Tour de France: Jonathan Milan wins stage eight; Australian Kaden Groves misses out
"It means a lot for me and also my country," Milan said.
Italian Jonathan Milan and Belgian Wout van Aert sprint to the finish of stage eight of the 2025 Tour de France cycling. Source: SIPA USA / Jasper Jacobs "I was placed in a perfect position to take this victory. "And I'll try and win again tomorrow," he said of Sunday's flat stage also billed as one for the sprinters. Pogacar retained the overall lead with Remco Evenepoel and Kevin Vauquelin rounding out the top three, with no change in the top 10 as the peloton kept its powder dry. "It's nice to have a day like this," said 2020, 2021 and 2024 Tour winner Pogacar.
"It was a bit more relaxed and not necessary to push too hard in the sun all day.
"Especially as Monday is a brutal stage," the Slovenian added of the eight classified climbs and many more besides in a stage loaded with opportunities on France's national holiday in the Massif Central. Pogacar, 26, also spoke of his teammate Joao Almeida who was hurt in a late fall Friday. "It was good to see Joao finish the stage okay," he said. "As I said, Monday is a brutal stage but nobody is expecting Joao to kill himself for a bike race," said Pogacar. A day after complaining of the heat and fatigue Pogacar also refused to be drawn on his participation at the Vuelta a Espana, the third and final Grand Tour of the season.
"I have to think about if I want to spend another month away from home," he said.
French hopes dashed again Best young rider and Olympic champion Evenepoel hit a top speed of over 82kph (51mph). "It was a nervy finale and I just wanted to stay up front in case of a fall," said Evenepoel
"It was a shame for Tim (Merlier, his team's sprinter) but he punctured in the run in," the 25-year-old Belgian added.
The remaining 177 riders from the original 184 rolled through the Brittany countryside with the harvest ongoing a month early and colossal crowds on the roadside. Under clear blue skies and 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) heat there was little inspiration in the peloton to breakaway until late in the day. French duo Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Vercher attacked from 70km and the pair were only reeled in on the edge of finish town Laval after enthusiastic support on this Tour, which is based entirely on French soil but with no home winner yet.
The pair were awarded jointly the day's combativity award for their efforts.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates crosses the finish line of stage eight. Source: SIPA USA / Jasper Jacobs The French Groupama-FDJ team is based in this region but their sprinter Paul Penhoet punctured 7km from home and failed to get back into the action in time for the finale. Stage nine on Sunday heads south from Chinon to Chateauroux and is another flat affair with the focus on keeping hydrated in the heat and staying in the saddle. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — live, free and exclusive — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
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ABC News
20 minutes ago
- ABC News
Tadej Pogačar crashes at Tour de France before anti-Israel protester disrupts stage finish
Defending champion Tadej Pogačar has been involved in a crash at the Tour de France, moments before a protester disrupted the sprint finish where Norway's Jonas Abrahamsen claimed his first stage victory. Pogačar went down about 5 kilometres from the finish line in stage 11 after touching wheels with another rider. He quickly remounted and the peloton eased off to allow the overall race favourite to rejoin. Pogačar thanked the group after crossing the finish line apparently unhurt and without losing time. "I'm quite OK, a bit beaten up, but we've been through worse days, so it's been a hectic day actually from start to finish," the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader told reporters. "In the end, I had a little bit of a crash, and thanks to the peloton in front, they actually waited. Obviously the race was more or less over back there but, still, they could have taken time. "Really big respect to everybody in front. Thanks for your support, guys." Team doctor Adrian Rotunno said Pogačar had been cleared to continue the race. "After a full examination post-stage, fortunately Tadej suffered no serious injury," Dr Rotunno said. "No concussion or fractures. He has some general bruising, and abrasions to his left forearm and hip, but is otherwise OK." Ireland's Ben Healy, who retained the overall leader's yellow jersey, explained he had a brief chat with two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, seen as Pogačar's main rival for the title, and both agreed they should wait for the Slovenian. As the stage reached its dramatic conclusion, a protester wearing a T-shirt reading "Israel out of the Tour" and waving a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf ran onto the final straight, less than 25 metres from the line. He was swiftly tackled by a security officer as Abrahamsen edged out Swiss national champion Mauro Schmid in a two-man sprint for the win. "I broke my collarbone four weeks ago. I cried at the hospital because I thought I wouldn't make it to the Tour de France," Abrahamsen said. "I hoped and every day I did everything I could to come back. To stand here in the Tour de France and have won a stage is amazing." Tour organisers declined to comment on the protest, which came amid rising tensions over Israel's military operations in Gaza. The day began at a blistering pace, with a five-man breakaway quickly forming ahead of a second group featuring classics specialists Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. The peloton eventually backed off, allowing the front of the race to shape the outcome. On the punishing final climb, Abrahamsen and Schmid emerged at the front. Van der Poel launched a fierce pursuit but fell short. The focus now shifts to stage 12, which brings the Tour's first high-mountain showdown with a summit finish on the legendary Hautacam. All eyes will be on Pogačar the day after his crash. Reuters
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Tour de France: Abrahamsen wins stage 11, Pogacar crashes and anti-Israel activist arrested
Norway's Jonas Abrahamsen has won stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed despite crashing 4km from the line. Pogacar fell after hitting the back wheel of another rider, but his rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel sportingly waited for the Slovenian to catch up after he got back on his bike. Ireland's Ben Healy retained the leader's jersey. Pogacar sheepishly laughed off the tumble. "I'm a bit beaten up, I've been through worse days, but yeah that was unexpected," he said. Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed from the crash, saying he was a "bit beaten up" but had "been through worse days". Source: AAP / Dirk Waem/Belga/Sipa USA He was also swift to thank his rivals. "Big respect," he said of the gesture. "The race was nearly over but I doubt I would have been able to catch up." Pogacar said he had feared the worst when Norwegian Tobias Johannessen rode across the front of him. "He completely cut me off. I saw my head going toward the sidewalk and I was worried I'd get hurt. Luckily I've just lost some skin," said the three-time champion. Rider who caused crash apologises, 'terrified' of online abuse Johannessen, a Uno-X teammate of stage winner Abrahamsen, apologised for causing the crash. "I am terribly sorry for what happened," he wrote on X. "I was trying to follow a move and I can see that I was too close," he added. "I made a mistake ... I hope he is as good as he can be after a crash like that." Johannessen also expressed his horror at the online abuse he was receiving as a result. "I would not wish anyone the amount of threats I get in my inbox," he said. "I am [terribly] sorry but also terrified of the hate from all the people. This feels very scary." Pogacar said he felt the fall would hurt him on Thursday's mountain stage. "We are ready as a team for Hautacam," he said of the main obstacle on stage 12. "But a day after a fall like that you are never at your best." Pogacar later received the all clear from the team doctor, who said the 26-year-old had "suffered no serious injury". "He has some general bruising and abrasions to his left forearm and hip, but is otherwise okay," UAE's medical director Adrian Rotunno confirmed. Healy was next to Pogacar when he fell and narrowly missed coming down with him. "I didn't see him fall. I'll be honest, I was looking somewhere else. That's possibly what happened to him," said the 24-year-old Healy, who took the lead at the end of stage 10 in the Massif Central. Healy retained the overall lead on his first day in the fabled yellow jersey, while Pogacar remains second at 29sec and Evenepoel third, another minute off the pace. The peloton next heads into the Pyrenees where the first real mountains will test their legs on the legendary Hautacam climb. "I'm not sure I'll still have the lead tomorrow night," said Healy. "It's a large task but I'll fight all the way. Either way this has been a real whirlwind for me." Thrilling cat-and-mouse duel Anyone who expected a quiet day was instead treated to a thrilling stage over 156.8km from Toulouse and back, which Abrahamsen unexpectedly won. Abrahamsen also won the combativity award as he was at the origin of the long-range breakaway that foiled the ambitions of the sprinters. Abrahamsen then contested a cat-and-mouse duel down the home straight with Swiss Mauro Schmid as the cunning Mathieu van der Poel crept up on them and finished third. The Norwegian fractured a collarbone two weeks before the Tour. "Thanks to the team who did everything to get me ready in time," said Abrahamsen. "They are very good people and I've been here since 2017. "I like to have pain in my legs, I've been like this since I was 15." Following Tuesday's rest day, Wednesday's run was billed as a likely sprint finish with 70 points at stake in the sprint standings in Toulouse. The stage, however, featured five small climbs along the route, ensuring it was constantly fast and nerve-wracking. When Pogacar fell late on he struggled to put his chain on after sliding across several metres of tarmac. French climber Lenny Martinez is in the king of the mountains polka dot jersey as the race heads into the Pyrenees and will be the focus for home fans all weekend with further blockbuster crowds expected. Anti-Israel protester arrested A protester wearing a T-shirt reading "Israel out of the Tour" was arrested after running onto the final straight of the 11th stage. The protester, who was also holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran towards the finish line in Toulouse as Abrahamsen won the sprint finale. The demonstrator's T-shirt read "Israel out of the Tour". Source: AAP / Jasper Jacobs/Belga/Sipa USA The man was intercepted by a race staff member and arrested, the local prefecture said. Several police officers have been assigned to protect the Israel-Premier Tech team during the Tour. The team was set up by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, but there are no Israeli riders in this year's race. With the Gaza war causing international controversy, last year the team said it had asked its riders not to wear jerseys with any reference to Israel while out training as a precaution. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Abrahamsen wins Tour de France stage as Pogacar survives scare
Norway's Jonas Abrahamsen won stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse on Wednesday while defending champion Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed despite crashing 4km from the line. Pogacar fell after hitting the back wheel of another rider but his rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel sportingly waited for the Slovenian to catch up after he got back on his bike. Ireland's Ben Healy retained the leader's jersey. Pogacar sheepishly laughed off the tumble. "I'm a bit beaten up, I've been through worse days, but yeah that was unexpected," he said. He was also swift to thank his rivals. "Big respect," he said of the gesture. "The race was nearly over but I doubt I would have been able to catch up." Pogacar said he had feared the worst when another rider rode across the front of him. "He completely cut me off. I saw my head going toward the sidewalk and I was worried I'd get hurt. Luckily I've just lost some skin," said the three-time champion. Norway's Tobias Johannessen was the rider in question and apologised for the incident. "I am terribly sorry for what happened," he wrote on X. "I was trying to follow a move and I can see that I was too close," he added. "I made a mistake... I hope he is as good as he can be after a crash like that." Pogacar said he felt the fall would hurt him on Thursday's mountain stage. "We are ready as a team for Hautacam," he said of the main obstacle on stage 12. "But a day after a fall like that you are never at your best." Healy was next to Pogacar when he fell and narrowly missed coming down with him. "I didn't see him fall. I'll be honest I was looking somewhere else. That's possibly what happened to him," said the 24-year-old Healy, who took the lead at the end of stage 10 in the Massif Central. Healy retained the overall lead on his first day in the fabled yellow jersey, while Pogacar remains second at 29sec and Evenepoel third, another minute off the pace. The peloton next heads into the Pyrenees where the first real mountains will test their legs on the legendary Hautacam climb. "I'm not sure I'll still have the lead tomorrow night," said Healy. "It's a large task but I'll fight all the way. Either way this has been a real whirlwind for me." - Sprinters foiled - Anyone who expected a quiet day was instead treated to a thrilling stage over 156.8km from Toulouse and back, which was unexpectedly won by Abrahamsen. Abrahamsen also won the combativity award as he was at the origin of the long-range breakaway that foiled the ambitions of the sprinters. Abrahamsen then contested a cat-and-mouse duel down the home straight with Swiss Mauro Schmid as the cunning Mathieu van der Poel crept up on them and finished third at 7sec. The Norwegian fractured a collarbone two weeks before the Tour. "Thanks to the team who did everything to get me ready in time," said the Uno-X rider. "They are very good people and I've been here since 2017. "I like to have pain in my legs, I've been like this since I was 15," said Abrahamsen. Following Tuesday's rest day, Wednesday's run was billed as a likely sprint finish with 70 points at stake in the sprint standings in Toulouse. The stage did however feature five small climbs along the route making sure it was constantly fast and nerve-wracking. When Pogacar fell late on he struggled to put his chain on after sliding across several metres of tarmac, and it looked initially as if he would lose 30 to 40 seconds. Diminutive French climber Lenny Martinez is in the king of the mountains polka dot jersey as the race heads into the Pyrenees and will be the focus for home fans all weekend with further blockbuster crowds expected.
