Valentin Paret-Peintre

Valentin Paret-Peintre
Paret-Peintre at 2023 Giro d'Italia
Personal information
Born (2001-01-14) 14 January 2001
Annemasse, France
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Team information
Current teamSoudal–Quick-Step
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur teams
2014–2019VC Annemasse
2018BTWIN U19 Racing Team
2019Van Rysel–AG2R La Mondiale[1]
2020–2021Chambéry CF
Professional teams
2022–2024AG2R Citroën Team[2][3]
2025–Soudal–Quick-Step
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
1 individual stage (2025)
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (2024)

Valentin Paret-Peintre (born 14 January 2001) is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Soudal–Quick-Step.[4] His older brother Aurélien Paret-Peintre is also a professional cyclist.

A climbing specialist, Paret-Peintre turned professional with AG2R Citroën Team in 2022, and took his first victory the following year at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, winning stage 10 from the breakaway.[5] After moving to Soudal–Quick-Step for the 2025 season, he won the Muscat Classic and a stage of the 2025 Tour of Oman, finishing second overall while securing both the points and young rider classifications. Later that year, he became the first Frenchman in 23 years to win on Mont Ventoux at the 2025 Tour de France, taking stage 16 and delivering the race's first French stage win.

Early life and amateur career

Born in Annemasse, Haute-Savoie, Paret-Peintre grew up in a cycling family; his father Olivier has served as president of Vélo Club Annemasse, and his siblings Aurélien and Maéva also raced. He began competing at around six years old and later rode for VC Annemasse at junior level.[6][7][8]

As a junior, Paret-Peintre competed for VC Annemasse and the Van Rysel–AG2R La Mondiale development teams. In 2018, he won the Tour du Pays d'Olliergues and was runner-up at the Classique des Alpes Juniors; that spring he earned France U19 selection and debuted at the Tour du Pays de Vaud.[9][10]

In 2019, Paret-Peintre won the Classique des Alpes Juniors and took the Auvergne–Rhône–Alpes regional junior road title at Sauvain, although crashes in July and August curtailed the second half of his season.[11][12][13][14]

He joined Chambéry Cyclisme Formation for 2020, taking his first U23 stage win at the Ronde de l'Isard (stage 3 to Ax 3 Domaines) and finishing sixth overall.[15] He subsequently turned professional in 2022 with AG2R Citroën Team.[16]

Paret-Peintre turned professional in 2022 with AG2R Citroën Team. In 2024, he took his first pro win on stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia from the breakaway.[17]

Professional career

2022–25: AG2R

In 2022 he joined the AG2R Citroën Team alongside his brother Aurélien. In August 2022 he placed ninth on stage 3 of the 2022 Tour de l'Ain.[18]

In April 2023, after a 150 km breakaway, he finished ninth on stage 5 of the 2023 Tour of the Alps.[19] That May, he rode his first Giro d'Italia, finishing fifth on stage 13 to Crans-Montana.[20] In June he placed eighth at the 2023 Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge.[21]

He opened his 2024 season with an eighth place overall at the 2024 Tour Down Under.[22] As a domestique for Ben O'Connor at the 2024 Tour of the Alps, he finished ninth, fifth and third on stages 3–5 respectively, placing fourth overall, 44 seconds behind winner Juan Pedro López.[23]

In May, he claimed his first professional victory by winning stage 10 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, soloing to the line ahead of Romain Bardet and Jan Tratnik.[24] Later that season, he made his debut at the Vuelta a España, finishing 45th overall while supporting O'Connor, who placed second on the general classification.[25]

2025–present: Soudal–Quick-Step

On 25 September 2024, it was announced that Paret-Peintre would leave Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale at the end of the season to join Soudal Quick-Step on a contract through 2026.[26] In the team's announcement he described Quick-Step as a "legendary team" whose history of victories in Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders had inspired him, adding that he aimed to become a strong climbing domestique and target top-ten finishes in week-long stage races.[26]

Paret-Peintre began his 2025 season in Oman, finishing sixth at the Muscat Classic in the winner's time.[27] At the 2025 Tour of Oman, riding as team leader, he won the decisive final stage to Jebel Akhdar and placed second overall, six seconds behind Adam Yates. He also won the points and young rider classifications.[28][29][30]

On 22 July, Paret-Peintre won Stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de France from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, becoming the first French stage winner of the race and the first Frenchman to win on Ventoux since 2002; he became the fifth French rider to triumph on the climb after Raymond Poulidor (1965), Bernard Thévenet (1972), Jean-François Bernard (1987) and Richard Virenque (2002).[31][32][33]

Major results

2018
2nd La Classique des Alpes Juniors
2019
1st La Classique des Alpes Juniors
2020
6th Overall Ronde de l'Isard
1st Stage 3
2021
1st Overall Tour de Moselle
4th Paris–Tours Espoirs
4th Giro del Belvedere
2023
8th Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge
2024 (1 pro win)
1st Stage 10 Giro d'Italia
4th Overall Tour of the Alps
8th Overall Tour Down Under
2025 (2)
1st Stage 16 Tour de France
2nd Overall Tour of Oman
1st Points classification
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 5
6th Muscat Classic

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2023 2024 2025
Giro d'Italia 37 16 —
Tour de France — — 41
Vuelta a España — 45
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References

  1. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre". FirstCycling.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre - Espoir 2". ag2r-citroen-u23-team.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. ^ Fletcher, Patrick (23 December 2021). "2022 team preview: AG2R Citroën". Cycling News. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Soudal Quick-Step". UCI.org. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Giro d'Italia 2024: Valentin Paret-Peintre beats idol Bardet to stage 10 victory". The Guardian. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Tour de France 2025: poids plume, transmission familiale et changement d'équipe... Qui est Valentin Paret-Peintre, le héros français du Ventoux?" [Tour de France 2025: featherweight, family roots and a team change... Who is Valentin Paret-Peintre, the French hero of the Ventoux?]. RMC Sport (in French). 22 July 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Bonne : Valentin Paret-Peintre, le « petit prince du Ventoux », accueilli en héros dans le club présidé par son père" [Bonne: Valentin Paret-Peintre, the "little prince of the Ventoux", welcomed as a hero in the club chaired by his father]. Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). 16 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Effectif 2021 : Valentin Paret-Peintre" [Squad 2021: Valentin Paret-Peintre]. Chambéry Cyclisme Formation (in French). 19 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre venait pour gagner" [Valentin Paret-Peintre came to win]. DirectVélo (in French). 9 May 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre va devoir improviser" [Valentin Paret-Peintre will have to improvise]. DirectVélo (in French). 1 June 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  11. ^ Magnat, David (8 June 2019). "Valentin Paret-Peintre, vainqueur de la Classique des Alpes juniors : « Dans le final, je pensais à toute la famille »" [Valentin Paret-Peintre, winner of the Classique des Alpes Juniors: "In the finale I was thinking of the whole family"]. Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Championnat Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – Juniors : Classement" [Auvergne–Rhône–Alpes Championships – Juniors: results]. DirectVélo (in French). 1 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre sur la touche" [Valentin Paret-Peintre sidelined]. DirectVélo (in French). 21 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Fin de saison pour Valentin Paret-Peintre" [Season over for Valentin Paret-Peintre]. DirectVélo (in French). 27 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  15. ^ Rollin, Vincent (19 September 2020). "Valentin Paret-Peintre : « C'est inespéré »" [Valentin Paret-Peintre: "It's unexpected"]. DirectVélo (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Paul Lapeira et Valentin Paret-Peintre passeront professionnels en 2022" [Paul Lapeira and Valentin Paret-Peintre to turn professional in 2022]. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team (in French). 5 July 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Giro d'Italia 2024: Valentin Paret-Peintre beats idol Bardet to stage 10 victory". The Guardian. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Tour de l'Ain 2022 – stage 3 results". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Tour des Alpes : Valentin Paret-Peintre s'est montré" [Tour of the Alps: Valentin Paret-Peintre showed himself]. Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Tour d'Italie : Valentin Paret-Peintre 5e à Crans-Montana" [Giro d'Italia: Valentin Paret-Peintre fifth at Crans-Montana]. Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). 19 May 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge: Martinez s'impose" [Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge: Martinez wins]. L'Équipe (in French). 13 June 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Tour Down Under 2024 – GC". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Tour des Alpes : Lopez vainqueur, O'Connor 2e" [Tour of the Alps: López wins, O'Connor second overall]. L'Équipe (in French). 21 April 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  24. ^ "Valentin Paret-Peintre sort le grand jeu en remportant la 10e étape du Giro" [Valentin Paret-Peintre produces a masterclass to win Giro stage 10]. L'Équipe (in French). 14 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  25. ^ "Vuelta 2024: Ben O'Connor termine 2e derrière Vingegaard" [Vuelta 2024: Ben O'Connor finishes 2nd behind Vingegaard]. Le Monde (in French). 16 September 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Transferts : Valentin Paret-Peintre quitte Decathlon-AG2R pour Soudal Quick-Step" [Transfers: Valentin Paret-Peintre leaves Decathlon–AG2R for Soudal Quick-Step]. L'Équipe (in French). 25 September 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  27. ^ "Muscat Classic 2025 – Classement" [Muscat Classic 2025 – Results]. L'Équipe (in French). 7 February 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  28. ^ Moultrie, James (12 February 2025). "Tour of Oman: Valentin Paret-Peintre wins stage 5 on Green Mountain". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  29. ^ "2025 Rankings – General classification". Tour of Oman (official). 12 February 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  30. ^ "2025 Rankings – Points & Young rider classifications". Tour of Oman (official). 12 February 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  31. ^ "Tour de France 2025: Valentin Paret-Peintre conquers Mont Ventoux to win stage 16 – as it happened". The Guardian. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  32. ^ Quétard, Audrey (22 July 2025). "Tour de France 2025 : Valentin Paret-Peintre signe la première victoire française au terme d'une 16e étape spectaculaire" [Tour de France 2025: Valentin Paret-Peintre takes the first French win after a spectacular Stage 16]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  33. ^ "Tour de France 2025 : le résumé de la victoire de Valentin Paret-Peintre au sommet du mont Ventoux" [Tour de France 2025: summary of Valentin Paret-Peintre's victory on Mont Ventoux]. Le Monde (in French). 22 July 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
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