Tour de France - Veteran Wellens breaks away to win first Tour stage

BBC News

20-07-2025

Update:
Date: 16:46 BST
Title: 'I am happier for Wellens to win than when I win'
Content: Race leader Tadej Pogacar after UAE team-mate Tim Wellens' stage victory: "I am more happy for him today than when I win. Beyond happiness.
"This week was one of the hardest second weeks of the Tour that I have ridden because of the terrain, the time trial on the climb and yesterday with 5,000m of elevation [gain].
"The gap is now big but we still have big mountains to come. We need to fight until the end."
Update:
Date: 16:30 BST
Title: General classification after stage 15
Content:
Update:
Date: 16:27 BST
Title: 'Everybody knows the Tour, but not many people win here'
Content: Tim Wellens after his maiden Tour de France stage victory: "It is a very special victory. Everybody knows the Tour de France but not many people win in the Tour de France so it was very beautiful.
"I felt super good today. On the last climb of the day I felt really good. I knew the others felt really good but I knew I had to go solo. At the top of the climb I found my moment and I felt I had the legs to keep it to the end.
"I knew I had to enjoy the moment and kept riding until the end so I had a big gap to enjoy it and maybe put my bike in the air after the finish - but I was so happy I forgot to do it!"
Update:
Date: 16:21 BST
Title: Rodriguez leapfrogs Healy in GC
Content: The peloton came in six minutes after Tim Wellens, and Carlos Rodriguez's effort in the chase group sees the Ineos Grenadiers rider leapfrog Ireland's Ben Healy to ninth position in the overall standings.
Update:
Date: 16:19 BST
Title: Stage 15 results
Content:
Update:
Date: 16:11 BST
Title: Post
Content: Julian Alaphilippe lunged for the line to get there before Wout van Aert and then held his arms aloft.
We've just got word that Tudor's French leader did in fact think he'd won the stage and declined an interview.
Tough one to take.
Update:
Date: 16:04 BST
Title: Wellens wins stage 15
Content: Tim Wellens secures a breakaway win on stage 15 of the Tour de France.
It is the 34-year-old Belgian's first stage win on 'Le Grand Boucle' and his fifth Grand Tour win overall.
The yellow jersey group is still 4km from the line.
Update:
Date: 1km to go
Title: Post
Content: Tim Wellens gives high-fives to some of the crowd as he rides towards the line in Carcassone.
Update:
Date: 5km to go
Title: Post
Content: Tim Wellens is now almost two minutes clear.
He's currently 53rd on the general classification standings, almost two hours behind race leader Tadej Pogacar.
Update:
Date: 10km to go
Title: Post
Content: Tim Wellens looks set to become the second UAE rider to win a stage on this year's Tour - after Tadej Pogacar, of course.
The Belgian's lead has now gone past one minute 30 seconds.
Update:
Date: 15km to go
Title: Post
Content: Quinn Simmons tries to break free from the chase group but Tim Wellens now leads by one minute 27 seconds.
Update:
Date: 20km to go
Title: Post
Content: Tim Wellens has won two stages at the Giro d'Italia and two at the Vuelta a Espana but he is yet to win in the world's biggest and best cycling race.
This would see the 34-year-old complete a Grand Tour treble and be his first Grand Tour win since 2020.
Update:
Date: 25km to go
Title: Wellens lead increases
Content: Carlos Rodriguez and Alexey Lutsenko have got back to the first chase group, taking it up to seven riders.
Tim Wellens is now clear by one minute 15 seconds.
Update:
Date: 30km to go
Title: Post
Content: Tim Wellens' lead is now up to a minute, with five riders in the next group.
His UAE team-mate and race leader Tadej Pogacar is way back in the peloton, almost seven minutes adrift.
Update:
Date: 40km to go
Title: Wellens takes lead
Content: UAE's Tim Wellens has done a lot of work for race leader Tadej Pogacar so far on this Tour but now he wants to grab his own glory.
The Belgian road champion has burst out of that lead group and soon establishes a 20-second lead.
Update:
Date: 44km to go
Title: Post
Content: Warren Barguil, Alexey Lutsenko, Aleksandr Vlasov and Carlos Rodriguez have caught up with Tim Wellens, Michael Storer, Victor Campenaerts and Quinn Simmons to make it an eight-man breakaway.
Update:
Date: 48km to go
Title: Post
Content: Warren Barguil joins Alexey Lutsenko, Aleksandr Vlasov and Carlos Rodriguez, 20 seconds behind the leaders.
Update:
Date: 50km to go
Title: Post
Content: Hilly, 169.3km, Muret to Carcassonne
The 166 remaining riders are now into the final 1,000km of this year's Tour - and the final 50km of today's stage.
The gap to the main bunch has grown to six minutes on the gradual descent to the finish in Carcassonne.
Update:
Date: 52km to go
Title: Polka-dot jersey - Storer takes final climb
Content: Michael Storer attacks inside the final kilometre of the ascent of the Pas du Sant to take the maximum mountain points:
Update:
Date: 53km to go
Title: Post
Content: Michael Storer attacked from the bottom, followed by Quinn Simmons, but they're then joined by Victor Campeanaerts and Tim Wellens.