logo
'Happy' Plappy shines at Tour as Pogacar reigns supreme

'Happy' Plappy shines at Tour as Pogacar reigns supreme

Perth Now18-07-2025
Australian champion Luke Plapp has delivered an exceptional mountain time trial at the Tour de France -- but it was still a mere sideshow to yet another sublime stage triumph for runaway leader Tadej Pogacar.
The 24-year-old Plapp gave everything to finish fifth over the unforgiving 10.9km uphill slog against the clock from Loudenvielle to the Pyrenean ski resort Peyragudes on Friday.
The Melburnian found himself leading for a couple of hours from all challengers after covering the brutal course in 24 minutes 58 seconds, until the Tour's biggest guns came down the ramp among the final 10 starters.
And while Germany's Florian Lipowitz (24:56), five-time Grand Tour champ Primoz Roglic (24:20) and two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (23:36) all surpassed the Australian's time, it was Pogacar who once again showed them all he was in a different league as he clocked 23 minutes dead.
It was his fourth stage victory of the Tour that he's turning into a one-man supershow as he put another 36 seconds into his advantage over Vingegaard, who's now four minutes and seven seconds behind with the toughest stages still to come.
Plapp, the big engine of the Australian Jayco AlUla team, had won the national time trial championship at the start of the year and annexed his first Grand Tour stage win at the Giro d'Italia.
This time, he had focused all his energies on this stage. "The last minute, though, was painful, but all in all I enjoyed the race, nevertheless," he said.
"I've missed the break these last few stages, and that enabled me to take it easy in the grupetto. I'll definitely be feeling today's effort in my legs tomorrow … but anyway, I wanted to represent the colours (of the Australian flag) well and I'm happy."
He predicted, as he sat in the provisional leader's chair watching the rest of the field trying to catch him, that the winner would be "a minute or minute-and-a-half quicker", but Pogacar was so brilliant he ended up almost two minutes faster.
Yet Plapp earned one big scalp in particular, as he proved 41 seconds quicker than Olympic champ Remco Evenepoel, who was suffering on the climb and only just clung on to his third place in the GC, now a massive 7:24 behind Pogacar. Lipowitz is just six seconds off a podium place.
Pogacar's latest amazing display came just a day after he had destroyed the field on the famed Hautacam climb, and he reckoned his 21st Tour stage win felt just as sweet.
"I'm super happy. I wanted everything to be perfect. I almost blew up in the end but I saw the timer at the top and it gave me an extra push because I saw I'm gonna win," said the 26-year-old who is set to be crowned champ for a fourth time.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates
Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates

Sydney Morning Herald

time4 minutes ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates

Posts area Latest posts Latest posts 6.50am Young man dies in six-vehicle crash on Old Cleveland Road By A young man died in a six-vehicle crash in Brisbane's south yesterday afternoon. The 20-year-old man was a passenger in an Isuzu tip truck when it was involved in a crash with five other vehicles on Old Cleveland Road in Chandler about 3.20pm. He died at the scene. One of the vehicles involved fled the scene before police arrived. The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating and police are urging anyone with relevant information, or CCTV, or dashcam footage to come forward. 6.48am Crisafulli in budget estimates hot seat By Marissa Calligeros Premier David Crisafulli is in the hot seat at budget estimates today. Budget estimates, which are held each year, allow parliamentary committees to prise information from ministers and senior officials. Crisafulli will face questions today and is expected to be quizzed by his predecessor and Opposition Leader Steven Miles. 6.30am 'Managed' Haas on track for Broncos' clash with Souths Brisbane are managing the workload of prop Payne Haas but won't rest him from games and training for the sake of it as he continues to handle a back complaint with typical stoicism. The NSW front-rower is on track to play against South Sydney on Friday night after training with the Broncos on Monday. Haas has been coping with a lower back issue for most of the season, but that hasn't stopped him shining for the Broncos and the Blues. The 25-year-old warhorse was limping at the end of the 22-20 loss to Parramatta on Friday night after a knock to the ankle but scans weren't required and he trained on Monday. Broncos head of football Troy Thomson, who was high-performance manager for the premiership-winning Rabbitohs in 2014 and world champion Australian side, said the Broncos would continue to manage Haas's training for his own individual needs. 'If Payne can't play a game of footy of course we are going to give him a rest, but this whole notion that giving him a rest is going to fix him is not how the human body works,' Thomson said. 'Movement helps recovery. If you don't move, you get sorer.' 6.29am Australia has front-row view as two meteor showers peak By Angus Dalton It's showers with a chance of fireballs this week as two cosmic events converge to put on a dazzling double-act for those willing to seek out the dark, brave the cold and ditch their phones. 'We've got two meteor showers peaking at the same time,' Associate Professor Devika Kamath, an astrophysicist at Macquarie University, said. 'You see them really well from the southern hemisphere and Australia has a front-row view.' The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower will reach peak intensity from Monday to Wednesday amid its annual six-week appearance. The Aquariids are the third-strongest meteor shower of the year, with up to 20 meteors zipping past per hour at the peak. The Alpha Capricornids shower is also firing up to near-peak levels on Monday night and will reach its brightest on Wednesday. The Capricornids shower is weaker than the Aquariids, with about five meteors per hour, but it can send unpredictable and dramatic bursts of light scorching across the sky. The best time to view the showers will be between midnight and 4am on the nights between Monday and Wednesday (July 28-30) when both cosmic events are at their most brilliant. Stargazers keen to catch a glimpse of the action should find a viewing spot away from light pollution such as buildings, street lights and car headlights and allow half an hour for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. 6.25am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is under threat from an emerging populist bloc on her party's right flank, threatening splinters on its contentious net zero emissions pledge, woke culture and immigration, as MPs fear a further slump in the polls. Toddlers at a Sydney childcare centre had their mouths taped shut by educators as part of a 'breathing exercise', prompting an investigation by the state's regulatory authority. The Australian Council of Trade Unions will demand that employers guarantee workers' job security before introducing artificial intelligence into their businesses, in a bold proposal that will inflame tensions before the Albanese government's productivity roundtable next month. Moving from a coal-dominated power grid to cleaner sources of energy may end up costing more than first thought, as CSIRO warns of higher construction costs hitting the industry and giant premiums involved in developing new generation technologies, including offshore wind farms, for the first time. And, US President and set a new deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine, urgently intensifying his demands on both global flashpoints. 6.21am The top news stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Tuesday, July 29. It should be another sunny day with a top temperature of 22 degrees, but a slight chance of late showers. In this morning's local headlines: Hailstorms will become more frequent in Brisbane as the climate warms over coming years, new modelling shows. A former reality television star who appeared on a popular cooking show allegedly dragged a complainant by the hair down a hallway, and then choked her against a wall, after a dispute involving tomato sauce. The Crisafulli government has called in Queensland's industrial relations watchdog to help end its pay dispute with public school teachers, just hours before the union's ballot on industrial action was due to close.

Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates
Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates

The Age

time4 minutes ago

  • The Age

Brisbane news live: Two meteor showers to light up Brisbane sky; Young man dies in six-vehicle crash; Crisafulli in hot seat for budget estimates

Posts area Latest posts Latest posts 6.50am Young man dies in six-vehicle crash on Old Cleveland Road By A young man died in a six-vehicle crash in Brisbane's south yesterday afternoon. The 20-year-old man was a passenger in an Isuzu tip truck when it was involved in a crash with five other vehicles on Old Cleveland Road in Chandler about 3.20pm. He died at the scene. One of the vehicles involved fled the scene before police arrived. The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating and police are urging anyone with relevant information, or CCTV, or dashcam footage to come forward. 6.48am Crisafulli in budget estimates hot seat By Marissa Calligeros Premier David Crisafulli is in the hot seat at budget estimates today. Budget estimates, which are held each year, allow parliamentary committees to prise information from ministers and senior officials. Crisafulli will face questions today and is expected to be quizzed by his predecessor and Opposition Leader Steven Miles. 6.30am 'Managed' Haas on track for Broncos' clash with Souths Brisbane are managing the workload of prop Payne Haas but won't rest him from games and training for the sake of it as he continues to handle a back complaint with typical stoicism. The NSW front-rower is on track to play against South Sydney on Friday night after training with the Broncos on Monday. Haas has been coping with a lower back issue for most of the season, but that hasn't stopped him shining for the Broncos and the Blues. The 25-year-old warhorse was limping at the end of the 22-20 loss to Parramatta on Friday night after a knock to the ankle but scans weren't required and he trained on Monday. Broncos head of football Troy Thomson, who was high-performance manager for the premiership-winning Rabbitohs in 2014 and world champion Australian side, said the Broncos would continue to manage Haas's training for his own individual needs. 'If Payne can't play a game of footy of course we are going to give him a rest, but this whole notion that giving him a rest is going to fix him is not how the human body works,' Thomson said. 'Movement helps recovery. If you don't move, you get sorer.' 6.29am Australia has front-row view as two meteor showers peak By Angus Dalton It's showers with a chance of fireballs this week as two cosmic events converge to put on a dazzling double-act for those willing to seek out the dark, brave the cold and ditch their phones. 'We've got two meteor showers peaking at the same time,' Associate Professor Devika Kamath, an astrophysicist at Macquarie University, said. 'You see them really well from the southern hemisphere and Australia has a front-row view.' The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower will reach peak intensity from Monday to Wednesday amid its annual six-week appearance. The Aquariids are the third-strongest meteor shower of the year, with up to 20 meteors zipping past per hour at the peak. The Alpha Capricornids shower is also firing up to near-peak levels on Monday night and will reach its brightest on Wednesday. The Capricornids shower is weaker than the Aquariids, with about five meteors per hour, but it can send unpredictable and dramatic bursts of light scorching across the sky. The best time to view the showers will be between midnight and 4am on the nights between Monday and Wednesday (July 28-30) when both cosmic events are at their most brilliant. Stargazers keen to catch a glimpse of the action should find a viewing spot away from light pollution such as buildings, street lights and car headlights and allow half an hour for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. 6.25am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is under threat from an emerging populist bloc on her party's right flank, threatening splinters on its contentious net zero emissions pledge, woke culture and immigration, as MPs fear a further slump in the polls. Toddlers at a Sydney childcare centre had their mouths taped shut by educators as part of a 'breathing exercise', prompting an investigation by the state's regulatory authority. The Australian Council of Trade Unions will demand that employers guarantee workers' job security before introducing artificial intelligence into their businesses, in a bold proposal that will inflame tensions before the Albanese government's productivity roundtable next month. Moving from a coal-dominated power grid to cleaner sources of energy may end up costing more than first thought, as CSIRO warns of higher construction costs hitting the industry and giant premiums involved in developing new generation technologies, including offshore wind farms, for the first time. And, US President and set a new deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine, urgently intensifying his demands on both global flashpoints. 6.21am The top news stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Tuesday, July 29. It should be another sunny day with a top temperature of 22 degrees, but a slight chance of late showers. In this morning's local headlines: Hailstorms will become more frequent in Brisbane as the climate warms over coming years, new modelling shows. A former reality television star who appeared on a popular cooking show allegedly dragged a complainant by the hair down a hallway, and then choked her against a wall, after a dispute involving tomato sauce. The Crisafulli government has called in Queensland's industrial relations watchdog to help end its pay dispute with public school teachers, just hours before the union's ballot on industrial action was due to close.

Revamped surf league to launch on Australian shores
Revamped surf league to launch on Australian shores

Perth Now

time34 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

Revamped surf league to launch on Australian shores

The 50th year of professional surfing will launch with three events in Australia beginning with Victoria's Bells Beach in a revamped World Surf League season. The format has been updated to increase the number of women riders, remove non-elimination rounds, and end with an enlarged finale at Pipeline in Hawaii. After Bells Beach, at the start of April, the 2026 season will move to Margaret River in Western Australia, then, in May, to Snapper Rocks in Queensland. The circuit then goes overseas taking in El Salvador, Brazil, South Africa, Tahiti, Fiji, California, Abu Dhabi and Portugal before the 12th and final event in Hawaii in September. There the full field will compete, with those eliminated after round nine returning. The season will feature 36 men and 24 women, the latter an increase on this season's 18, with the Tour narrowing to 24 men and 16 women for the post-season events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal. The format for the initial nine regular-season events will feature 32 qualified men, two men's season wildcards, and two men's event wildcards; and 21 qualified women, two women's season wildcards, and one women's event wildcard. "These changes reflect our commitment to honouring surfing's legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year," said Ryan Crosby, WSL CEO. "With the updated formats, we'll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season. Combined with iconic locations, the expanded women's field, and Pipeline as the pinnacle, we're building a Tour that better serves our athletes and fans, and leads the sport into its next chapter." The current season is still underway with ten of the 12 rounds completed. Gosford's Molly Picklum leads the women's event after one first and two seconds in the last three rounds. Queensland's Isabella Nichols is fourth and two-time world champion Tyler Wright seventh. Brazil's Yago Dora leads the men's event with Queenslander Ethan Ewing and Margaret River's Jack Robinson the best-placed Australians in fifth and eight respectively. The next round is in Tahiti from August 7 with the WSL Finals in Fiji from August 27. 2026 Championship Tour Schedule Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1 - 11 Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17 - 27 Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2 - 12 Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28 - June 7 Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12 - 20 Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10 - 20 Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8 - 18 Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25 - September 4 Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California, USA: September 11 - 20 Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14 - 18 Peniche, Portugal: October 22 - November 1 Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, USA: December 8 - 20

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store