Paret-Peintre paints masterpiece on Ventoux as Pogacar stays in control
The Soudal-Quick Step rider edged out Ireland's Ben Healy in a heart-pounding sprint finale on the Giant of Provence, while Tadej Pogacar remained unshakeable in yellow, fending off Jonas Vingegaard on the brutal 21.5km ascent averaging 7.5%.
Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4:15.
Germany's Florian Lipowitz held firm in third at 9:03, pulling further ahead of fourth-placed Briton Oscar Onley, who lags another 2:01 behind.
But the day belonged to Paret-Peintre, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
08-08-2025
- IOL News
Benjamin Šeško's move to Manchester United: What it means for Rasmus Højlund
Benjamin Sesko Image: RONNY HARTMANN / AFP With Slovenian hitman Benjamin Šeško snubbing Newcastle United and opting to join Manchester United from RB Leipzig, a lot of Old Trafford exit talks have centered around another young striker on the Red Devils' books; Rasmus Højlund. Following a promising debut campaign in United colours in the 2023/2024 campaign, in which he rattled the net 10 times in 30 English Premier League outings and eventually ending that season with 16 strikes in 43 matches across all competitions, the big Danish striker was toothless in the Premier League in his sophomore campaign. In a season to forget for the Old Trafford club, the big Dane, also a youthful 22, could only contribute four goals in his 32 league appearances, although he posted slightly more impressive numbers in European club competition, notching six goals in his 15 games to leave him with a paltry 10 goals in 52 across all competitions. United have been chosen as the 22-year-old Šeško's preferred destination, despite a reportedly higher bid from Middle Eastern petrodollar bankrolled Newcastle United, and his imminent arrival appears set to put paid to Højlund's career with the joint record English champions. By all accounts, Højlund's 2024/2025 season was disastrous, yet he has shown glimpses of having finally caught on to the tactical demands of manager Ruben Amorim in United's promising pre-season tour across the pond. Amorim is famed for being stubbornly steadfast in his belief in the 3-4-3 formation, and this would most likely see him spearhead his attack with Šeško in the number 9 role, flanked by fellow new boys, Cameroonian speedster Bryan Mbeumo down the right and the flamboyant Brazilian, Matheus Cunha down the left of the front three. Although United will need to recoup money in the way of outgoings, to make up for the Mbeumo, Cunha, and Šeško acquisitions, they should think twice about offloading the former Atalanta marksman. Should the Portuguese tactician not hastily discard Højlund, he could leave himself with an interesting option to tweak his formation, built on the foundations of his 3-4-3. There is no reason why Amorim should not be willing to experiment with pairing the two young strikers in other back three based formations including a 3-5-2 and a 3-4-1-2 formation. Some football analysts might argue that the two will not be able to play together, as is often argued by many in the game who advocate for a solitary number 9 ploughing a lone furrow up top against two centre-backs, but having two up front literally increases United's goal threat. Amorim will once more have to summon his tactical nous on how to navigate the utilisation of the two in the same line-up, but right now, with no European football, United have the chance to lay a full on assault on the Premier League and domestic cups and to do that successfully they will need as many attacking options as possible. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Besides this author's clamouring for a twin pairing of Šeško and Højlund, the reality is that United's striking options are scant at best and letting the Danish international depart would leave them with the new Slovenian acquisition as a senior striker, with only 17 year-old Chido-Obi Martin and a misfiring Joshua Zirkzee as back up. According to several reports Šeško is expected to be unveiled as a new Manchester United player tomorrow at Old Trafford when the Red Devils host Italian Serie A outfit Fiorentina in what will be the home side's final pre-season run out ahead of their season opener against Arsenal on August 17. That season opener against Mikel Arteta's Gunners will set the tone for United's season and it will also serve as a perfect platform for the giant Slovenian to introduce himself to Old Trafford, and what better way to do so than to stick one past an Arsenal side whose advances he also snubbed in favour of a move to United? In his end-of-season speech to the Old Trafford faithful, at the culmination of the miserable 2024/25 campaign, Amorim promised that the good times would be returning to English football's biggest club, and the backing he has received from the club's hierarchy in the transfer market renders this the season for United to rise from the ashes of the past decade. The 2025/26 season is a campaign of reckoning for the Red Devils, one in which they will be looking to restore their tainted dignity, and most importantly, their position as England's leading club and thus bury the ghosts of the disastrous 2024/25 season. IOL
TimesLIVE
07-08-2025
- TimesLIVE
Mercedes upbeat after binning suspension upgrade
Former champions Mercedes hope to be challenging for wins again when they return from Formula One's August break after binning a rear suspension upgrade that made the car slower. The upgrade was introduced at Imola in May after George Russell had finished in the top three in four of the first six races. The Briton finished only seventh in that Italian race and Mercedes dropped the upgrade for the next two rounds before bringing it back for Canada, a race Russell won. That proved misleading, and Russell struggled in the following four races until Mercedes reverted to the old package for Hungary last weekend and he finished third. Rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli was also back in the points at the Hungaroring, finishing 10th after three races without scoring. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the upgrade would 'be ending up in a bin somewhere'. 'We were misled a bit by the Montreal win ... we came to the conclusion it needed to come off, it went off and the car's back to solid form,' said the Austrian. Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said in a Hungarian GP debrief on Wednesday that the car was now easier to work with and the drivers more confident in attacking the corners. 'If we make a new suspension, we're doing it to make the car go quicker ... and clearly there's something that wasn't right,' he added. 'And it's not something that was dead obvious. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had the issue in the first place.' Shovlin said the learning would help Russell in his battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen for third place overall behind the McLaren drivers, and Mercedes chasing second in the constructors'. 'Budapest showed that we've got a good car when we land it in the right place,' said Shovlin. 'And then hopefully there'll be an opportunity to build on our tally of race wins. 'We had a great time in Montreal. There's other circuits that are a bit more like that coming up over the remaining 10 races and hopefully we'll have a few more highlights.'
The South African
06-08-2025
- The South African
Major shake-up in world of cycling as Remco Evenepoel confirms NEW team
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel will leave Soudal Quick-Step at the end of this season, the team said on Tuesday, and join Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe. The 25-year-old Belgian is one of cycling's brightest stars and won both the road race and time-trial titles at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He is also the current time-trial world champion, finished third at the 2024 Tour de France and has twice won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument race. Evenepoel also won his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana in 2022. 'Remco informed the team's management that he did not wish to discuss an extension of his current agreement, which expires at the end of 2026,' Soudal Quick-Step said on Tuesday. 'While we regret Remco's decision to leave, we will foster the memories that we have made and will continue to strive together to achieve some significant results for the rest of the season.' Red Bull-Bora boss Ralph Denk hailed the signing as a landmark one for the team. 'Remco brings not only exceptional athletic talent, but also a remarkable mindset. His determination, professionalism, and relentless drive to succeed are truly inspiring,' he said. Evenepoel will race alongside Tour de France breakout star Florian Lipowitz, who came third and won the best young rider's white jersey. Red Bull also boast five-time Grand Tour winner Primoz Roglic. Denk described Evenepoel's arrival as a sign of 'bold ambition to become one of the most attractive forces on the international cycling stage in the years to come'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
