Latest news with #MontVentoux
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tour de France 2025: Valentin Paret-Peintre conquers Mont Ventoux to win stage 16
Update: Date: 2025-07-22T15:32:45.000Z Title: Here's the report on a French victory on the most fearsome climb of all. Content: The first French stage win of Le Tour came on the legendary peak as Tadej Pogacar stayed in full race control John Brewin Tue 22 Jul 2025 16.32 BST First published on Tue 22 Jul 2025 10.30 BST 4.30pm BST 16:30 Updated at 4.32pm BST 4.16pm BST 16:16 Vingegaard on that prang with a snapper: 'Some photographer just ran out in front of me straight after the finish line. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more.' 4.13pm BST 16:13 Geraint Thomas, the 2018 winner, was relieved to ride Ventoux for the last time: 'Super loud. Yeah, enjoyed it, yeah. Yeah, can't wait. No, I just keep trying, like, I just feeling in my age a bit, to be honest with the old jumping around. It's it's hard work. Lucky, I don't feel it at the minute. But no. Yeah, we just got to keep trying. We got a time in there at the end. And yeah, just stay active, like obviously tomorrow, sprint stage on paper, but I think other teams are going to try again. Every day has been full gas, so I don't see it being any different, really. think just the whole peloton is just better condition, you know, it's just so many more guys can keep riding out and keep attacking and just keep going. It's just the depth, the depth of the peloton is just that's the biggest, like difference.' 4.04pm BST 16:04 Ominously, Tadej Pogacar leads the polka on countback and in the green jersey standings, he's in with a big chance. King of the Mountains 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - XRG 60 2. Lenny Martinez (FRA) Bahrain Victorious 3. Thymen Arensman (NED) INEOS Grenadiers 48 4. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma - Lease a Bike 45 5. Michael Woods (CAN) Israel - Premier Tech 38 Points leaders 1. Jonathan Milan (ITA) Lidl - Trek 251 2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - XRG 240 3. Biniam Girmay (ERI) Intermarché - Wanty 169 4. Tim Merlier (BEL) Soudal Quick-Step 150 5. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma - Lease a Bike ' 4.02pm BST 16:02 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - XRG 58:24:46 2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma - Lease a Bike +4:15 3. Florian Lipowitz (GER) Red Bull - BORA - +9:03 4. Oscar Onley (GBR) Team Picnic PostNL +11:04 5. Primo* Roglic (SLO) Red Bull - BORA - +11:42 6. Kévin Vauquelin (FRA) Arkéa - B&B Hotels +13:20 7. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale +14:50 8. Tobias Johannessen (NOR) Uno-X Mobility +17:01 9. Ben Healy (IRL) EF Education - EasyPost +17:52 10. Carlos Rodríguez (ESP) INEOS Grenadiers +20:45 4.00pm BST 16:00 Martin Lowe gets in touch: 'When was the last time two hirsute faces went one two in any cycling race? Marginal gains? Leading from the front?' My colleague Beau Dure: 'Congratulations to Paret-Peintre for brilliantly .... letting Healy do all the work and then passing him at the end as if he actually did something. (Yeah, I know -- easy for me to say. I probably couldn't walk up Mont Ventoux, let alone drag a bike up it.)' Alistair in Lyon: 'I holidayed at Bédouin last summer, and contemplated doing the Ventoux. I have done it once, twenty years ago, with a mountain biking group. We took an unusual route, on forest tracks, which bring you to the road a bit above Chalet Renard. Most of the group took a right, to get a beer at the Chalet, and only three of us made it to the year, we drove up in the end...' 3.58pm BST 15:58 Adam Yates, teammate of Tadej Pogacar, speaks: 'Yeah, it's always a big mess. I think after the rest day everyone wants to try and win, so it was hard going from the beginning. 'You know how, he is, he wants to win every stage. He's, TT whatever, so that's his character, that's his personality. And that's why we work towards, you know, we work hard all year to try and win, so. Yeah, it didn't work out today but after tonight we got two more good days in the mountains and we'll give it a charge. 3.55pm BST 15:55 1. Valentin Paret-Peintre Soudal Quick-Step 4:03:19 (FRA) 2. Ben Healy (IRL) EF Education - EasyPost ' 3. Santiago Buitrago (COL) Bahrain Victorious +4 4. Ilan Van Wilder (BEL) Soudal Quick-Step +14 5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - XRG +43 6. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma - Lease a Bike +45 7. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +53 8. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Tudor Pro Cycling Team +1:17 9. Primoz Roglic (SLO) Red Bull - BORA - +1:51 10. Florian Lipowitz (GER) Red Bull - BORA - +1:53 3.53pm BST 15:53 Jonas Vingegaard speaks: 'I didn't gain any time today, but I take a lot of motivation today today Yeah, we wanted to have somebody in the break and the team did really amazing today. Everybody worked with everything they had. So, I couldn't. Yeah, it was really commitment from everyone, and everyone was doing super great, so thank you to all my team. 'I mean, he followed me every time I attacked, and I followed him when he attacked, so yeah, I don't know if I could see any weaknesses today now, but at least, yeah, it gives me some motivation, how good I saw today and as I said earlier, I will keep trying.' He was not happy there, having crashed into a photographer who had got in the way after he cleared the finishing line. 3.46pm BST 15:46 Ireland's Healy denied, France and Soudal Quick-Step rider victorious. Roglic comes over the top, and he will displace Oscar Onley's in the GC. Updated at 3.47pm BST 3.43pm BST 15:43 And Pogacar comes over the line, leading Vingegaard home. Vismas tried their best to crack Pogacar, but a tad off form, they can cannot break him. 3.42pm BST 15:42 Pogacar and Vingegaard are within 45 seconds, and up at the front, Van Wilder, thought to be lost in the broken breakaway, joins a quartet who want this famous stage. Healy goes, and leads round the hairpin but Paret-Peintre captures it for France. Healy had no answer. Updated at 3.45pm BST 3.38pm BST 15:38 1km to go: The terrain is desert-like, like Alderaan, as Healy and Paret-Peintre attempt to be tactical. Mas comes back, and now Buitrago is back, like a thief in the night. He couldn't, could he? Four men have their chance. Pogacar meanwhile, goes away, only for Vingegaard to catch him and then counter. Updated at 4.00pm BST 3.33pm BST 15:33 2km to go: Paret-Peintre and Healy realise they must race. Mas' great effort is lost. Both the leading duo have had a go at the shaking the other off. 3.32pm BST 15:32 3km to go: Healy and Paret-Peintre pass Mas with ease. No Mas, as Roberto Duran had it. The gap to the yellow jersey is two minutes and it's between the Irishman and the Frenchman. But no, Mas gets back up as the other two quarrel. Vingegaard takes on Pogacar, who stays in his saddle. The champion is asked to take his turn at the front. 3.28pm BST 15:28 4km to go: The gap between Mas and Healy, followed by Paret-Peintre, has now closed to nine seconds. Mas is surely done. They can see him up the road. Updated at 3.28pm BST 3.26pm BST 15:26 5km to go: Chalet Reynard, and no shelter from the sun. Nowhere to hide for Vingegaard and Pogacar. Mas' chasers are arguing over whose turn it is. The gap to Mas tumbles to three minutes. Victor Campenaerts is up the hill, and waiting, and is here to help Vingegaard and Visma. 3.23pm BST 15:23 6km to go: Visma try their best to crash Pogacar as Oscar Onley has to fight off contenders for GC. Vingegaard goes again, but cannot shake off Pogacar. 3.21pm BST 15:21 7km to go: Here goes Vingegaard, and this is it. This is the moment when Vingegaard looks to crack Pogacar. Roglic is able to stay with them. It took 30 seconds from group in front. Tiesj Benoot, up the hill, is there to lead Vingo. Pogacar's lieutenant, Soler, was up the hill but burned up. Updated at 4.00pm BST 3.17pm BST 15:17 8km to go: We approach the section where the hills no longer provide shade. Simon Yates has been dropped from the group to support Vingegaard. Le Chalet Reynard awaits. 3.15pm BST 15:15 9km to go: Sivakov, a vital domestique for Pogacar, has dropped off as soon as he is asked to carry Pogacar. Arensman drops Alaphilippe and the Healy group catches them. 3.10pm BST 15:10 10km to go: Mas has a great victory within his grasp, as his chasers are 30 seconds down, gap that goes to almost 50 seconds. The real quiz is now down the hill. Pogacar has Yates and Wellens for company. Kuss is leading Vingegaard along though Visma have lost Simon Yates, who doesn't look at his best. Updated at 3.59pm BST 3.04pm BST 15:04 12km to go: Back in the peloton, UAE and Visma – the teams of Pogacar and Vingegaard – are cooking something, plotting against each other. Both have riders up ahead. Oscar Onley is up there, too, with Warren Barguil, a great lost talent, as his domestique. 3.01pm BST 15:01 13km to go: Uh oh, the peloton is motoring up this hill like Hells Angels in the Peaks. They are gobbling up time. Can Mas et al hold them off? Mas has won a stage at the Vuelta. Arensman and Alaphilippe are dropped. Movistar are looking to end their drought. Their last winner was Nairo Quintana in 2019. 2.57pm BST 14:57 14km to go: How will the peloton fit on these crowded roads? Geraint Thomas is one of those being spat out the back. The yellow jersey group is way behind but that doesn't preclude fireworks between them towards the summit. Enric Mas has a dig for victory, trying to shell Alaphilippe and Arsensman. 2.54pm BST 14:54 15km to go: The crowds are huge as the climb begins. Mas, Arensman and Alaphilippe are the leaders. The peloton starts to kick on and the field in thinning out on the 'Bald Mountain'. Incredible scenes, shades of Froome in 2016. 2.50pm BST 14:50 16km to go: Arensman, Alaphilippe, Mas, Velasco and Abrahamsen, a group splintered, with Trentin's big haul coming to its end. Martinez has been kicked down the field, with a mechanical fault not helping. His polka is in danger should Pogacar actually attack. 2.48pm BST 14:48 18km to go: Alaphilippe – radio on – decides he's having a go. No French stage winner this day. Arensman, a winner in the Pyrenees, is struggling. Abrahamsen wants to have a go, too. 2.46pm BST 14:46 21km to go: Here is Bédoin, and that means we are now climbing climbing climbing until the end of the day. The gap is 6' 50', does this mean UAE and Pogacar have decided the break is clear? Will the winner come from the two lead groups? Alaphilippe, Martinez and Healy all with chances. 2.37pm BST 14:37 25km to go: The breakaway brotherhood are beginning to climb out of their saddles. The Ventoux climb begins around 21km out, with 4.5km of relatively gentle climbing followed by 16.5km of sheer hell. Time to take on food and water, and hope the legs are working well. Behind, Team UAE loom, ready to go when the moment comes. Neil Broderick is here: 'Michael Forbes: 'Just wondering about your thoughts on Vingegaard this year: is he physically finished, or is all the drama with his wife and the team responsible for his poor showing? ' 'This is a sad commentary on modern sport when being the second best cyclist in the world is equivalent to being 'physically finished'. Vingegaard is still minutes ahead of everyone else which is a major achievement.' He's still just 28, which used to be the time when riders were considered ripe to win the race. Updated at 2.39pm BST 2.28pm BST 14:28 30km to go: The foothills are here. Pogacar is 6' 30' back. He's given himself plenty to do. Though it still feels as if UAE are in control. The renegades at the front will surely be gobbled up. 2.22pm BST 14:22 35km to go: John Westwell gets in touch: 'Although Gary Naylor makes a valid point about Pogacar being a true patron and allowing a break to contest today's stage, I don't think he's that sort of rider. 'As someone who encourages the comparison with Eddy Merckxx, Pogacar is only too aware that Merckxx won atop Ventoux in 1970. I'd be amazed if he doesn't want to do the same today. And his team seems to be riding to keep three riders out front with a small gap which can be pulled back on or before the final climb.' William Preston: 'Although I mainly agree with Gary Naylor: Pogacar could refrain from getting a stomp on and leave the thrilling heroics to others; a philosopher once said 'there are no gifts on the Ventoux'. I genuinely look forward to seeing some brilliant climbing across the peloton, and a super party atmosphere.' Nick Wayne: 'As Pog said he's paid (handsomely) to race. Wouldn't put it past UAE to give him a humongous bonus for all three jerseys. But I'm hoping Lenny det polka and Milan stays in green.' David Alderton: 'Campenaerts has had a stellar two weeks. A workhorse of a man. Ventoux is probably my favourite mountain after the Armstrong and Pantani duel many years ago. Such epic days have been witnessed here.' Michael Forbes: 'Just wondering about your thoughts on Vingegaard this year: is he physically finished, or is all the drama with his wife and the team responsible for his poor showing? ' Yes, shades of Mrs Froome's involvement a few years back though I'd say Vingo is a) against a peaking Pog and b) still hungover from last year's amazing effort after his Basque crash. 2.18pm BST 14:18 40km to go: Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), Julian Alaphilippe and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling), Enric Mas (Movistar), Simone Velasco (Astana) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) are the group leading Healy but nobody is really busting a gut. Bedoin, not so far up the road, awaits. And that's when it begins. 2.08pm BST 14:08 50km to go: The games continue, and a crosswind approaches. Ben Healy is in a group a minute off the leaders. It's time to work out who has a chance can stay away on Ventoux. The answer, most probably, is nobody. 1.57pm BST 13:57 59km to go: Here comes that sprint, and the points do not go to Milan. His team have dropped the ball here. Girmay is nowhere near, either. Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X Mobility takes it, with few interested chasers. Simone Velasco of Astana has a half-hearted go. Updated at 2.06pm BST 1.46pm BST 13:46 65 km to go: Apologies for the use of X, but here's the personnel in the breakaway. It's splitting in half now, too. 🏁 80 km 3️⃣5️⃣ 🚴♂️ < 42"2️⃣🚴♂️ < 2'47" < 🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚗 Breakaway of the day / L'échappée du jour ⬇️ 🇮🇪 Ben Healy 🇳🇱 @ThymenArensman 🇪🇸 @EnricMasNicolau 🇦🇹 Gregor Mühlberger 🇧🇪 Xandro Meurisse 🇧🇪 Ilan Van Wilder 🇧🇪 Victor Campenaerts 🇪🇸 @raul_gass 🇪🇸 @solermarc93 🇳🇱 @PascalEenkhoorn 🇮🇹… 1.42pm BST 13:42 70km to go: The sprint draws clear, as they speed through beautiful countryside and then some more suburban scenery. The sprint is at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, who all you winos will recognise the name. Not cheap, usually. Wiki: 'literally translates to 'The Pope's new castle' and, indeed, the history of this appellation is firmly entwined with papal history. In 1309, Pope Clement V, former Archbishop of Bordeaux, relocated the papacy to the town of Avignon. Clement V and subsequent 'Avignon Popes' were said to be great lovers of Burgundy wines and did much to promote them during the 70-year Avignon Papacy.' Does this mean they go sur le pont d'Avignon? 1.35pm BST 13:35 80km to go: A downhill section – welcome, no doubt – and Jonathan Milan's team has missed the break, and that could damage his chances of the green jersey. He's 2' 25' off the front of the course. In a group ahead, Biniam Girmay is looking to take points off the green holder. Soler and Sivakov of Team UAE are in the break, to do that police work. 1.24pm BST 13:24 90km to go: Here comes what Jim Davidson would call a big break. But it's too big to stay away in truth. Healy, Ireland's hero, is involved. Here's Alaphilippe, the 'winner' of Sunday's stage. This is chaotic stuff, really. There's 30 riders or so up there, and the gap is a minute or so. Food and bottles are taken on in the peloton. 1.13pm BST 13:13 100 km to go: The sprint is 40km to go, and the break is being closed down. Feels like a phoney war for much of the day then blast off as the Ventoux beckons. Lots of trepidation for a climb that holds such portents of doom. As the 100km clock is reached, the break is closed by mostly Visma riders from Vingegaard's team. Wout van Aert is on manoeuvres. 1.01pm BST 13:01 110 km to go: Comfort breaks are taken, but not in the breakaway who open up the gap. Such a long way to go for them. Anyone winning from that trio would be borderline miraculous. They are 1' 45' clear. But not for long, as Schmid and Plapp set of for Team Jayco. Joseph gets in touch: 'We're following your live commentary sat in Bedoin at the foot of Ventoux. The whole town is buzzing.' Presume not buzzing at my plodding prose, instead the key stage of Le Tour 2025. Updated at 1.47pm BST 12.43pm BST 12:43 120 km to go: Sally Ledger gets in touch: 'Morning John, I'm in exactly the same position as Huw Morgan (without the 3pm board meeting) and am also a Pogacar superfan. I know where Huw's coming from but, unlike John [Huw?], I want Pogacar to absolutely crush it today. I know most want a close fought tussle but I just love watching him take flight. I'm actually quite nervous on his behalf. Go Pogi!' Gary Naylor makes a fine point: 'I believe that Pogacar is growing into an old school patron and, as such, it's his responsibility to ensure that the race bestows its gifts generously. So I hope he just marks Visma today and lets a break go. The race needs a climber and a sprinter in the jerseys on Sunday and only he can ensure that.' The trio breakaway stay away but within easy reach. 12.33pm BST 12:33 125km to go: Much chicanery, though the escapees will be allowed to stay away for now. Nils Pollitt, the domestique for UAE and Pogacar, is doing a policing job on the front, making sure nobody joins the trio 45 seconds clear, though the clock soon reverts to 33 seconds. UAE want this for their man. Milan wants to be up the front for his green jersey point. The sprint isn't until 59km left in the stage. Updated at 12.37pm BST 12.30pm BST 12:30 140 km to go: They're rattling along at 60 km/h and the break loses its advantage. It looks like breaks will come and go until that final fateful climb. 11.59am BST 11:59 155km to go: Here go three men good and true in another attempt to establish a break. The gap is eight seconds but climbs to 25. Meurrise, Haller and Hirschi are those up in the vanguard. Marc Hirschi won on stage 11 in 2020, a hilly stage ending in Sarran. 11.44am BST 11:44 165km to go: Lenny Martinez is up the front, and will fancy another breakaway to land his polka points. The breaks aren't snagging just yet. Montpellier is left behind as the Med coast appears in view. It looks ridiculously beautiful. Huw Morgan gets in touch: 'Work web filtering means I'm on the live updates only. My colleague Libby has wisely chosen to WFH so she can watch it. I'm not so lucky with a board meeting to attend at 3pm. I've been following cycling for 3 years now and I've never seen a stage like this. Flat, flat, flat, BANG. Absolutely buzzing to watch it with my wife when I get home from work! We're Pogacar super fans but hoping for a real tussle on Ventoux with Pog losing some time.' 11.39am BST 11:39 171.2 km to go: Christian Prudhomme waves them away, and off goes an immediate breakaway, with Wout van Aert among them. Ivan Romeo is there, too, as is Jonathan Milan, still fighting off Pogacar. Updated at 11.50am BST 11.38am BST 11:38 Strava's read on the Ventoux climb. Any segment where Tadej Pogačar is No1 on the leaderboard is going to hurt – his time of exactly 1 hour for this 13.4 mile / 21.5km climb during the 2021 Tour is almost unfathomable. But put that time to one side and concentrate on the road in front of you, as this climb is known as the 'Beast of Provence' for a reason: the last 3.7 miles / 6km are painful, and mentally you should prepare yourself. The views up to that point are largely forest-based, but once you exit the trees you're in a dusty, rock-strewn lunar landscape, exposed to potentially strong winds, low temperatures and hovering clouds. Look out for Tom Simpson's memorial, as that means you have just 1km left to the summit where your legs can rest. 11.30am BST 11:30 The Dutchman has been diagnosed with pneumonia and will not start Stage 16 on Tuesday, having been a leading light and worn yellow in Le Tour's opening week. 'Mathieu had been experiencing symptoms of a common cold over the past few days. Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to worsen significantly.' his Alpecin-Deceuninck team said in a statement. He was third in the points classification for the green jersey at the time of his withdrawal, behind Jonathan Milan and Tadej Pogacar. 11.22am BST 11:22 There's 8km to go until the départ réel, when the attacks are expected from the get-go. 11.19am BST 11:19 11.14am BST 11:14 Nick Wayne gets in touch: 'I suppose it's a sign of maturity if he saves his energy for the Alps. It would also make for a cracking stage win if he blasts out of the pedals a few K before the line. ' Pogacar has sat up the last two stages, allowed the breakaway to go. 10.30am BST 10:30 Is the race for the yellow jersey over? Not according to Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time winner promising to go for broke. 'We have to try to do something,' he said, and insisted that he was willing to risk everything to win. 'There needs to be a weakness somewhere on Tadej's part. For now, we haven't found it, but we'll keep trying. I'm willing to sacrifice second place to go for first.' 10.30am BST 10:30 William Fotheringham on the legend of Ventoux. Tempora mutantur, but not the Ventoux. That, partly, reflects one of the key features of the Tour; the way it constantly revisits and rewrites its past in places that have barely changed since the first visit. Go round the partly banked corner at Saint-Estève and on to the virtually straight haul through the oak-wooded lower slopes, and it's essentially the same brutal experience that the stars of the 50s, 60s and 70s might have undergone, perhaps with better tarmac as you go up with barely a hairpin to break the gradient until the final haul across the scree slopes to the top. 10.30am BST 10:30 Here then, is the Alpine stage that rivals only Alpe d'Huez for its place in folklore of Le Tour. And unlike L'Alpe, visits are far rarer. As the riders head towards the summit finish, they will visit terrain that bears closes resemblance to the surface of the Moon rather than the sweeping greenery of le belle campagne. It was last the finish of a stage in 2016, won by Thomas de Gendt, but memorable for Chris Froome running up that hill. The man in the frame today is Tadej Pogacar, and he seeks to emulate the greats in winning on Ventoux, which he climbed up – and twice – in 2021, smashing the field as he did. Poulidor, Merckx and Pantani all raised their arms in victory in that rarified air so can he? The neutralised start is 11.10 UK time. Join us. Updated at 10.37am BST
Arab News
a day ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Paret-Peintre paints masterpiece on Ventoux as record setter Pogacar stays in control
MALAUCENE, France: Valentin Paret-Peintre kept his cool in a furnace of pressure and heat, delivering a thunderous victory atop the legendary Mont Ventoux to give France its first win in this year's Tour de France during a breathtaking Stage 16 on Tuesday. 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 unshakable in yellow, fending off Jonas Vingegaard on the brutal 21.5km ascent averaging 7.5 percent. Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4:15 after setting the record for the climb, riding up in 54 minutes and 41 seconds — one minute 10 seconds faster than the previous best mark set by Spain's Iban Mayo in 2004. The Slovenian also beat the fastest time from the Saint-Esteve bend, where the toughest section starts by clocking 44:48. The previous record was held by the late Marco Pantani (46:00). 'I had a bad day in 2021 on the Ventoux, today was the opposite, I had good legs, I enjoyed myself,' Pogacar, chasing a fourth Tour title, said. 'We will try to go for another stage win. He (Vingegaard) attacked a lot of times but I knew that I could follow the wheel.' Vingegaard suffered a brief crash after the line but said his performance gave him confidence that he was still in contention for a third title. 'How I felt good today gives me motivation, I will keep trying,' he said. Germany's Florian Lipowitz held firm in third, 9:03 adrift of Pogacar, pulling further ahead of fourth-placed Briton Oscar Onley, who lags another 2:01 behind. But the day belonged to Paret-Peintre. 'I honestly didn't believe it,' he said. 'I thought Pogacar would go for victory today. But when we built a real gap, I told myself, you can't let a win on Mont Ventoux slip through your fingers.' Seven riders surged ahead from an early breakaway, carving out a healthy 6:30 buffer as they reached the base of the climb. The air grew thinner, the crowds louder and the landscape more lunar. Survival Spanish climber Enric Mas led the charge, attacking solo 14.2 km from the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase. As they passed Chalet Reynard, pine forest yielded to desolate, white-stone slopes. Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back. Then came Belgian Ilan Van Wilder, who fought his way back to the group and dug deep for teammate Paret-Peintre to keep the Pogacar-Vingegaard threat at bay. Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, the first attempt coming 9km from the top, but could not shake off Pogacar, whose acceleration was also not strong enough to drop the Visma-Lease a Bike leader. With 400 meters to go and the gradient spiking to a lung-scorching 10 percent, Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonizing meters, he surged past, claiming not just a stage win, but also a place in French cycling folklore. He was only the fifth Frenchman to conquer the Ventoux, the mountain that claimed the life of Tom Simpson, who died in hospital after collapsing in the finale of the ascent in 1967. There was a big scare for Tobias Johannessen, who was taken to hospital after being given oxygen by a race doctor immediately after the finish. 'Tobias suffered some right-sided upper abdominal pain during the final climb today. He made it to the finish where he was seen immediately by the race doctors and given oxygen,' the Norwegian's Uno-X team said. 'He is feeling much better but will go to the local hospital for further checks.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tour de France: Pogacar resists Vingegaard on Ventoux as Paret-Peintre claims stage 16
The Tour de France debutant Valentin Paret-Peintre banished the bitter memories of Julian Alaphilippe's misplaced celebrations in Carcassonne on Sunday by becoming the fifth French rider to win at the summit of Mont Ventoux. For the French, such success on the Giant of Provence, the first in the Tour in 23 years, justified huge celebration and plenty of tears. Paret-Peintre's impressive victory came at the expense of the indefatigable Ben Healy, who was within a hair's breadth of taking his second stage win of the Tour. It was Paret-Peintre's second Grand Tour win, after his stage victory in the 2024 Giro. 'This morning I didn't think this was possible, because I expected [Tadej] Pogacar to want to win,' he said. Yet the absence of his Soudal Quick-Step team leader, Remco Evenepoel, who abandoned the Tour in the Pyrenees, opened a door of opportunity for the climber from the Haute-Savoie. 'I could see that I wasn't strong enough to drop Healy in the finale,' he said, of his team's fourth stage win in this year's race, 'so I focused on trying to beat him in the sprint.' But while Healy and Paret-Peintre were playing out the final moments of a sparring match that had started much further down the mountain, Jonas Vingegaard was keeping his promise to attack the race leader Pogacar. Just 48 hours after Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team had been lambasted for their lack of cohesion and accused of disloyalty towards the two-time champion by some critics, they were transformed into a cohesive well-drilled unit, working hard to support his efforts to dislodge Pogacar. Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert and Tiesj Benoot put in lengthy turns pacemaking their leader on the never-ending climb, in the hope of finally cracking Pogacar. 'The team did really amazing today,' Vingegaard said. 'Everybody worked, there was real commitment from everyone.' But the Dane's best efforts, which saw him make several attacks on his rival, came to nothing. On the Ventoux's cruel final bend, perhaps the worst on the climb, the Slovenian again opened up a gap, sneaking clear to increase his overall lead by another couple of seconds. 'He followed me every time he attacked and I followed him,' Vingegaard said after the stage. 'I don't know if I could see any weaknesses today but at least, how good I felt gives me motivation. I will keep trying. 'I was feeling very good, so I'm happy. I didn't get any time, but I take a lot of motivation from it.' Yet insult was added to injury when Vingegaard collided with a photographer on the Ventoux summit's cramped finish line. 'A photographer stepped right in front of me,' he said. 'I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People who are working on the finish line need to be more careful.' However hard he tries, he cannot find any weaknesses in Pogacar's armour. Vingegaard's first attacks, in the forested section of the climb, splintered the main peloton and took him across to his teammate Benoot. For a fleeting moment and for perhaps the first time in this Tour, Pogacar initially showed signs of stress. At Chalet Reynard however, 6km from the top, the pair were still inseparable, although Vingegaard had one more card to play. As they bridged up to another of his teammates, Victor Campenaerts, he had another ally to pace him into the decisive kilometres. But the Dane's next move, with 4km to race, once more failed to dislodge the race leader. The pair's blistering times on Ventoux shattered all precedents. The past record, set by Spain's Iban Mayo in a 2004 time trial, was 55 minutes and 51 seconds. Pogacar beat that mark by a minute and 20 seconds, with Vingegaard just two seconds slower. Afterwards Pogacar, asked what his limits were, appeared offended by the question. 'I don't think we could ride much faster,' he said. 'Jonas and his team did very good pacing. On our aero bikes we go pretty fast, maybe we pick up a couple of seconds. I don't know. What do you want?' He maintained too that, despite appearances, he was no Superman. 'I'm definitely not Superman. I was born in Ljubljana. Today was an epic climb to do and we brought down the gap quite fast. We saw the winners in the last 800 metres, but even for Superman I don't think it would have been possible to catch them.' There were some other shifts in the overall standings, although Kelso's Oscar Onley clung on and remains stubbornly in fourth place overall, after finishing 14th on the stage. But Primoz Roglic, ninth on the Ventoux, is moving up the standings and has now climbed into the top five, while the unflagging Healy remains in the Tour's top 10, in ninth place overall.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Paret-Peintre lands first French Tour stage win in Mont Ventoux thriller
PARIS, July 22 — Valentin Paret-Peintre became the first French winner on this year's Tour de France as he edged an enthralling stage 16 yesterday pipping Ireland's Ben Healy atop the mythical 1910m altitude Mont Ventoux summit finish. Behind them Jonas Vingegaard attacked overall leader Tadej Pogacar relentlessly but the defending champion tracked the Dane all the way up the 15km ascent to extend his lead by two seconds. Trailing by 4min 13sec at the start of this stage Vingegaard attacked with 9km to climb on Mont Ventoux, whose eery upper reaches resemble a lunar landscape. "I didn't want to push too hard and then let him have me on a counter-attack. I kept my rhythm as much as I could," said Pogacar who has been fighting off a cold this week. "He attacked many times but I just tried to hold his wheel." Vingegaard was knocked off his bike by a motorbike after the finish line but was unhurt, remounting to go and congratulate Pogacar on another fine battle. "He seemed okay," Pogacar said later. Pogacar's Team UAE boss described Vingegaard as a "warrior". "He's got the guts and the legs and we expect him to keep on attacking every day now. He's a warrior," Mauro Gianetti said. The battle for the overall lead, however, was eclipsed by a frantic fight for the stage win between EF's Healy and Soudal Quick-Step's Paret-Peintre who became the first French winner on Mont Ventoux since Richard Virenque in 2002. "He looked so happy at the finish line," said Pogacar, who crossed the summit 43sec adrift. Mont Ventoux has long been held in awe by riders and spectators alike and it has witnessed some of the greatest dramas and tragedies of the Tour. In 1967, the British cyclist Tom Simpson died here after collapsing on a baking climb. The great Eddy Merckx once needed oxygen at the summit while Chris Froome ran part of the way up during a frantic wait for mechanical assistance on his way to a third Tour de France title in 2016. 'Perfect tactic' Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two days after winning the Bastille Day stage six, appeared to be heading for his second stage win as the two riders approached the finish of an epic tussle. Paret-Peintre looked completely drained but, cheered on by the home crowd, he found a final surge of strength to overtake the Irishman with 20 metres remaining and held on to the line. "I was near giving up, Healy was so strong but I said to myself come on, it's the Tour de France, Mont Ventoux," said Paret-Peintre. "I knew that if I held on, the last section suited me better than him as it's really steep. It turned out to be the perfect tactic." Healy's consolation was to be awarded the day's combativity prize while moving up one place to ninth in the overall standings. Almost unnoticed further down the mountain, German break out star Florian Lipowitz consolidated his third place, extending his lead on fourth-placed Scottish rider Oscar Onley by around 30 seconds. With two more Alpine stages coming up and five more stages left Vingegaard and his Visma team did everything they could to hurt the Team UAE leader Pogacar here, and can only hope they have tired the pugnacious champion. But the 26-year-old resisted all they threw at him, despite being isolated from his teammates early in the climb. Stage 17 should be one for the sprinters as Tim Merlier hopes to add to his two stage wins and current green jersey Jonathan Milan also targets a second win at the 700m straight run to the finish line at Valence. The weather however could rewrite the script with 50kph winds forecast along the 170km run. — AFP
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
The giant delivers French smiles
In the latest SBS Cycling Podcast, the hosts celebrate a stunning French victory atop Mont Ventoux, capturing the electric atmosphere and scenic Alpine backdrop. The episode also explores the general classification battle, with an analysis of Vingegaard and Pogacar's rivalry. A quick look ahead at the next stages leaves fans eager for more Tour de France action.
