{"id":199040,"date":"2025-07-04T07:18:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T07:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=199040"},"modified":"2025-08-06T09:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:45:19","slug":"tour-de-france-preview-what-im-watching-for-by-kasia-niewiadoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/07\/04\/tour-de-france-preview-what-im-watching-for-by-kasia-niewiadoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France Preview: What I\u2019m Watching For By Kasia Niewiadoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 112th edition of the Tour de France is just around the corner, and I honestly can\u2019t describe how excited I am for the upcoming weeks. I can\u2019t wait to dive back into that familiar rhythm of morning training, followed by the daily ritual of watching the race unfold. It\u2019s the best time of year to be a cycling fan!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As we all celebrate the start of the most legendary Grand Tour, let\u2019s not forget that the Giro d\u2019Italia Women kicks off this Sunday as well, with a 14.2 km individual time trial in the heart of Bergamo. So, for the first week, we\u2019ll be treated to a double dose of racing: the women competing for the pink jersey while the men ramp up toward the decisive final week of the Tour. You can catch both races on HBO Max and follow live updates on ProCyclingStats.<\/span><\/p>\n

The showdown we\u2019ve all been waiting for<\/b><\/h2>\n

Like so many fans, I\u2019m <\/span>impatiently<\/span><\/i> anticipating the battle between two of the sport\u2019s biggest legends: Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> and Jonas Vingegaard. That duel alone could make this Tour unforgettable\u2014but I\u2019m just as curious to see how riders like Remco Evenepoel, Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d, and Enric Mas will find their own opportunities to shine. Can they upset the balance? Put the main contenders in tactically difficult situations? Anything is possible in a race like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Visma\u2013Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates have the strongest lineups in support of their leaders. But that just makes me even more excited to see how the other teams respond. Who will rise to the occasion and leave their mark on this year\u2019s Tour?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the Tour is unlike anything else<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Tour de France<\/a> is unlike any other race on the calendar. The media attention is massive, the fan presence along the roads is overwhelming in the best way, and the stakes are sky-high. For sponsors, visibility matters every single day, which means the racing is harder, faster, and more intense from the gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

We always talk about the yellow jersey, but within the peloton, there are <\/span>so many<\/span><\/i> races happening at once. You have teams targeting the green jersey with their sprinters, others chasing breakaways in hopes of a stage win, and riders focusing solely on surviving the chaos of the first week. Sometimes it takes <\/span>two full hours<\/span><\/i> of racing just for the day\u2019s break to establish\u2014imagine how many attacks and counters that involves. The intensity never lets up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Classic-style chaos in week one<\/b><\/h2>\n

The first week this year looks like a dream for fans of classic-style racing: narrow roads, sharp climbs, short descents, and plenty of opportunities for aggressive racing. These are the kind of stages that could suit someone like Mathieu van der Poel or even Wout van Aert if he\u2019s got the form.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wout<\/a>
The first week could suit Wout van Aert. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019ll also get our first proper sprint showdowns\u2014Milan vs. Philipsen vs. Girmay should be super exciting to watch. And then there\u2019s Stage 5, the individual time trial. It\u2019s 33 kilometres long, which is enough to open real gaps between the GC riders. I\u2019m especially curious to see how Poga\u010dar has improved since finishing fourth in the Dauphin\u00e9 time trial, where he lost a bit of time to Vingegaard. And of course, this is a big opportunity for Remco, who will no doubt be looking to grab a few precious seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

That first week of a Grand Tour is always a rollercoaster. It\u2019s not just physically demanding, it\u2019s also emotionally exhausting. The peloton is on edge, positioning battles are constant, and crashes are unfortunately very common. We\u2019ve seen many top riders lose their chance at the Tour before the mountains even begin. I really hope everyone makes it through safely, it\u2019s a chaotic world inside that bunch, and my heart is with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning to the Giro d\u2019Italia Women<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now let\u2019s talk about the Giro Donne, which covers eight stages this year\u2014and let me tell you, it\u2019s the hardest edition yet. There\u2019s almost <\/span>no<\/span><\/i> opportunity for sprinters, maybe just one chance on Stage 5. I\u2019m especially looking forward to Stage 4, which finishes with a brutal summit in Pianezze. That\u2019s where we\u2019ll likely see big time gaps and a major reshuffling of the GC.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m super curious to see how Elisa Longo Borghini will defend her title against the depth of SD Worx, especially with Anna van der Breggen back directing the team and stars like Lotte Kopecky, Marlen Reusser, Antonia Niedermaier, and Juliette Labous in the mix. And let\u2019s not forget \u00c9vita Muzic, who\u2019s been building great form.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Giro doesn\u2019t finish on Stage 4, that mountain day could be the moment the race is won, or at least reshaped entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scouting my competition<\/b><\/h2>\n

As for me, watching these hard Giro stages is more than just entertainment. It\u2019s also race prep. I\u2019ll be watching closely to see how my rivals for the Tour ride, how they attack, how they position themselves, how they recover. I need to study them to understand their strengths, their weaknesses, and how I can use that information to my advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tour is getting closer, and every small detail matters.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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