Sam Bennett of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale (left) takes the sprint victory on stage 3 at Tour de la Provence(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
General view of a Team Cofidis rider falling inside 150km to go in Arles, as Sam Bennett (left) sprints to victory t(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Stage 3 winner Sam Bennett of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Samuel Leroux of Team TotalEnergies compete in the breakaway(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) rides in peloton during stage 3(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) at the start line in the Blue Leader Jersey talks with Fred Wright of Bahrain-Victorious, who wears the Blue Sprint Jersey, prior to stage 3(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won the 2025 Tour de la Provence after the peloton caught a late and determined attack in the final kilometre on the road to Arles in the South of France, sparking a hectic sprint finish.
Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) came late to win the stage, avoiding the chaos behind him. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) was second and Alexander Konijn (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur) was third
Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) appeared to hit a speed bump in the road and lost control of his bike just 100 metres from the finish, sparking a high-speed crash amongst the sprinters. Israel-Premier Tech said Ackermann suffered road rash and superficial wounds but did not suffer any fractures.
Pedersen avoided the crash and finished ninth and so secured overall victory.
"It was a good day, it was a fast day in the peloton. A strong breakaway got away late in the race and it was hard to catch them back. But we and other teams managed it. We ended up in the sprint we wanted. We didn't get the result but we still got the GC, so all is good," Pedersen explained.
"I think it was Ackermann who crashed and when he went down, of course, you slam on the brakes, you don't want to go down yourself. That destroyed the sprint for me but I'm happy I didn't go down.
"I still have some work to do, I'm not at my best yet. There's still two months until Paris-Roubaix."
How it unfolded
The final stage of the Tour de La Provence was the flattest of the race, offering a long day and 190km in the saddle.
Strangely, the early attacks were all chased down, with the peloton together even after a fast opening 70km of racing. It was a sign the finish would be fast and furious.
A slowing in the peloton inspired an attack and suddenly Raùl Garcia Pierna (Arkéa-B&B Hôtels), Samuel Leroux (TotalEnergies), Cériel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB), Daniel Smajkic Årnes (Van Rysel-Roubaix), Matisse Julien (CIC U Nantes) and Damien Girard (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur) got away. They quickly opened a two-minute lead.
Garcia Pierna was an overall threat and so the peloton kept them under control. However the attackers refused to give up hope and worked together in a slick and efficient paceline.
Garcia Pierna was eventually dropped in the final 10 kilometres, but the others pushed on, taking the fight to the peloton. Lidl-Trek did some of the work but with GC virtually assured they forced others to lead the chase and so Israel-Premier Tech and Unibet Tietema Rockets massed on the front in the final kilometres.
The gap to the attackers was still significant as they entered the final five kilometres but the peloton could see them and sensed an opportunity for another sprint show down.
Israel-Premier Tech had several sprint options but their hopes ended when Ackermann hit the speed bump in the final hundred metres and lost control of his bike. Others riders piled into him, disrupting the sprint.
Bennett was to the right and slightly ahead of the crash, giving him a clear run at the line. He did not hesitate and reproduced the speed that gave him victory on stage 1 in Saint-Victoret.
Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
