’ve done two bunch sprints, so I guess I’m a sprinter now.” Jonas Vingegaard after finishing third on stage 2.
“I took a phone in my face, I think the girl lost it because I took a good slap in the face.” Green jersey winner Jonathan Milan after stage 2.
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“I should have stopped last year, to be honest.” Oldest man in the race Geraint Thomas, set to retire at the end of 2025, after the stress and chaos of the opening day around Lille.
“We have to figure out certain things – why he’s good one day & playing golf the next.” Bahrain-Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger on Lenny Martinez after their climber finished 182nd and dead last in stage 1.
“The odds of a breakaway surviving in the opening week — especially in the era of Pogačar, Van der Poel, Remco, and Vingegaard — are slimmer than a grade school’s class pet hamster.” Velo columnist Michael Woods in his daily blog.