THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

The speed, power and excitement of the 2025 Tour is spelled out by the drama of its data

- Chris Marshall-Bell

The 2025 Tour de France has been a race of speed, shock and sheer physical brilliance - and the numbers tell the story better than words alone. From blistering sprints topping 75kph, to breakaway masterclasses demanding eye-watering wattage, this year's race has shown just how high the bar continues to rise. Even in the first week, the GC battle burst into life earlier than expected, with astonishing VAM stats and time trial time losses shifting the dynamic dramatically. Meanwhile, concerns are growing over the shrinking ambition of breakaway hopefuls and the increasing dominance of bigbudget teams.

There are still four stages left to race as this issue is published, but the data already confirms that this has been a Tour like no other. These extraordinary stats paint a vivid picture of the race so far - and might just hint at what's to come.

Gaining height faster than ever

VAM - or vertical ascent metres per hour - measures how fast a rider climbs uphill. The steeper and faster the ascent, the higher the VAM. Tadej Pogačar has previously said that on 15-minute climbs averaging 7.5%, his VAM typically sits between 1,700 and 1,800m/h.

But on stage two of this year's Tour, both he and Jonas Vingegaard shattered those benchmarks. Tackling the short, sharp Rampe Saint-Hilaire (0.78km at 11.67%) in Rouen, the pair recorded a staggering VAM of 2,824m/h. It was a clear sign of how intense the race's opening days have been. “When I first saw the Tour route, I thought it would be an easy first week, but to be honest, it hasn't been,” admitted Vingegaard. This was no slow build - the race hit top gear almost immediately.

75.69KPH Sprinters are getting faster