Dark horses to watch at the 2025 Tour de France

Recently crowned Norway’s national road champion, Andreas Leknessund heads into the Tour with confidence. His victory in the Norwegian championships in Hønefoss, was a demonstration of the 26-year-old's form, as he beat the Johannessen twins by over 20 seconds. Leknessund will be making his second appearance at the Tour, his most recent coming in 2022 for Team DSM. Before his transfer to Uno-X Mobility in 2024, Leknessund wore the maglia rosa in the 2023 Giro d’Italia for five stages.

Leknessund was a part of a strong breakaway which made it to the line in stage 3 of the Dauphiné, where he finished ninth on terrain which was not suited to his style. He will be relishing his chances at taking part in the breakaway poker at the Tour, which only becomes even greater in difficulty as modern cycling continues to evolve. Leknessund will be a key domestique for Tobias Halland Johannessen, who will be certainly fancying his chances at a strong general classification result, after a top five finish at the Dauphiné. Expect to see Leknessund competing for the stage victories from the break in the third week of the Tour as well as providing the support in key situations to Tobias Halland Johannessen.

Schmid warmed up for the Tour by completing the double in the Swiss national road and time trial championships. He pipped March Hirschi (Tudor) for the victory in the road race and beat Stefen Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R) by a second in the time trial. Schmid’s season so far has been a mixed affair with a lot of near misses, but he showcased his condition with participation in a multitude of breaks. The pick of the bunch for Schmid this year has to be his second-place finish on stage 7 of Paris-Nice behind Michael Storer (Tudor) on a miserable afternoon in Auron. In his Tour debut, Schmid will be looking to add to his only Grand Tour stage victory, which came at the 2021 Giro d’Italia. 

Schmid has the ability to be involved in the mix for top stage finishes in the Tour, especially in the opening week though some rolling terrain in northern France. He also has the climbing legs to join the breakaway battles in the mountains later in the race.

The 25-year-old is a Tour debutant and and he has performed strongly throughout the 2025 season, his first at Intermarché – Wanty. The Frenchman's best result was a superb sixth-place finish at Amstel Gold Race in April. Barré also caught the eye at the Dauphiné, first in the break on stage 3 and then by placing a solid eighth on the summit finish at Combloux.

That Dauphiné performance showed how Barré excels on a variety of terrain, from the punchy climbs to longer ascents, all while packing a strong sprint, which could prove very useful in group situations.

Einer Rubio is fresh off the back of a great Grand Tour performance at the Giro d’Italia, where he placed eighth overall. The 27-year-old shipped a huge amount of time in the two time trials of the Giro, but his steady climbing performances saw him rise in the overall standings.

With Enric Mas the leader of the Movistar at the Tour yet again, the pressure will certainly be off Rubio, at least in comparison with the Giro. Expect to see the Colombian get himself involved in the breakaway battles when the road climbs. He is perhaps is a long shot to compete for the polka-dot jersey if he is given a free role by the team and not locked into supporting Mas’ GC aspirations. Rubio already has a Grand Tour stage victory from the 2023 Giro d’Italia - ahead of Thibaut Pinot, no less - and he has the ability to add to that tally here. It just remains to be seen if he'll get the opportunity.

Jordan Jegat comes into the second Tour of his career on the back of a solid Dauphiné, where he placed 14th. He is another rider who packs a strong sprint for someone who excels on short steep climbs. Jegat’s performances in the one-week WorldTour stage races of Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque country bode well for his chances of getting himself involved in the fight for the breakaway at the Tour. 

In 2024, Jegat was involved in three breakaways with his best result a ninth placed finish on stage 17 into Superdévoluy, so he will be aiming to triumph that stage result come July. TotalEnergies will be looking to grab another stage victory after their triumph in 2024 through Anthony Turgis - will Jegat be the man to do it?

Want to get up to speed on all classifications? Check out our other previews of the key favourites:

• General classification: who are the top contenders for the yellow jersey?
• Points classification: can Girmay continue his success of last year?
• Mountain classification: breakaway success or the GC men?
• Youth classification: will Evenepoel be threatened?