Daniel Benson is a Tour de France veteran, having covered 14 editions of the race as editor-in-chief of Cyclingnews and Velo, and now running his Substack newsletter. Through the 2025 Tour de France, Daniel will be writing a series of dispatches exclusively for BikeRadar, bringing you his unique insight into cycling’s greatest race and, as the Tour develops, a behind-the-scenes view that only a reporter with his contacts book can bring.
The 2025 Tour de France kicks off in Lille on Saturday with an expected bunch sprint set to decide the winner of stage one and the first wearer of the coveted yellow jersey.
In previous years, Mark Cavendish would have targeted such an opener, but with the record-setting Tour stage winner now firmly retired, it falls to another wave of British hopefuls to attempt to make their mark on this year’s race.
When it comes to pure sprinters, there isn’t a clear standout among the 11 British riders in Lille. However, there are several riders capable of punchy finishes, and a handful of breakaway specialists and GC candidates, that all UK cycling fans should follow throughout the three-week Grand Tour.
British riders in the 2025 Tour de France
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
- Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL)
- Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL)
- Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Joseph Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ)
- Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious)
Geraint Thomas’ Tour de France swansong
Ineos Grenadiers arrive at the Tour with a bigger contingent of British riders than any other team, with Geraint Thomas, Connor Swift and Sam Watson among their eight-rider roster.
Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour, is heading into his final edition of the race before hanging up his wheels after a long and distinguished career. While the Welshman might not be the force he once was in terms of having any real GC aspirations, he remains a talismanic figure for the British team, and there’s growing speculation he’ll join the its senior management at the end of this season.
Before that, Thomas has the small matter of racing around France for three weeks to focus on. His role at the 2025 Tour will be to mentor and shepherd the younger riders in the Ineos Grenadiers team, while also aiming for a final stage win, having previously won three.
Prediction: Wins a Tour de France stage to round out his career as one of Britain’s best-ever riders
Sam Watson debuts and Connor Swift returns
Thomas is joined in the Ineos team by fellow Brits Watson and Swift. Watson found out only two days ago that he would be making his Tour debut, but after winning the elite British men’s National Road Championship at the end of June, he’s clearly in excellent form.
The 23-year-old only joined Ineos at the start of the year from French team Groupama–FDJ, but has thrived almost immediately with a string of impressive wins, including the Tour de Romandie prologue and 4 Jours de Dunkerque general classification.
He’ll be in the mix for the reduced bunch sprints that will feature in this year’s Tour and might also look to a breakaway as the race unfolds.
Swift, on the other hand, is heading into his fourth Tour de France, and he’ll be on domestique duty for most of the race as Ineos aims to protect Carlos Rodriguez’s GC hopes.
Prediction: Gets stuck in during the reduced bunch sprints and uses the Tour de France as a massive learning curve. Winning a stage will be tough but not impossible given his form and confidence.
Yates twins on minder duties for the race’s two hot favourites
When it comes to the overall standings, there are several potential GC candidates for a top-10 spot among the Brits at the race.
Adam Yates finished on the podium two years ago, and while the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider will be entirely focused on helping Tadej Pogačar defend his 2024 title and win a fourth Tour, the experienced British climber should naturally find himself in contention for a high GC ride. Yates recently finished the Giro d’Italia, but that shouldn’t hold him back this July.
His twin brother, Simon, who won the Giro d’Italia thanks to a stunning long-range attack on the final mountain stage, is also at the Tour and serving in a support role.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider will have a very similar role to his brother, riding alongside two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard. It’s not hard to imagine both Yates brothers finishing inside the top 10 when the race concludes in Paris in just over three weeks’ time, even if that comes as the result of playing minder to the two hot favourites.
Prediction: Simon Yates will be resolute in the mountains and will often be Vingegaard’s last line of defence. As for brother Adam, he’ll help blow the race apart alongside João Almeida as UAE Team Emirates-XRG look to control the peloton. Finishing on the podium will be beyond both brothers this time around, but top 10s are possible.
Watch out for Oscar Onley, supported by Sean Flynn
Oscar Onley isn’t going to be weighed down by working for another teammate and the 22-year-old Scot is an excellent candidate for a high position in the overall standings.
Competing for the yellow jersey is beyond the Picnic PostNL leader, and this is only his second Tour de France, but his form at the recent Tour de Suisse – a vital warm-up before the Tour and a key indicator of how the race could develop – saw Onley finish third overall.
The team has looked to take the pressure off Onley by emphasising that stage wins are the priority, and the first week of the Tour in northern France is fraught with danger and obstacles. But if the youngster can ride his luck and avoid setbacks, he could be one of the race’s revelations.
He’ll be joined by teammate Sean Flynn, who is a debutant in the race. Flynn is a solid all-rounder and, along with working for the team as a loyal domestique, he’ll no doubt have his own chances to shine by infiltrating breakaways on the stages that suit him best.
Prediction: Onley could suffer in the first week due to crosswinds and crashes, but will leave his mark on the race, either with a breakaway in the mountains or just a solidly consistent ride that nets him a position in the top 15 overall. Flynn will ride in support every step of the way.
Jake Stewart and Joseph Blackmore are set to shine
Israel-Premier Tech heads into the Tour de France boasting a team crammed with talent. Canadian Michael Woods is probably the team’s best hope for success in the high mountains, but they have two of the most versatile and exciting riders in the entire race, in Jake Stewart and Joseph Blackmore.
Stewart won his first WorldTour race in June during a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, and he is brimming with confidence. At the team presentation in Lille on Thursday evening, he confirmed to me that he would be targeting several stages within the race, starting with stage two on Sunday.
Blackmore is heading into his Grand Tour debut, and at only 22, he’s widely seen as a star of the future. He won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2024, a race widely considered a mini Tour de France for young riders.
He became the first British rider to win the race, and although he lacks experience over three weeks, he’ll be using the Tour de France as a launchpad for the future. A GC bid is probably beyond Blackmore this year, but he’ll be in the mix for several breakaway days and will come back to the Tour as a future contender.
Prediction: Jake Stewart will outdo teammate Pascal Ackermann in the sprints and follow up his Dauphiné stage with another standout performance at the Tour. A stage win will be tough, given the pedigree on show here, but a top-three finish in a stage should be within his grasp. As for Blackmore, he’ll be rock-solid after the first week. It’s too soon for a GC bid in his career, but a few breaks should be possible.
Lewis Askey and Fred Wright round out the Brit pack
The final two Brits on Saturday’s start line are Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious).
Both riders are set to move teams at the end of the season, with Askey heading to Israel-Premier Tech and Wright joining Tom Pidcock at Q36.5 Pro Cycling – but before those transfers take place, the pair will want to leave their marks on the Tour.
Askey has been in flying form this year, and could be another contender from a reduced bunch sprint on a tough stage, while Wright will no doubt race aggressively and target a stage win through a breakaway.
Prediction: Askey will fire on the undulating stages where a small group contests the win, while Wright will be on the attack every chance he gets as he looks to take his maiden Grand Tour stage win.
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