A three-week Grand Tour will always contain natural ebbs and flows, and, for much of Monday’s stage between Valenciennes and Dunkirk, it looked as if the peloton had declared an unofficial rest day, with the riders happy to cruise back towards the coast after a weekend of wind, rain and intensity.

A key factor in being successful in the Tour de France is staving off dangers that crop up during the 3,320km race. With 21 stages across a 23-day period, the 2,075-mile course poses a range of challenges and terrains for the 184 riders battling it out for the yellow jersey.

After a wild start to the 2025 Tour de France, which has seen crashes and crosswinds cause havoc in the peloton to go with some sensation racing and memorable wins, the race arrives in Toulouse for a lumpy 157km route which could suit the sprinters or a determined breakaway.

Tadej Pogacar's Tour de France hopes suffered a blow on Sunday as the Slovenian's key domestique Joao Almeida withdrew following a crash on Friday.

Eddie Dunbar's first Tour de France has come to a premature conclusion, with the Corkman a non-starter on today's eighth stage of the race

Tour de France race promotional videos that feature crash highlight reels are coming under fire from one of the most influential team bosses in the peloton. Richard Plugge, general manager at Visma-Lease a Bike,

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) abandoned the Tour de France during stage 9 on Sunday, in a huge hit to overall leader Tadej Pogačar 's climbing support. Almeida's team confirmed on social media that he could not continue due to injuries suffered in a high-speed crash on stage 7, after struggling and being dropped from the peloton.

Every day, it is up to the race jury of the Tour de France to determine and impose penalties for any rule violations, including a yellow card, a fine, and/or time penalties. During these three weeks,