“Nine seconds quicker than Roglič. You’re faster than Roglič. You’re faster than Vingegaard.”
An excited voice in the earpiece. A jolt of disbelief. On the roads of his native Normandy and just 30 km from his hometown, 24-year-old Kévin Vauquelin was delivering the ride of his life, and in doing so, stirring something deep within French cycling’s collective soul.
I swear the smiles on France TV spread twice as wide today. On Stage 5 of the 2025 Tour de France, Vauquelin, of the tiny and beleaguered Arkéa-B&B Hotels team soared to fifth place in the individual time trial, outpacing giants of the sport like Primož Roglič, a Giro d'Italia and multiple-time Vuelta a España winner, not to mention Olympic gold medalist in the discipline. Vauquelin beat Jonas Vingegaard, two-time winner of the Tour itself. More than that, he climbed into third overall, surrounded on the leaderboard by riders who’ve already won the sport’s greatest prizes.
Jonny Long
“I don’t even have the words,” he said at the finish, face flushed, still breathing heavily in his Spaceman Spiff of a time trial helmet. “All those supporters, all that support … I’m over the moon. I think it’s one of my best time trials ever. I feel like crying.”
The Tour de France is many things: race, spectacle, tradition. But for France itself, it’s mythology in motion. It asks for something more from its riders, especially the homegrown ones. And when a Frenchman starts to rise in the standings, the entire country leans in. Not cautiously and definitely not rationally. Emotionally, and entirely.
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