Tour de France 2025: the peloton heads to the Belle Indienne

Article reserved for subscribers

Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier won this Sunday, July 13th in Châteauroux, after a stage run at a very fast pace behind breakaway riders Mathieu Van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert. And through villages with exquisite place names.

Mathieu Van Der Poel and Jonas Rickaert escaped on the road to Châteauroux, this Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

The Tour de France got underway this Sunday, July 13, between Chinon (Indre-et-Loire) and Châteauroux (Indre), and we tried to unravel a mystery. Why on earth do we come across a town called La Belle Indienne? The peloton speeds across the country without ever stopping in places whose names cover so many stories. Villages with fantastic names, unheard-of places. Even on today's stage alone, the toponymy enthusiast had plenty to be spoiled for choice: Faye-la-Vineuse, Le Grenadier Français, the Col des Sarrazins, Saint-Lactencin, Chezelles...

The day's winner, sprinter Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step), felt at home in Châteauroux as he had already in Dunkirk . But neither he nor the rest of the peloton, launched at a mind-boggling average speed of 50 km/h, probably had time to appreciate the signs they came across. They spent the day chasing a breakaway from the Indre company, the teammates

Tour de France 2025 Mathieu Van der Poel Tadej Pogacar