David Millar's TdF Diaries – Week 1
Recapping life from inside the bubble

For every cycling fan, July is the most important month of the year. And France is the most important country. Though there are maybe hundreds of beautiful races all over the world throughout the year, the Tour de France is undeniably the biggest, wildest, most important three weeks in the cycling calendar. Even a hardened old pro like David Millar can get caught up in the fever, despite having raced the Tour twelve times and worked as a TV commentator at the race another ten times. It is still a magical experience.
Factor’s Brand Director is currently doing double-duty working his final year as a commentator for British television. He is on the ground, soaking up the atmosphere and reporting back about his experiences and insights. His daily dispatches are sent via email to those who have opted to receive them.
The fact that this is probably David’s final year working as a commentator for British TV has inspired him to absorb as much as possible from the experience, to welcome those unplanned moments outside the race, and invite his readers to join him on the journey.
This piece is the written equivalent of an hour-long recap show, but to get the full flavour of the adventure, be sure to sign up to have David’s TDF Diaries sent directly to your email inbox.
Saturday, 05.07.2025
Stage 1: LILLE MÉTROPOLE > LILLE MÉTROPOLE 184.9 km
A day for the crosswinds to rip apart the Tour. Some were ready. Others were caught out and lost time.

David’s take: “Everyone knew the 90-degree right hander at 17km to go would be the defining moment. Pete Kennaugh had checked the course and wind direction out yesterday and called it as the critical point of the race; my ride this morning with Christian Vande Velde, Bob Roll and Fabian Wegmann confirmed it. And still, so many riders weren’t ready for it. Tadej Pogacar was crazily isolated in the kilometres leading up to it, Tim Wellens being the only one of his teammates who made it to him in time. Visma, Deceuninck, UNO-X all nailed it. That was it though regarding teams; the remainder were vigilant lone warriors. One kilometre after passing through that corner at 17km, only 36 riders were left of the peloton.
“The thing is with days like today is that it’s fundamentally different to the mountains where it’s pure physical power to weight, where watts and efficiency almost always dictate the outcome. Crosswind days are about who can handle the cognitive load of being ever present, in the right place at the right time. This is why stage races are so interesting, and why Tour de France winners are more than one thing, they have an arsenal that goes way beyond quantifiable numbers. The best racers have an x-factor mental capacity that allows them to transcend stressful situations with a lucidity way beyond the norm. It’s for that reason I find crosswind days to be the most revealing of a racer’s pedigree, so much more than mountains.”
Sunday, 06.07.2025
Stage 2: LAUWIN-PLANQUE > BOULOGNE-SUR-MER 209.1 km
The longest stage of the Tour started out in miserable fashion raining buckets. It would eventually dry out and the breathless final saw Jonas Vingegaard push the pace again only to watch Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar fight it out for the stage win, with van der Poel getting the better of Pogacar. Face-offs like these are catnip for all cycling fans, even if it’s hard to choose a favourite.

David’s take: “The insult of rain is added to the injury of distance today, because it also happens to be the longest stage of this year’s race at 209km. I’d pity them, yet the weathered old pro in me doesn’t have much sympathy. In my first Tour de France in 2000, we had three much longer stages in the final week: 250km, 247km and 255km. Those were the days, and they were awful. My final TdF stage win in 2012 also happened to be the longest of that year’s race, 226km, it wasn’t wet, it was hot as hell. Today has the potential to be a good day’s racing, and concludes a troublesome opening weekend for the riders, as yesterday wasn’t a pleasant first day, and it’s a stark reminder of how bike racing is at the whim of weather.
“As for Stage 2, it was an interesting final 10km. I'm finding it fascinating watching Pogacar, he’s racing differently, incredibly restrained, he looks like a coiled spring. We’re accustomed to him rarely remaining coiled, exploding into action at the merest hint of provocation. Although these first two stages he has been the quiet one, even in the crosswinds he was conservative, it was VIngegaard who was forcing the action, similarly it was Vingegaard who spontaneously attacked yesterday. Pogacar is soaking it all in, hyper vigilant, always present, almost stalking his prey.
Van der Poel did what only he can do, led out the sprint from over 500m to go and crushed it, it’s an awe-inspiring sight, as if he has two sprints, the first sitting down putting everybody into the redzone, then the second a violent out-of-the-saddle explosion that looks like he’s going to break his bike, while also being strangely elegant, and unquantifiably powerful dance to the line. Pogacar could barely come off his wheel.”
Monday, 07.07.2025
Stage 3: VALENCIENNES > DUNKERQUE 178.3 km
A super strong headwind all day kept the pack bunched up and fresh for a final sprint that would prove there is no safe place in the peloton when the shit hits the fan. Though the sprint was won by current European Champion Tim Merlier, the day was more notable for the unfortunate crash that took Jasper Philipsen out of the race as well as a crash late in the stage for Remco Evenepoel.

David’s take: “I’ve had a slower morning, and took the opportunity to go for a run along the beach of Dunkerque, this doesn’t quite fall into the category of accident tourism… I’ve watched the film, read books, listened to podcasts about it, so seeing the famous beach and the site of Operation Dynamo was a bit of a must for me. It was quite surreal running along the promenade, the wind was howling, yet it was quiet and peaceful, or maybe I was over-compensating that sentiment imagining what it must have been like in 1940. I wondered whether 85 years ago there had been people amidst the hellscape imagining if one day it would ever return to peace, whether Dunkerque would ever be rebuilt, if life would ever return to what it had been. The town had been destroyed, and over 300,000 allied soldiers surrounded. When the British Admiralty decided to retreat their hope was to rescue 45,000 of them, they named it Operation Dynamo. The scale of the task quickly became clear, and the call was put out for all seaworthy vessels, no matter their size, to support. Nearly 400 volunteered to aid in the evacuation. Ferrying back and forth across the channel from England to Dunkerque while being continuously attacked from the ground and air. In total 338,000 allied soldiers were brought back. And here we are, in a rebuilt Dunkerque, waiting for the Tour de France to arrive, surreal.
“As for the race, it went from nothing happening to everything happening. The intermediate sprint saw a horrible crash that led to the abandonment of Philipsen, broken collarbone by the looks of it. There were a lot of crashes, it was absolute carnage out there, which often happens when there’s been a headwind on a flat day. It makes for far too many fresh riders in the final, as they’ve been so protected from the wind, much more than in a “normal” slipstream. Everyone thinks they’re superman, and everybody is up there battling for the win. Merlier and Milan went head-to-head and it was intense to watch; they’re arguably the two fastest sprinters in the world, and it came down to the bike throw on the line.”
Tuesday, 08.07.2025
Stage 4: AMIENS MÉTROPOLE > ROUEN 174.2 km
Pogacar had announced during the Dauphiné that he wanted to take his 100th victory at the Tour de France, so avoided winning too many stages at the main tune-up race ahead of the Tour. It’s a sign of his ubiquitous dominance that no one doubted he would do it. It took him only four stages to fulfil his ambition, and in some great style. Or was it? The stage to Rouen had everything we are used to seeing from Pogacar and his UAE teammates, except the fact when Pogacar attacked, he didn’t drop everyone. Vingegaard held on and increased the hope that this year, the Tour would be decided only in the waning hours of the final stages.

David’s take: “I set off this morning and rode the final 30km today in order to check out the last four climbs. Just 4km after setting off, the battery died on my derailleur. Schoolboy error. I was committed though, and figured it would be a fun challenge doing it on a single speed. 46x21 was the gear SRAM had chosen for me. Seemed doable: terribly easy on the flat, impossible on descents, a struggle on the climbs. Turned out okay, although on the final climb I had to have a little pause because I was blowing up and the road was getting steeper and steeper. I pretended I had important messages to check on my phone as there were already a lot of fans lining up.
“The recon was worth doing, it’s going to be a GC race, it’s harder than the Stage 2 finale, and that stage already saw Vingegaard coming out to play. The final 27km are Ardennes-like, the climbs are all short, the road at times narrow and there aren’t immediate descents over the summits. The final climb is a horror show, okay, perhaps my personal experience isn’t quite representative of how the Tour de France peloton will experience it, although putting that aside I do think it’s hard enough to inspire action from the favourites.
“Holy moly, now that was some bike racing. Sitting here slightly dazed at how intense those final 20km were. These are the best days of commentary, it goes from pedestrian chit chat to full speed non-blinking mania. It was so interesting to watch UAE and Visma flikflak control at the front towards the end. Campenaerts was next level delivering his team into the final climb like a maestro, then UAE took it back over and the inevitable attack came from Pogacar, only something strange happened. For the first time in 2025, and maybe 2024, he didn’t drop everyone. Vingegaard hung on, just, but hang on he did - and for my own mental health, that final climb did look very, very hard, so I don’t feel so bad about having to have a little pause on it. It was Pogacar’s 100th career win, and doing it in the rainbow jersey, at the Tour de France, ahead of his only two real rivals, Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Vingegaard. It’s kind of perfect.”
Wednesday, 09.07.2025
Stage 5: CAEN > CAEN 33 km ITT
The first individual time trial of the Tour, and by modern standards quite long and flat. Perfect for World and Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel to get back on solid GC footing. Big surprise of the day though turned out to be Jonas Vingegaard shipping over a minute to Pogacar and Evenepoel, even dropping off the podium thanks to a stellar ride by young French hope, Kévin Vauquelin. Vauquelin proved difficult to dislodge from the lead at the recent Tour de Suisse. He’ll be one to watch.

David’s take: “I rolled through the team parking area, stopped and said hi to Israel - Premier Tech, admired the bikes, a little envious I’d never got to race on the HANZŌ. I was about to write it’s like something from the future, but then I guess I look at it through the eyes of the younger pro cyclist me - stuck in the past. Then I went and visited INEOS Grenadiers as I had heard that Dave Brailsford is here. I stood outside the bus and messaged my sister to get his number, while I was messaging back and forth with her, somebody from INEOS took a photo of me and sent it to her, “Recognise this guy?” Which completely bamboozled her. I got to see Dave; I haven’t seen him in years. We first met at the World’s in Zolder back in 2002 and became firm friends from the off. We went through a lot together, and he always stood by me. He said he’d thought of me recently because of all the noise around the first Oasis gigs, it reminded him of when the two of us had gone to see them together in 2005 - I think he’d got tickets to take my mind off the opening weekend of that year’s Tour de France - but that’s another story.
“The race was strange, there are so few pure TT specialists these days outside the GC riders. So it was basically a waiting game for the final handful of riders to roll down the start ramp. Remco was amazing, delivering on what was expected of him, which is no mean feat. Pogacar’s ride was also stunning, totally redeeming his off day in the Dauphiné TT. Vingegaard’s day was catastrophic, and a total surprise, especially after his ride yesterday to hang on to Pogacar on the final climb. Vingegaard had said that in doing so he hit his highest ever one minute power… in hindsight maybe that wasn’t a good thing. The danger of following Pogacar. So the ball is back in Pogacar’s court, if it ever left.”
Thursday, 10.07.2025
STAGE 6: BAYEUX > VIRE NORMANDI
David says: "I’m on a mid-race commentary break. As I sit here writing there is 116km to go and the average speed is 47.2km/h, and off the front of the race is what the French call an Echapée Royale. Which translated means a Royal Breakaway, in other words, a group made up of winners. It’s the sort of move that normally doesn’t arise in the first week of the Tour de France, yet here we are, Stage 6 and it’s all guns blazing. Intermarché-Wanty kept the peloton together until the intermediate sprint at 22km, which the longer the race goes on, the less it makes sense because Girmay got beaten by both Milan and MvdP and then the whole Intermarché-Wanty team, including Girmay, were promptly dropped. Not sure if that was in the pre-race plan. Then the floodgates opened and the peloton has been attacking relentlessly ever since. I think for most riders, it is akin to banging your head against a wall over and over again, while others take turns punching each other in the face. Oh, the best of times. Although it has allowed the cream to rise to the top, because when it races like this, being in the breakaway has very little to do with luck and almost everything to do with strength. I think it’s safe to say the win is coming from the breakaway today, maybe…"
Friday, 11.07.2025
STAGE 7: SAINT-MALO > MÛR-DE-BRETAGNE GUERLÉDAN
David says: "It feels very Tour de France today, vibes were strong on the drive to the finish. We took the final 8km of the race route, 4km from the finish it became crazy, as if we were arriving at a huge festival. Which I guess in a way we were, people who’ve never been to the Tour de France will find it difficult to comprehend. The race itself is almost a footnote, after all, it passes by in seconds, minutes if you’re lucky. Although the fans are out there hours before, sometimes camped up for days. It was mobbed on Mûr de Bretagne, took us an age to drive through it all, as if we were picking our way through a mass migration. It wasn’t at all frustrating, the enthusiasm and energy was contagious, although I’m concerned for the group who were very deep into their partying at 10:30am, going to be challenging to hold that pace for another six hours. They’re probably the type of fans who stay there after the race, cheer on every departing vehicle, before passing out and waking up alone under a tree sometime in the night, wondering where they are and more concerningly, no sign of the Tour de France. "
Saturday, 12.07.2025
STAGE 8: SAINT-MALO > SAINT-MÉEN-LE-GRAND > LAVAL ESPACE
David says: "Proper bunch sprint today, big roads and no crashes, although incredibly fast. Milan hit 78km/h in the final kilometre. I got terribly excited as Jake Stewart did a stunning lead out for Pascal Akermann, the Factor proto in full effect. Yet Milan was unstoppable: getting his first Tour de France stage win and cementing his reputation, because although he’s won multiple stages at the Giro, for a sprinter you haven’t proven yourself till you win at the Tour. Job done, he’s the real deal now. Pogacar was super chilled today, in sharp contrast to Vingegaard who was at times riding in the wind at the front of the peloton in the final 20km. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pogacar race like that. It was as if he gave himself a day off, happy to play with fire in exchange for a reduced cognitive load. Right into the final he held back, deep in the bunch with no concerns. It may not have been a physical day off for him, yet psychologically he gave himself a full recharge. I suppose the surprise time he’s gained on Vingegaard is an advantage he didn’t expect, and he’s treating it as a bonus to be used in more unorthodox ways…"
A shared love of the Tour
Why do we all love the Tour de France? How can a teenager growing up in Hong Kong fall in love with a sport while watching VHS Tour recap tapes of years past? Or a little girl in Colorado who was thrilled by the greats like Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond and Andy Hampsten racing the Coors Classic in downtown Denver. Or a young man in Taipei testing his skillz BMXing and strength fixed gearing? Different countries. Different ages. Different inspirations. But all the same love of the sport. What’s your Tour de France love affair origin story? Be sure to sign up to David’s TDF Diaries if you want to have inside access to the Tour through his eyes.
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