Pogačar wins the yellow jersey again - Gall strong in fourth place!

Pogačar wins the yellow jersey again - Gall strong in fourth place!

On July 11, 2025, Tadej Pogačar reclaimed the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. The professional cyclist beat seven other riders in an exciting sprint and won the seventh stage from Saint-Malo to Guerlédan over 197 kilometers. Pogačar celebrated his second stage win in this tour and the 19th of his career overall. East Tyrolean Felix Gall took fourth place, just two seconds behind Pogačar and Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard.

Gall was positive about his performance and thus improved to 14th place in the overall ranking. Despite the high demands of the final climb, which was described as very hard, the 25-year-old feels better than in the first week of the tour. He noted that the first few days were stressful for him, but that he is now feeling increasingly comfortable.

Overall ranking and competition

Pogačar leads by 54 seconds over Remco Evenepoel and 1:11 minutes ahead of nearest competitor Kevin Vauquelin. Jonas Vingegaard, who performed strongly this day, is 1:17 minutes behind the leader. Mathieu van der Poel, who was previously ahead of Pogačar, fell back to fifth place. Gall, on the other hand, is now 4:49 minutes behind the leaders and is around a minute behind the top ten.

The Tour de France 2025 includes a total of 21 stages and stretches over 3,339 kilometers. In addition to the prestigious yellow jersey, which honors the overall leader, there are also other awards, such as the green jersey for the best sprinter and the mountain jersey for the best mountain rider. The competition is tough, and it is precisely in these ratings that it becomes clear how intense the competition is between the teams and drivers. In the history of the Tour de France, only four riders have won the yellow jersey five times: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Developments in cycling

The structures and framework conditions in professional cycling have changed significantly in the last few decades. The average driver is younger and lighter today than he was 30 years ago. Around 28 years old, a typical Tour de France winner today weighs around 69 kilograms. In 2020, the average body weight of a Tour starter was 67.8 kilograms, showing a drop in weight compared to previous years.

The discussion about the economic conditions in cycling is also prominent. Jonathan Vaughters, team owner of EF Education-Nippo, calls for a “salary cap” to ensure more equal opportunities in cycling. He increasingly sees professional cycling as part of the entertainment industry and calls for greater investment to address financial inequalities between teams.

In the shadow of these exciting developments in the Tour de France, it remains to be seen how the overall picture of cycling will develop in the future and whether reforms are necessary to improve equal opportunities.