Tour de France 2025 through the lens of James Startt - Stage 13
On each stage at the Tour de France, James Startt selects his image of the day, offering a unique perspective on the rolling citadel and the characters who inhabit it.
Tadej Pogačar’s dominance of this Tour de France continues. The yellow jersey was the overwhelming favourite to win the mountain time trial to Peyragudes on stage 13 and he duly lived up to his billing, beating Jonas Vingegaard by 36 seconds to rack up his fourth stage win of the race.
But even if Pogačar makes it look easy sometimes, he still had to dig deep for his win and the effort was etched across his face as he battled with the steep final ramp to the line. He confessed afterwards that he had relented slightly with 3km to go, mindful that he had to keep a little in reserve for the tough finale.
Still, in the post-stage press conference, Pogačar showed little inclination to manage his efforts from here to Paris, even though he has a four-minute lead over Vingegaard in the overall standings. Asked if he would continue to chase stage wins, Pogačar said: “If there’s an opportunity, you go for it: you cannot say no to a stage in the Tour.”
His running tally already stands at 21 and there’s no sign of the pace relenting.
James Startt is covering his 36th Tour de France. He is a two-time winner of the World Sports Photography awards and he currently serves as the creative director to inGamba luxury cycling tours.
