After numerous national championships, sponsorship changes and last minute signings, teams are beginning to announce their squads for the 2025 Tour de France, staring on Saturday, July 5 with a 184.9km stage starting and ending in Lille Metropole.
UAE Team Emirates – XRG Aiming for Fourth Title
Heading to the Tour de France in search of a fourth title in six years, UAE Team Emirates-XRG has confirmed the squad that will support Tadej Pogačar in July. With a lineup that is strongly packed with both rouleurs and climbers, the eight-man Emirati squad will head into the Tour full of confidence after their recent Critérium du Dauphiné victory.
Five riders who supported Pogačar’s victory earlier this month will be alongside the Slovenian once again, with Marc Soler and Nils Politt two of the most experienced riders within the squad.
Elsewhere, Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez will hope to replicate the impact they had on Pogačar’s stage 6 victory in the Dauphiné, with Pavel Sivakov more than earning his place with an instrumental role in the world champion’s victory on the following stage. Joining the Dauphiné winners at the start of the Tour de France will be two climbers who finished fourth and sixth at last year’s Tour, respectively.
On the hunt for a fourth Tour de France success this time around, Pogačar will be hoping to add to his 17 stage victories to date, having enjoyed an exceptional season that has thus far included victories at the Dauphiné, the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche.
With a strong team at his side, the Slovenian is looking forward to what will be his sixth successive Tour de France.
“I’m excited for the Tour to start,” said Pogacar. “I’m lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year — everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates. The vibes in the team are amazing right now, and that gives me a lot of confidence.
“Of course, you can never be fully prepared for something like the Tour de France — it’s unpredictable, and that’s part of what makes it so special.
“I’m expecting a very high level from all the other top riders. The first few days should be really exciting for the fans with some open, aggressive stages, and the last week is very climbing-heavy with some iconic stages. It’s going to be a big fight all the way to Paris, but I’m ready to give everything.
“It’s hard to believe it’s already my sixth Tour de France, time flies.”
Led by Sports Manager Joxean Matxin Fernández and Sports Directors Andrej Hauptman (Slo), Marco Marcato (Ita), and Simone Pedrazzini (SUI), the UAE Team Emirates-XRG lineup is as follows:
- João Almeida (Por)
- Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu)
- Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
- Nils Politt (Ger)
- Pavel Sivakov (Fra)
- Marc Soler (Spa)
- Tim Wellens (Bel)
- Adam Yates (GBR)
Primož Roglič leads Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
Primož Roglič headlines the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe roster for the 2025 Tour de France. A four-time Vuelta winner and Giro d’Italia champion, Roglič is one of the most successful Grand Tour riders of his generation – and he has a clear goal: securing his ninth Grand Tour podium.
Joining the Slovenian Grand Tour star are Jordi Meeus, Gianni Moscon, Danny van Poppel, and Aleksandr Vlasov – four riders with a wealth of Grand Tour experience, bringing a combined 14 Tour de France starts. As at the Giro d’Italia, Gianni Moscon will again take on the role of road captain. Vlasov’s season has been carefully built to peak in the second half of the Tour. Meeus and van Poppel, known for their physical presence and Classics pedigree, are expected to play a key role early on – and as a well-drilled duo, they could be crucial in delivering early results for the team.
For the first time in eight years, the team is fielding three Tour de France debutants – a strong signal toward the next generation. Laurence Pithie, Florian Lipowitz, and Mick van Dijke will all make their first appearance on cycling’s biggest stage in Lille.
“We’re heading into this Tour extremely well prepared,” Rolf Aldag, Chief of Sports at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe told reporters. “Every stage has been reconned, analyzed, and simulated. Our team strength will be especially critical in the first half of the race – five riders are dedicated to guiding our three climbers safely toward the Pyrenees. In the high mountains, individual class will make the difference. That’s our race plan – and our guiding principle for the next three weeks.
“With Primož, we have the luxury of having one of the most successful Grand Tour riders in our team. He’s focused, motivated, and in top form. When Primož Roglič lines up for a Grand Tour, the podium is always the goal. To get there, we’ve taken a very individualized approach to preparing all eight riders – whether through altitude training, race intensity, or deliberate recovery time with their families. Everyone is arriving in the best possible shape.”
Team Jayco AlUla Fields Stage Winners, debutant Luke Plapp
Team Jayco AlUla will be led at the Tour de France 2025 by two former stage winners in Ben O’Connor and Dylan Groenewegen, targeting the overall classification and stage victories respectively. Joining them on the well-rounded roster will be Luke Plapp, who is making his ‘Grand Boucle’ debut following a standout Giro d’Italia performance in the spring that saw him solo to his first Grand Tour stage win.
With O’Connor at the helm, it will be the first time that Team Jayco AlUla has had an Australian leading its general classification charge since its inception in 2012. The 29-year-old, who will be riding his fourth Tour de France this summer, has a rich Grand Tour pedigree. He’s finished in the top five overall in each of the three-week races, including a second place at last season’s Vuelta a España. He has also won stages in all the grand tours, adding the Vuelta to his palmarès in 2024.
Backing O’Connor in the mountains will be compatriot Plapp and another Tour de France debutant, Eddie Dunbar. While Dunbar hasn’t ridden the French Grand Tour previously, he’s got a good history at three-week races with seventh overall at the 2023 Giro d’Italia and two stage wins at last year’s Vuelta.
“We have a really versatile team and I’ve performed well in Grand Tours in the past so I’ll do everything I can to get back to the top five, which I’ve been able to finish in at the Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, and Tour de France,” O’Connor said. “We also have Dylan to go for the sprint stages, we pretty much have all kinds of stages covered. It’s always an exciting time, it’s the biggest race, and biggest stress, but it’s also the biggest reward.
“The route is a race of two halves. You have northern France with some extremely punchy stages and then pretty much, from stage 10 onwards, all of climbs are 30 minutes to one hour long. There are some really big cols and passes, so I think that’s where I will be enjoying the race a lot more. They’re the kind of mountain stages I really prefer. For me, it’ll be about getting through the first half and then executing in the second half.”
Team Jayco AlUla line-up at the 2025 Tour de France:
- Eddie Dunbar (IRL) 1st appearance
- Luke Durbridge (AUS) 11th appearance
- Dylan Groenewegen (NED) 7th appearance
- Luka Mezgec (SLO) 6th appearance
- Ben O’Connor (AUS) 4th appearance
- Luke Plapp (AUS) 1st appearance
- Elmar Reinders (NED) 3rd appearance
- Mauro Schmid (SUI) 1st appearance
Enric Mas to Lead Movistar for 2025 Grand Boucle
Enric Mas will be the team leader for the Movistar squad, making his seventh consecutive appearance in the Tour de France since his debut in 2019.
The rider from Mallorca will be supported by a group of both young and experienced riders, who will bring value to the team and also look for their own opportunities during the race.
Among the debutants in the French grand tour: Iván Romeo, Pablo Castrillo, Einer Rubio and Will Barta. Among the more seasoned riders, Nelson Oliveira will make his ninth appearance and Gregor Mühlberger his seventh.
Evenepoel and Merlier lead Soudal Quick-Step
Third overall and white jersey winner at last year’s Le Tour, Remco Evenepoel will lead Soudal Quick-Step for the 2025 edition, and is excited ahead of the challenge.
“It’s my second Tour de France and I’m looking forward to the Grand Depart, which won’t be far from Belgium. I think it’s obvious that I’m aiming for a good general classification, but the most important thing will be to not lose time in the first half of the race, which should be a very nervous one, with lots of traps and tricky roads. Just like last year, I want to win a stage there and do a good GC, while taking it one day at a time”, the double Olympic Champion said.
For European Champion Tim Merlier this will be his first presence since 2021 at the Grande Boucle, which the Belgian fast man will start with a total of ten wins under his belt since the beginning of the season. Soudal Quick-Step’s squad is set to include also Mattia Cattaneo, Pascal Eenkhoorn, German ITT Champion Maximilian Schachmann, Ilan Van Wilder, and Tour de France debutants Valentin Paret-Peintre and Bert Van Lerberghe.
“The race can be divided in two parts. A hectic first half, without a proper mountain stage, but with a flat individual time trial where gaps can be made, and plenty of opportunities for the sprinters and the puncheurs. Tim and Remco will have a couple of chances, but important will be that everybody makes it through those ten stages safely. The many mountain stages and the uphill time trial that come in the second part will make for an incredibly hard race, but also the last stage in Paris should play a role in the general classification. We have a strong and experienced team, capable of some nice things this summer, and so we start with a lot of confidence”, said sports director Tom Steels.
Soudal Quick-Step Lineup:
- Mattia Cattaneo (ITA)
- Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED)
- Remco Evenepoel (BEL)
- Tim Merlier (BEL)
- Valentin Paret-Peintre (FRA)
- Maximilian Schachmann (GER)
- Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL)
- Ilan Van Wilder (BEL)
Lotto Cycling Team
Arnaud De Lie, Brent Van Moer, Jarrad Drizners, Eduardo Sepúlveda, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jenno Berckmoes, Jasper De Buyst and Sébastien Grignard will defend the colors of Lotto Cycling Team in the upcoming Tour de France. They’ll do so in a unique jersey- loyal partner Caps will be prominently featured on the kit for the three-week race- as they fight for victory.
Lotto Cycling Team is thus heading to France with a varied and well-balanced squad. With Jarrad Drizners and experienced rider Jasper De Buyst, Arnaud De Lie has excellent support for his sprint train. Lennert Van Eetvelt will rely on support in the mountain stages, notably from Eduardo Sepulveda. “Brent Van Moer and Sebastien Grignard showed in Switzerland last week that they can take on various roles. They’re riders you can always count on. And Jenno Berckmoes proved he’s in good form with his stage win in the Baloise Belgium Tour. That Arnaud De Lie is coming back from a difficult period is something we all know, but in the Tour de Suisse he gained confidence day by day. He’s back to his old self and ready for three weeks in France.”
Lennert Van Eetvelt will also make his Tour de France debut on Saturday. For Arnaud De Lie, it will be his second appearance. “Without putting pressure on our young guys- we’re going to France mainly to learn- we still believe in our chances. There will be sprint opportunities for De Lie, and climbing chances for Lennert”, explains sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer in more detail about the selection. “With Drizners we have someone who can keep the group together; De Buyst and Sepulveda will bring their experience and composure. I believe that with this diverse and strong squad, we can make it a great Tour.”
Both Lennert Van Eetvelt and Sébastien Grignard suffered serious crashes last Sunday during the Belgian Championships. Further medical checks have since shown nothing alarming, so fortunately both are cleared to start without any problems.
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