Ben Healy loses yellow jersey in searing heat as Tadej Pogacar makes huge statement in Pyrenees
In trouble on the Soulor, Healy held a gap of about 20 seconds to his main contenders for a couple of kilometres but went over the top over three minutes behind second-placed Tadej Pogacar, making the Slovenian virtual race leader on the road.
Healy was nursed over the top and up the next climb by teammate Harry Sweeny who had to pour numerous bottles of cold water over Healy in an effort to cool him down in the 36-degree heat.
The earlier efforts of this Tour soon told however, and it became apparent that Healy's matches were all burned as he headed on to the slopes of the 14km-long Hautacam. From then, it was just a battle to get to the finish, the yellow-clad Healy eventually crossing the line over 13 minutes behind stage winner and three-time Tour winner Pogacar.
Behind Pogacar, other big names fell apart on the climb, with second-placed, two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard losing 2:10 to the new race leader, while Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel remains in third place overall but is now 4:45 behind Pogacar and takes over Healy's lead in the white jersey classification for the best young rider overall..
Young German Florian Lipowitz was the surprise package of the day, taking third place on the stage, just 13 seconds behind Vingegaard and moving into fourth place overall.
Healy has dropped to 11th overall, 13:19 behind new leader Pogacar, and he is now down to fifth in the young rider classification but, having come into only his second Tour de France in search of a stage win, the 24-year-old can be happy with his pickings so far: victory on stage six and two days in yellow.
Healy is fifth overall in the King of the Mountains competition and if anything, his time loss today may, if he can recover from his efforts, see him get a chance to get up the road in a breakaway later in the Tour and chase another stage win or even the climbers' competition.
Tomorrow's stage will be an 11km mountain time trial from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes.
Tour de France, stage 13
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Be 'prepared to win with skill but be ready to win by will' - Katie Taylor message helped Lions to second half comeback
A video message from boxing hero Katie Taylor helped stir the British & Irish Lions into a comeback for the ages at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. For Jack Conan, like the Olympic gold medalist and professional world champion a native of Bray, Co. Wicklow, Taylor's address to the squad in the build-up to Saturday's second Test was remarkably prescient as the No.8 admitted the Lions were far from at their best as Australia fought for their lives to stay in the series following their first-Test defeat seven days earlier. Conan and co. had to dig deep to fight back from 23-5 down after 30 minutes to snatch a 26-24 victory thanks to a last-minute try from Hugo Keenan. It was the only time in the game that the Lions had been in front and Conan said: 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well. 'We had a video from Katie Taylor earlier in the week and it was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. 'I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all. 'Pretty disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. Barry (Keenan) getting over the line last minute was just unbelievable. 'I think the celebrations and the craic in the changing room, if we went out and we won by 20, it wouldn't be the same. Read More England retain Euros crown with penalty shootout win over Spain 'Everyone's just over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is just incredibly special. 'I feel incredibly humbled and honoured to be part of it all. 'Not my best game, but a lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. 'You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there was unbelievable. "Something that will go down in history, they weren't writing the history books about how shit we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. 'Just so special to be part of it." Conan conceded that coming from Bray had made Taylor's pep talk even more special. 'Massively. Huge. Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leant on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. 'They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. 'I know things didn't click and we weren't flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. 'And I think we did that and that's why we got the result in the end.' The Leinster and Ireland back-rower said the impact of Taylor's message, arranged by her former mentor and current Ireland and Lions performance coach Gary Keegan, had reached beyond the Irish players in the Lions squad. 'Gary Keegan would have been very close with her and helped her through her amateur career into her professional career, he's the link there. 'Lads absolutely loved it because it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone. 'It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.' Conan, who was playing his fifth consecutive Lions Test match having been ever-present during the 2021 series against South Africa, hailed the 2025 team's ability to stay calm and collected when the Wallabies had stormed into an 19-point lead and looked proved to level the series. 'It's an unbelievable privilege to be part of this group. No bad fellas, absolutely no bad fellas. 'Everyone is unbelievably sound, everyone wants the team to do well whether you're playing or you're not playing and it was a disjointed week with the Pacific Nations game on the Tuesday night and everything else so it was a bit tricky. 'We trained Monday, Tuesday but really lightly and then Thursday we were, if you ask the lads, we were pretty shocking when we trained on Thursday, we were all over the place, so maybe that fed into a bit of Saturday but it doesn't matter.' Conan also had praise for match-winning hero Keegan, though he had every reason to grumble given the full-back opted to go it alone to score rather than take the safer option and pass out wide to his No.8. "I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try so I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great. 'Tense moments there at the end with the clean out but that's never a penalty, that's an unbelievable clear out from Jac (Morgan) and I think he had a savage impact, I think the whole bench was brilliant – Gengey, Faz, Cheese – James Ryan - was unbelievable when they came on, Ronan as well, absolutely smashing lads. 'I thought the impact off the bench was unbelievable, Blair as well making line breaks to everyone else which was huge, so we needed that lift from the bench because we were not great by our own admission." As for Keenan, Conan added: "Delighted for him, because he had a bit of a rocky start to the campaign with the sickness that derailed him for a while and it's a testament to his professionalism and staying in it. 'I was delighted for him, now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge of and I scored the try. No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it."
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Louth pair shine bright at European Youth Olympic Festival in baking Skopje heat
The Argus Today at 21:30 Estella Volkoff and Rian McCrystal did themselves, the country and the Dundalk area proud with their performances in last week's European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje, North Macedonia. Carlingford-based Estella was in the Irish gymnastics team in the Girls' All Around competition, and following the four apparatus events she finished with a total score of 45.300. Her final position overall was yet to be confirmed, but she and fellow Irish gymnast Roisin Hickey combined for 10th place in the team competition. The EYOF has served as a valuable springboard for many of Ireland's top gymnasts, including Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghanand 14-year-old Estella, who competes for DP Gymnastics Club, was pleased with her performance. She scored 10.45 in the uneven bars, 12.1 on the beam, 11.2 in the floor routine and 11.55 in the vault, and afterwards she said: 'I feel like my vault and my bars were very clean. I'm very happy with my floor because I put in a double tap for the first time in an international competition. I'm also very pleased with my beam.' 'I was happiest with the beam. I really love the beam, even though this routine wasn't the best.' Rian McCrystal, nephew of Paralympic champion Eve McCrystal, represented his country in cycling's 10km out-and-back time trial, held in temperatures that reached 40 degrees at one stage, and he performed very strongly to finish 35th in a time of 13:19.696. Team Ireland enjoyed significant success at the Festival, winning six medals, with a number of national records and personal bests also broken.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Luke Littler beats James Wade to win first World Matchplay crown in Blackpool
Luke Littler won his first World Matchplay crown as James Wade's remarkable run in Blackpool fell at the final hurdle. Littler claimed a hard-fought 18-13 victory at the Winter Gardens to become the fifth player to win the PDC Triple Crown – Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries having also won World Championship, Matchplay and Premier League titles. Wade was in his seventh Matchplay final 18 years on from his solitary success in 2007, which came six months after Littler was born. Luke Littler is the new king of the Winter Gardens! 👑 The 18-year-old produces another spectacular performance to become the youngest champion in the history of the Betfred World Matchplay! 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 Littler's scoring power in a high-quality contest proved decisive – he hit 17 180s to Wade's six in averaging 107 – and set a new tournament record of 64 maximums, beating Adrian Lewis' previous best of 56. 'It means absolutely everything,' Littler told Sky Sports after winning the last four legs to hold the Phil Taylor Trophy aloft. 'I idolise Phil, he's come here 16 times and won it. Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown. 'Since I started on the Tour and got my Tour card I've always said to myself, 'as long as I win one of every major I'll be happy.' Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown 'I've only got a few left to tick off and I'll definitely chase the majors I haven't won yet.' Littler had to mount another comeback 24 hours after losing the first five legs of his semi-final to Northern Ireland's Josh Rock. Wade stormed into a 5-0 lead but did not have a single dart at a double in the second mini-session as Littler levelled in style. The 42-year-old left-hander produced an 11-darter in the next, but Littler responded by winning successive legs to lead for the first time at 7-6. Wade managed to keep in touch, helped by a bull finish in the 19th leg, and fought back from a double break down to cut the gap to just one at 14-13. LITTLER REIGNS AT THE WINTER GARDENS! ☢️ LUKE LITTLER IS THE 2025 WORLD MATCHPLAY CHAMPION! The World Champion produces a sensational display to defeat James Wade 18-13 and lift the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time! 👏#MatchplayDarts | Final — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 But Littler pulled away and crossed the line in style with a 115 out shot (20-57-38), the biggest finish of the match. 'A little bit,' Littler said when asked if he had felt in control. 'Five-nil down once again, I said, 'I've been here before, what are you doing?' 'But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I've shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down. 'I'm happy I can pull myself out of these scorelines, but I don't want to be 5-0 down again. 'James started to drop off a bit and I started to find my best darts.' By winning the title 18-year-old Littler became the youngest ever champion in Matchplay history, six years younger than Wade when he lifted the title.
