
Cofidis recovers all 11 stolen bikes at Tour de France
"I had Christian Prudhomme (the Tour's director) on the phone during the stage. He was with the prefect to tell us that the bikes had been found in the afternoon", Vasseur told France TV after the conclusion of the third stage.
The team had earlier reported that five of the 11 bikes had been recovered.
"Some of the staff combed the area and managed to get their hands on five bicycles, which had been thrown away by the criminals in undergrowth near the hotel", the team said in a press release.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
Cycling: Fill 'em up
NOT so long ago, cyclists heading into the Tour de France were skinny string beans weighing and measuring every grain of rice that entered their body but that image has not just gone, it's taken a seismic shift in the other direction. This year's riders will be gorging themselves like never before, taking on board the equivalent of a large plate of pasta per hour and even training their stomachs to cope with this influx of food.


The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Wellens wins Stage 15 to underscore UAE's Tour control
TIM WELLENS overpowered his breakaway companions in brutal fashion to claim victory on Stage 15 of the Tour de France, offering yet another sign - if one was needed - of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's iron grip on the race. The Belgian national champion, one of defending champion and overall leader Tadej Pogacar's domestiques, jumped away from a leading group of six some 43 kilometres from the finish and never looked back, beating compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 1:28. France's Julian Alaphilippe took third place, nine seconds further back. 'It's a very special victory, everybody wants to ride the Tour but not everybody wins on the Tour de France,' said Wellens. 'Suddenly there was a big crash... I followed one move and I was in the breakaway. 'I had an opportunity, I took it and I had legs to finish it.' Wellens' master, Pogacar, still leads Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13 in the overall standings, edging 169.3km closer to a fourth Tour title after the hilly ride between Muret and Carcassonne. German Florian Lipowitz sits in third place, 7:53 off the pace. 'I'm actually happier than for any of my wins,' said Pogacar, who added he was recovering from a sore throat. 'With all the ice we're having (to cool down from the heat) and the air conditioning, half of the peloton has a sore throat, it's a pain.' The top riders stayed quiet all day, Pogacar slowing down after Lipowitz and Vingegaard were caught up behind an early crash. It was a hectic stage with relentless attacks from riders looking to capitalise on the rare opportunity of a victory as flat and mountain stages are the exclusive domain of top sprinters and general classification contenders. The group who would fight for the win took shape after more than 100 kilometres and Wellens was not only the stronger rider, he was also the smartest. Having done very little in the breakaway - one of the perks of riding for the yellow jersey holder - Wellens attacked on a slightly uphill section, catching everyone off guard. The 34-year-old attacked and the chasing group quickly disappeared into the background as he sped to his maiden Tour de France win to complete his grands tours stage victory collection after prevailing in the Giro d'Italia in 2016 and 2018 and in the Vuelta a Espana in 2020.


New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold
CARCASSONNE, France: Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Sunday after a 45km solo rampage towards the walled citadel. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall. Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race. It was a large and mixed group that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion suddenly accelerated and caught the others napping. This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four stages on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team. Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of Belgium's national holiday. "This makes me happier than winning a stage myself," said Pogacar. "He helps me keep this thing every day," he said pointing to the jersey. Having previously won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this triumph completes the set of stage wins on the three big tours for Wellens. "Everybody wants to win a stage at the Tour de France, this is the special one," said Wellens. "I knew I was going to complete the trilogy and was enjoying the home straight with the fans. I'd been planning to lift the bike in the air, but I was so happy I forgot to do it" The remaining 167 of 184 riders embarked towards Carcassonne on yet another nervy stage. After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a pack of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up. There was embarrassment for Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who celebrated at the line thinking he had won when in fact he was third. Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Victor Campenaerts took the top two spots, Alaphilippe pipped Wout van Aert at the line. Poor Alaphilippe hung his head when his horrified compatriots told him. He had been part of the early fall, losing his race radio, and had no idea the stage had already been won, he explained. Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday trailing in second behind surprise yellow jersey Ben Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four-minute advantage at the top of the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. The defending champion said he had been ill. "Half the peloton is coughing," said Pogacar. "I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now." Monday is the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit. "Mont Ventoux is for after the day off, so I don't want to talk about it now," Pogacar said after the podium ceremony at Carcassonne.