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France 24
19-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Ex-Tour champion Vingegaard against 'stressful' Montmartre inclusion
Last Wednesday organisers announced the world's most famous cycling race will include a climb on the narrow cobbled hill to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica on July 27. At last year's Paris Olympics around 500,000 people lined the streets of Montmartre and the French capital to witness the men's and women's events in iconic scenes. "To be honest I don't think it's a good idea," the Visma Lease a Bike rider told reporters. "Montmartre was nice to do in the Olympics, it seemed good, a lot of people, a really good atmosphere. "In that race, when they came to Montmartre there were only 50 riders left in the bunch, when we do the Tour de France we will be 150 guys fighting for positions on a very narrow climb. "It could end up being more stressful than they want it to be," the 28-year-old Dane added. This week, race organisers are expected to announce further details of the stage. Traditionally the final day's racing in Paris is a processionary stage with the battle for the coveted yellow jersey having been decided 24 hours earlier. The concluding 21st day of competition culminates in an eight-lap sprint of the Champs-Elysees, the French capital's most famous street, with the finish in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe. This season's Grand Boucle starts in Lille on July 5 with Vingegaard expected to be the main contender to last year's winner Tadej Pogacar. Elsewhere, Frenchman David Gaudu, who finished fourth on the Tour in 2022, extended his Groupama-FDJ contract by two years until 2027.
Observer
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Yates retains Tour of Oman crown
Muscat, Feb 12 British rider Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates-XRG retained his Tour of Oman overall title with a final push on Jabal Al Akhdar to stay clear of stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep) by six seconds on Wednesday. Paret-Peintre came on top in 03:13:15 as Yates (+02) took second spot and race leader David Gaudu (+45) ended up third in the decisive stage on the steep slopes of Jabal Al Akhdar Mountain. Groupama-FDJ's Gaudu was pulled back by Yates and Paret-Peintre in the final two kilometres. The French cyclist made a last-ditch effort to catch up Yates but the Briton pushed the gas again in the final kilometre and Gaudu was unable to stay with the top two. Yates, nevertheless, sealed his second straight Tour of Oman crown when he finished close on the heels of Frenchman Paret-Peintre. Yates, who did not win any of the stages in Oman, accumulated an overall timing of 21:13:18 in covering the total distance of 881.4 km to take the overall winner's red jersey. Yates said his team nicely tackled the stage. ''This is a long and very hard climb. I knew that if we set our pace I might have a chance. We had a good stage.'' 'In the end, Jay (Vine) helped me set up pace at the climb. I wanted to raise speed and take the lead but it was tough,' Yates said. Driven by his exploits on the Green Mountain, Paret-Peintre raced up the table to finish second and six seconds adrift of the winner. Gaudu was 39 seconds adrift and finished third overall. ''I thought I could win the GC so I tried to attack Yates but I saw that I was not strong enough to create a big gap. So I waited for the last 100m and I went full gas,'' Paret-Peintre said. SUMMIT FINISH The summit finish on the slopes of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar — Green Mountain, was the highlight of the 138.5km final stage that included a valley road loop. It ends with six kilometres of climbing at an average of 9.9%. Teammate Jay Vine of Australia played a key role for Yates in the final four kilometres by helping to rein in the attackers and affect the GC group. Damien Howson (Q36.5) crashed in one of the steep slopes of Green Mountain, as he had to chase back. He finished seventh on the stage and fourth overall. In the points classification, Paret-Peintre took top spot with 34 points with double stage winner Olav Kooij of Team Visma-Lease a Bike second on 30 and Yates third on 27. The Frenchman also won the white jersey for the best young rider. Spaniard Rodrigo Alvarez Rodriguez of Burgos Burpellet — BH was the most aggressive rider of the Tour with 15 points. Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (63:46:07) was the best team of the Tour while Tudor (+02:17) claimed second and XDS Astana (+02:55) finished third among the 18 teams. Competing against the professional teams, Oman National Team cyclists ended up last with an overall timing of 66:23:50. In the overall individual classification, Said al Rahbi (103rd ) was the best among the local riders as others Abdulrahman al Yaaqoubi, Mazin al Riyami and Mohammed al Wahibi finished as the last three respectively in the 110-strong list. Tour of Oman Stage 5 Results Rank, Rider, Country, Team, Time 1. Valentin Paret-Peintre, France, Soudal Quick-Step, 03:13:15 2. Adam Yates, Great Britain, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, + 02 3. David Gaudu, France, Groupama-FDJ, + 45 4. Embret Svestad-Bardseng, Norway, Arkea-B&B Hotels, + 51 5. Cian Uijtdebroeks, Belgium, Team Visma-Lease a Bike, + 51 6. Wout Poels, Netherlands, XDS Astana Team, + 51 7. Damien Howson, Australia, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, + 57 8. Chris Harper, Australia, Team Jayco-AlUla, + 57 9. Jay Vine, Australia, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, + 01:15 10. Marco Brenner, Germany, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, + 01:15 General Classification after Stage 5 Rank, Rider, Country, Team, Time 1. Adam Yates, Great Britain, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 21:13:18 2. Valentin Paret-Peintre, France, Soudal Quick-Step, + 06 3. David Gaudu, France, Groupama-FDJ, + 39 4. Damien Howson, Australia, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, + 01:07 5. Cian Uijtdebroeks, Belgium, Team Visma-Lease a Bike, + 01:16 6. Chris Harper, Australia, Team Jayco-AlUla, + 01:22 7. Wout Poels, Netherlands, XDS Astana Team, + 01:23 8. Embret Svestad-Bardseng, Norway, Arkea-B&B Hotels, + 01:27 9. Marco Brenner, Germany, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, + 01:37 10. Simon Dalby, Denmark, Uno-X Mobility, + 02:05
Times of Oman
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Yates claims Tour of Oman victory for second consecutive year; Paret-Peintre wins final stage
MUSCAT: Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured a hard-fought second consecutive win at the Tour of Oman, finishing just behind Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep) in the final stage at the legendary Green Mountain (Jabal Al Akhdar) on Wednesday. Despite the Frenchman's dramatic stage victory, Yates held on to his overall lead, finishing six seconds ahead of Paret-Peintre and 39 seconds ahead of third-place finisher David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ). The 138.5km stage, which included a scenic valley loop, culminated with a grueling six-kilometre ascent at an average gradient of 9.9%. Early on, a breakaway of 17 riders, including 2023 Green Mountain winner Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-QuickStep), tried to seize the stage, but the pace was relentlessly pursued by Yates' team and Groupama-FDJ, setting up a dramatic finale. As the riders approached the final climb, with just a minute's lead, Vansevenant made an early move, but his effort was short-lived as the group of general classification (GC) contenders closed in. Australia's Jay Vine played a pivotal role in setting the pace for Yates, while Damien Howson (Q36.5) suffered a crash but recovered to finish fourth overall. The decisive moment came with two kilometres remaining when Yates and Paret-Peintre surged ahead, leaving Gaudu behind. Yates briefly eased, allowing Gaudu to make a comeback, but once they entered the final kilometre, Yates unleashed a powerful acceleration that left the Frenchman struggling to keep up. Speaking after retaining the title, Yates said: 'From the start of the week, we knew this would be the decisive stage. Stage 3 had a tough climb, but it was shorter and more explosive, which didn't play to my strengths as well as today's climb. We were focused on today, and it turned out to be the right decision.' 'Throughout the stage, we were in control from the beginning because we knew it would be beneficial for us to manage the breakaway and secure the time bonus at the end. The team did a fantastic job, and in the final, Jay and Rafa set an excellent pace on the climb.' 'I mentioned earlier in the week that I'm not in my peak shape just yet. My focus is on maintaining form for the long-term later in the year, so I'm happy with where I am and thrilled to be in the fight for the win. It's a positive sign for the future, and I'm just really pleased to take the victory.' Paret-Peintre, however, was able to match Yates' pace and broke away in the final curve to claim his first stage win for Soudal-QuickStep, crossing the line just two seconds ahead of Yates. 'I tried to drop Yates, about two kilometers from the finish, but I saw that he was very strong,' Paret-Peintre reflected on his win. 'I focused on the stage, and I'm very happy to start the season this way with my new team. It's great to win early in the season.' The 23-year-old Paret-Peintre, who impressed last year with a stage win at the Giro d'Italia, continues to show his potential as a key rider for Soudal-QuickStep, likely supporting team leader Remco Evenepoel in the upcoming season's major races. Despite losing the stage, Yates' consistency throughout the tour was enough to secure his overall victory. The British rider's performance at the Tour of Oman underscores his enduring strength and strategic approach to racing. The closing ceremony was held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Azzan bin Kais Al Said, Vice Chairman of the board of directors of the Oman Olympic Committee. Also present were Basil Al Rawas, Undersecretary of Sports & Youth, and other senior officials Overall results: Fifth stage (top five): 1 Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step 03:13:15), 2 Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 02), 3 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ + 45), 4 Embret Svestad-Bardseng (ARKEA-B&B HOTELS + 51), 5 Cian Uijtdebroeks (Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 51). General classification (top five): 1 Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG 21:13:18), 2 Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step + 06), 3 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ + 39), 4 Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 01:07), 5 Cian Uijtdebroeks (Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 01:16).
