As the peloton rolls ever closer to the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025, it’s not just quads and cadence that are getting tested. In a race where watts matter and wattsapp even more, a different kind of leaderboard is turning heads—Google’s.
According to the cycling sleuths over at buycycle, the leading pre-owned premium bike marketplace, digital fandom has spoken.
And the most searched rider in this year’s Tour de France isn’t just leading the race—he’s lapping the internet.
1. Jonas Vingegaard – 673,000 monthly searches
Team: Visma | Lease a Bike | Bike: Cervélo R5
The Dane with nerves of steel and a face carved from IKEA plywood has returned with a vengeance. Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France champion and human metronome, tops the Google charts like a cycling Taylor Swift.
With an average of 673,000 monthly searches, he’s not just racing up Alpe d’Huez—he’s sprinting through cyberspace.
Despite a bone-rattling crash earlier this year, Vingegaard has slipped back into the saddle and the public’s affection with surgical precision. His Cervélo R5, engineered for mountain goat agility, is practically part of his anatomy at this point.
Pro Insight: “Back-to-back Tour wins (2022, 2023) and a much-anticipated return post-injury makes him the rider to watch in 2025.”
2. Tadej Pogačar – 368,000 monthly searches
Team: UAE Team Emirates – XRG | Bike: Colnago V4Rs
If Vingegaard is the ice, Pogačar is the fire. The Slovenian spark plug and reigning 2024 champion is back for more with the kind of form that makes espresso look sluggish.
Already a three-time Tour de France winner (2020, 2021, 2024), he’s hunting a historic fourth in the French countryside.
Pogačar’s ride—the Colnago V4Rs—is the mechanical equivalent of a violin tuned by a Formula 1 team. All speed, no wobble.
Pro Insight: “Four-time monument winner and three-time Tour de France champion; one of the sport’s most complete riders.”
3. Wout van Aert – 368,000 monthly searches
Team: Visma | Lease a Bike | Bike: Cervélo S5
Van Aert is cycling’s Swiss Army knife, minus the corkscrew. Sprint? Check. Climb? Sure. Time trial? You bet. With identical Google traffic to Pogačar, Wout’s value as a super-domestique and stage snatcher keeps fans—and rivals—on high alert.
His Cervélo S5 looks like it could be banned for being too fast in school zones. Aerodynamic as a javelin and equally lethal.
Pro Insight: “Multi-stage Tour winner, green jersey contender, and a cornerstone in Vingegaard’s Tour campaign.”
4. Remco Evenepoel – 301,000 monthly searches
Team: Soudal Quick-Step | Bike: Specialized Tarmac SL8
If Google searches awarded yellow jerseys, Remco would already have one before his tyres hit French tarmac. The Belgian prodigy makes his Tour de France debut this year and brings the kind of anticipation last seen when people queued overnight for iPhones.
Remco’s weapon of choice, the Specialized Tarmac SL8, is a sculpted blade disguised as a bike—quick uphill, quicker downhill.
Pro Insight: “One of the most anticipated debutants in recent Tour history; expected to shake up the general classification.”
5. Mathieu van der Poel – 246,000 monthly searches
Team: Alpecin–Deceuninck | Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR
Maverick. Showman. Chaos coordinator. Van der Poel isn’t here for GC dreams—he’s here to blow things up. Fresh off a 2024 Paris–Roubaix win, his every move is a highlight reel in the making.
His Canyon Aeroad CFR is a missile on wheels—designed for speed and glory, and not necessarily in that order.
Pro Insight: “Stage winner in previous Tours; brings explosive power and unpredictable tactics to the race.”
The Tour de France may be decided by watts, tactics, and the cruel mistress that is the Alps, but this digital data sprint reveals who’s already in yellow on the world’s browsers.
And whether you’re Googling bike specs or rider drama, one thing’s clear—cycling’s new season is as much a media marathon as it is a mountain slog.
After all, if you’re not trending, are you even racing?
