Arensman wins Tour de France's toughest stage after grueling solo effort
Arensman, who rides for the Ineos-Grenadiers team, posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagnères, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands.
He went solo with 37 kilometers (23 miles) left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagnères, which is more than 12 kilometers long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders.
It was Arensman's second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta.
As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogačar and his teammates controlled the race from the back, with the yellow jersey holder and his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard trailing by around three minutes with eight kilometers remaining.
Vingegaard tried a move with four kilometers left and Pogačar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo.
Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogačar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the stage podium.
Overall, Pogačar increased his lead over Vingegaard to four minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned.
Evenepoel, who was third overall, struggled early on as the peloton faced another day of suffering on climbs that are part of the Tour's lore such as the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagnères.
The Olympic champion was dropped on the ascent of the Tourmalet. Evenepoel won the opening time trial but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday's uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he managed to keep his third place in the general classification, more than seven minutes behind Pogačar.
Sunday's stage
Riders will exit high mountains during a 169-kilometer ride from Muret to the medieval city of Carcassonne. Although the route could favor sprinters, the Côte de Saint-Ferréol and then the Pas du Sant, a 2.9-kilometer climb at 10%, could provide opportunities for bold challengers seeking a breakaway.
The race finishes next weekend in Paris.
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There's no such thing as the greatest all-time save because a) too much football has been played in 100-plus years, and b) beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have a soft spot for Andy Goram foiling Pierre van Hooijdonk in 1995, but Berger will now forever belong in the conversation. The joy of it is the culmination of all those things a goalkeeper works on day after day, often to monotonous degrees: the reaction times, the footwork, the hand-to-eye coordination, the physical strength needed to claw away a ball that is beating you. Preparation from a player such as Berger manifests itself in every single performance, but only very rarely does it come together to achieve the borderline impossible. That was Germany's quarter-final win all over. They had a player sent off after 13 minutes. They conceded the opening goal. Berger dragged them through extra time and then not only saved two of France's penalties in the shootout (the less said about the run-up from Amel Majri, below, the better), but also converted one herself. Goalies are in main-character mode at these Euros, so let's look a little closer at Berger's background. Berger isn't in the twilight of her career, but at 34, she's been around the block and at the top of the game for many years. The most successful of those came at Chelsea, where she won 10 trophies in her five seasons. She's single-minded, an inherent, unapologetic risk-taker and somebody who, in her own words, adores a shootout. 'It sounds crazy, but I just love it,' she said after helping Chelsea beat holders Lyon in a Champions League quarter-final two years ago. 'I have no pressure.' Advertisement That brief overview, however, ignores the adversity of Berger being twice diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After recovering first time around, while at Birmingham City, she was named in the Women's Super League team of the season in 2017-18. In the middle of Euro 2022, she was told that her cancer had returned — but Berger faced it down with the same fortitude. Her maiden season at the New York area's Gotham FC earned her the NWSL's 2024 goalkeeper of the year award. For all that, Berger is noticeably low on emotion, at least in public. There were no histrionics on Saturday, just the unflappable assurance of a goalkeeper who was having the night of their life. 'I look forward,' she told reporters after the game, an attitude that serves her well. She won't mind if, for many years to come, a world-class save has people looking back. 📬 Love TAFC? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters, including Full Time, dedicated to women's soccer. As pre-season friendlies ramped up over the weekend, the trade in forwards got hot. 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Historically, the concept of mixed youth teams featuring boys and girls has also been far more contentious than it ought to have been, despite the developmental benefits of the crossover. Katie Whyatt's feature on the subject begins with a great stat: a study of 37 prominent internationals who played for England's Lionesses found that all of them had played alongside boys as children. It's no coincidence. Advertisement Other countries in Europe and elsewhere were traditionally more progressive than England, allowing mixed line-ups in higher age groups (and in some instances such as Spain, now the women's world champions, applying no upper limit at all). A change of mindset is helping the English game catch up — and so much the better. On Friday, we asked you to name the nine men who have managed a club in more than 250 Premier League games. 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