Tour de France

Valentin Paret-Peintre took a victory for the history books on stage 16 of the Tour de France, a success built on determination, confidence, and the unique Wolfpack spirit – all key ingredients of a memorable and emotional day for Soudal Quick-Step and France, who had been waiting for this win since last summer.

“I don't realize what has happened!”

A victory at the Tour is extraordinary, but to do it on the Mont Ventoux, that’s something completely different.

I believed in myself in the finale, pushed hard and continued to tell myself: ‘You have to do it, just give everything!’ I can’t tell you what this win means for me. I’ll need some time for everything to sink in”, said Valentin, the first Frenchman in 23 years to win on this mythical climb.

“The Giant of Provence”, a climb shrouded in mystery, which has been stirring people’s imagination long before the Renaissance – when Petrarch scaled it together with his brother just for the pleasure of doing so, a mark of the new humanistic spirit that was beginning to gain ground in the Western world – Mont Ventoux hosted a stage finish for the first time since 2013, and Valentin Paret-Peintre made sure of leaving an indelible mark on it.

A pure climber, the Frenchman was part of a large breakaway group that built a seven-minute maximum gap on the peloton, and even though the group splintered on the flat roads to Mont Ventoux, he and his Soudal Quick-Step teammates continued to stubbornly believe in their chances. Pascal Eenkhoorn set a big tempo before the climb to reduce the gap to the leaders, before Ilan Van Wilder took over as the road went up, paving the way for an attack of Valentin. The Tour of Oman runner-up attacked early, eager to make a selection and cut the margin of lone leader Enric Mas (Movistar).

The catch was made five kilometers from the finish, and the newly-formed front group continued working together, hoping to hold off the chasers and fight for victory. Despite starting the ascent with a five-minute advantage over the peloton, they had only one minute in hand going under the flamme rouge. That’s when Ilan Van Wilder came into the picture; the Belgian mounted a formidable comeback, à la Stephen Roche, joining the leaders with just 500 meters to go and immediately going to the front to set the tempo. It was a magnificent assist from Van Wilder, and at the same time, a remarkable display of the beautiful Wolfpack DNA, and Paret-Peintre made sure of capping it off with a monumental victory.

The Frenchman responded to an acceleration of Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), drawing level with the Irishman on the final bend before passing him in sight of the line, which he crossed first, ecstatic but in disbelief, as he gained immortality.

“To tell the truth, this wasn’t the plan at the start of the day. I really thought that it was going to be a stage for the general classification contenders, but when I saw that a big group was on the move, I said that I had nothing to lose if I join them. I felt good, and having two teammates in that group was a big confidence-boost. I told them that I had strong legs and believed in my chances, and they did an incredible job. I am extremely grateful for this, I will never forget Ilan’s effort and pulls in the final kilometer. It’s hard for me to tell you how I managed to win this stage, but I did it and now I’m on cloud nine. This is a special day for myself, for my team, and for my country, and I can’t describe just how happy I am”, said Valentin, who was just one-year-old the last time a French rider won on the Mont Ventoux.

Ilan Van Wilder, the MVP of the day and fourth on the stage, couldn’t hide his emotions at the finish: “I’m so happy for Valentin and for the team. The last couple of days haven’t been easy for us, but we kept believing in ourselves, because we knew what we’re capable of. Valentin told us that he felt very good, so we decided to play this card. When I saw in the last few kilometers that I wasn’t very far from the leading group, I gave it my all to come back. I managed to bridge across inside the final kilometer and didn’t hesitate for a second when it came to pulling hard, because I knew that the yellow jersey was rapidly approaching. What we achieved today is amazing. It’s a day I will never forget!”

“We all know Valentin is a smart rider and a great climber with quite the punch, but to see him win on this iconic ascent it something unbelievable, that makes us very proud. It’s a triumph that wouldn’t have been possible without Ilan, who admirably fought his way back to the front at the right time and provided an incredible lead-out on the Mont Ventoux. It was a superb moment, one that shows why we are the Wolfpack. Winning four stages at the Tour de France is a huge achievement for our beautiful team, a performance which speaks volumes about how hard we work the entire time”, added Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré after our squad’s 55th Le Tour stage victory.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images