Tim Wellens reveals top priority after Tour de France Stage 15 victory: "I would swap this victory..."

Wearing the red, yellow, and black jersey of Belgian National Champion, Tim Wellens launched a daring long-range solo attack with over 40 kilometers to go. It was a strategy that echoed his victory at the Belgian National Championships just weeks earlier — same jersey, same bold move, same emphatic result.

Breaking away from a four-man lead group at the summit of the Cat.2 Pas du Sant climb, Wellens sensed it was time to gamble.

“At the top, I sensed I had my chance. I had to create a gap as quickly as possible so that the riders behind me would look at each other,” he explained.

And that’s exactly what happened. Former Tour stage winner Victor Campenaerts and the rest of the chasing group hesitated just long enough to give Wellens the breathing room he needed. From that point on, he never looked back.

A day of personal milestones and collective triumph

This win marked Tim Wellens’ first Tour de France stage victory and the fifth for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in this year’s race. The Belgian now joins an elite group of riders who have won stages across all three Grand Tours — a testament to his consistency and longevity.

“I knew I'd be on an elite list with winners of stages in all the Grand Tours. I had time to enjoy it. I actually wanted to raise my bike at the finish, but I was so happy I forgot,” Wellens told Sporza.

Despite briefly holding the polka-dot jersey earlier in the race, Wellens had experienced a tough Stage 14 due to a mechanical issue. But his resilience and instincts paid off when he capitalized on the opportunity to join the breakaway early on Stage 15.

“I saw an opportunity, I seized it, and I had the legs to finish it off,” he added.

Tadej Pogacar applauds Tim Wellens' victory

The win wasn’t just a personal milestone — it symbolized the strength and unity of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad. Tadej Pogacar, who continues to lead the general classification, joined Tim Wellens at the press conference to emphasize how significant the victory was for the team dynamic.

“This is one of the best days of this Tour. Tim is so important,” Pogacar said. “Someone who lives so dedicatedly to one goal all year takes his own chance here. That's good for the whole group. We will be even stronger now.”

Looking ahead with humility and purpose

Tim Wellens wasn’t even aware that his victory fell on Belgium’s National Holiday — a fitting coincidence — but insisted the timing wasn’t planned.

“Maybe I forgot it was the national day. It was just a nice way of going for a stage,” he admitted.

More than the glory of his solo effort or the national symbolism, Wellens remains focused on the bigger picture: helping his teammate secure yellow in Paris.