The Vélo d'Or, the most prestigious award in cycling, was held in Paris and there were no surprises in the selection of winners. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the women's trophy and Tadej Pogačar won the men's trophy.
After years away from road cycling, Ferrand-Prévot (Visma–Lease a Bike) returned to the discipline this season after dominating mountain biking, winning both the world championship and the Olympic title. Upon her return, the Frenchwoman said that her ambition was to win the Tour de France, and she achieved it on her first attempt. This achievement earned her not only the top prize but also the first Jeannie Longo Trophy for the best French female road cyclist.
The 33-year-old Ferrand-Prévot not only won the Tour, but also had a strong spring classics season, winning Paris-Roubaix and finishing second in the Tour of Flanders.
Pogačar's season was also notable. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider not only won his fourth Tour, but also brought home his second consecutive world championship jersey at the Rwanda World Championships, the European Championship title, his fifth consecutive Il Lombardia victory and many other results. The 27-year-old Slovenian won the UAE Tour earlier in the season and added the yellow jersey of the Critérium du Dauphiné to his Tour win in July.
However, his one-day race results were particularly impressive — he won Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and achieved podium finishes at both Milan–San Remo and the Amstel Gold Race.
Perhaps his best classics performance came at Paris-Roubaix, where he finished second in his first appearance behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck). These results earned Pogačar the Eddy Merckx Trophy for best classics rider, the women's version of which went to Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx–Protime).
Beautiful video for Tadej Pogačar by L'Equipe in an honor for him winning the Velo d'Or. 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/hgfU7g6hdm
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) December 5, 2025
Here is the list of all the laureates of the Vélo d'Or 2025! #velodor pic.twitter.com/XHnStGvXf7
— L'Équipe (@lequipe) December 5, 2025
🏆 Tadej Pogacar, 2025 Men's Vélo d'Or: "It's a real honor and pleasure to receive this award again."
— L'Équipe (@lequipe) December 5, 2025
🏆 Tadej Pogacar, Vélo d'Or Hommes 2025: « It's a great honor and a great pleasure to receive this trophy again. » #velodor pic.twitter.com/NLyi5e9ZLb
👑 Un incroyable doublé Paris-Roubaix - Tour de France et Pauline Ferrand-Prévot devient la Vélo d'Or Femmes 2025 et nouvelle reine du cyclisme ! #velodor pic.twitter.com/FwDxVqb8XX
— L'Équipe (@lequipe) December 5, 2025
