Once again the best Frenchman in the Tour de France (13th in the final general classification), Guillaume Martin changes skin in 2025. After five seasons spent with Cofidis, the Ornais signed up with Marc Madiot’s Groupama-FDJ with whom he hopes to relaunch after two seasons without a victory.
In an ultra-competitive collective, alongside Madouas, Gaudu, Cavagna and Grégoire, the Norman hopes to participate in his ninth Tour de France, especially as the route passes in front of his home, on his training roads, in Suisse Normande. In 2025, he will also try to grab the big victory in the World Tour which is missing from his record.
Another Ornais will try to glean his first professional success: Nicolas Prodhomme. At ease during the last week of the Tour de France, for his discovery of the biggest race in the world, the Decathlon-AG2R rider showed his potential. He could well be one of the revelations of 2025. Alexis Gougeard was forced to retire. Forced to return to the amateurs two years ago after the closure of the B&B Hotels KTM team, the Cauchois had signed a one-year lease with Cofidis in 2024. Not retained, he did not find a team and decided to end his career.
Like Guillaume Martin, two other Normnds are changing horizons this year. For Paul Ourselin, exit TotalEnergies, where he spent the first nine years of his career. Here he is now at Cofidis. At the end of January, he will start in Australia before participating in several classics such as the Strade Bianche or Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Change also for Matis Louvel. After five years at Arkéa B&B Hotels, he took over the management of Israel Premier Tech. 17th in the Tour of Flanders and 15th place in Paris-Roubaix in 2022, he makes the French classic a goal.
Three Normans will be with the Bretons of Arkéa-BB Hotels in 2025. Alongside Kévin Vauquelin, Anthony Delaplace returns for another season. At 35 years old, the only winner of the three major regional races (Paris-Camembert, Polynormande and Tour de Normandie) will have the role of big brother, particularly to the young Cherbourgeois Léandre Lozouet. At the age of 20, he entered the world of adults, a few months after his podium at the European U21 Championships.
Among the women, the year 2025 promises to be captivating for our three champions Marion Bunel, Eglantine Rayer and Gladys Verhulst-Wild. The first mentioned, French revelation of the season, victorious in the Tour de l’Avenir, has just signed with the Visma team and will ride with the legend Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt, back on the road. After an excellent first Tour de France Femmes, Bunel hopes to be able to accompany the Olympic champion next August and shine throughout the year.
After two complicated first professional seasons at DSM, Eglantine Rayer signed up with FDJ-Suez and its armada formed around Demi Vollering, Evita Muzic and Juliette Labous. The Ornaise, European champion and vice-world champion, made her mark this summer by doing tremendous work to help Juliette Labous become champion of France, and achieved the feat of an incredible victory in the Tour de France. the Future after a solo raid of more than 80 km.
In 2025, Gladys Verhulst-Wild hopes to have left the bad luck behind her. Brilliant but unhappy (5th, 3rd and 8th) in the Tour de Normandie, she failed again by a small margin during the French championship (2nd in 2024 and 2022, 3rd in 2021). By leaving FDJ-Suez for the Belgian team AG Insurance-Soudal, she hopes to relaunch her career and return to the big tours.
