Latest news with #Quick-Step
22-07-2025
- Sport
Paret-Peintre wins Tour de France stage on Mont Ventoux, where Pogačar deals Vingegaard another blow
MONT VENTOUX, France -- Valentin Paret-Peintre triumphed on Mont Ventoux to become the first home rider to win a stage at this year's Tour de France, while Tadej Pogačar consolidated his overall lead Tuesday. Paret-Peintre finished just ahead of former leader Ben Healy in a sprint for the line at the top of the famed mountain known as the 'Beast of Provence.' Santiago Buitrago was third, 4 seconds behind, ahead of Paret-Peintre's teammate Ilan Van Wilder and fifth-placed Pogačar, who withstood repeated attacks from Jonas Vingegaard to cross the line 2 seconds before his main rival. Pogačar stretched his overall lead to 4 minutes, 15 seconds over the Danish rider. Vingegaard won the Tour in 2022 and 2023 but seems powerless to stop Pogačar from achieving his fourth win when the race finishes next weekend in Paris. After the Tour's second rest day Monday, Stage 16 took the riders 171.5 kilometers from Montpellier in the south of France on a long flat course until they reached the brutal climb up Ventoux. Mathieu van der Poel, who had been third in the points classification, withdrew before Tuesday's stage with pneumonia. Wout van Aert, the last winner when the route went through Ventoux in 2021, attacked from the off, prompting responses from Jonathan Milan, Ivan Romeo and others. Six were in the lead by the time they got to Bedoin at the bottom. Only 22 kilometers remained, but they were to get increasingly tough with 15.7 kilometers at an 8.8% incline from Saint-Esteve to the finish. Healy, in a group of chasers, overtook Julian Alaphilippe while Vingegaard made his initial move. He attacked again, then again, but Pogačar stayed doggedly on his wheel. The gap was closing on Spanish rider Enric Mas in the lead. Vingegaard got support when he caught up with Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Victor Campenaerts, but Healy was moving fast in front of them and took the lead from Mas with 3.7 kilometers to go. Paret-Peintre followed and was helped by Soudal–Quick-Step teammate Van Wilder to finish just ahead of Healy. Vingegaard attacked again but could not shake off Pogačar, who attacked with 2 kilometers to go to deal his rival another demoralizing blow.
RTÉ News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ben Healy denied second Tour de France stage win on legendary Mont Ventoux
Ben Healy produced an astonishing climb up the legendary Mont Ventoux but was denied a second stage victory of this year's Tour de France by two bike lengths. The 24-year-old EF Education-EasyPost rider chased down Enric Mas on the upper slopes of the 'Bald Mountain' - the scene of some of the Tour's most famous moments. The Birmingham-born Irish cyclist was pipped on the line by French favourite Valentin Paret-Peintre in the final metres of the 171.5-kilometre stage that started in Montpellier and finished on the bare roads leading to the renowned observatory. A typically aggressive ride from Healy saw him battling to the line with Mas, Ilan Van Wilder, Santiago Buitrago and Soudal Quick-Step rider Paret-Peintre. Healy and Paret-Peintre broke from the others in the last few hundred metres and it was the home rider who won out in the final moments of another exciting stage. Healy gained one place in the general classification, jumping Carlos Rodriguez to take ninth spot. Race leader Tadej Pogacar finished fifth, 43 seconds back, gaining two seconds on his closest rival Jonas Vingegaard. Last week Healy became the fourth Irish cyclist to wear the famous Yellow Jersey, leading the Tour de France for two days, having won Stage 6 before taking the lead with a third-place finish on Bastille Day.
The Star
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Cycling-France's Paret-Peintre wins Tour stage 16, Pogacar stays in yellow
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 16 - Montpellier to Mont Ventoux - Mont Ventoux, France - July 22, 2025 Soudal Quick-Step's Valentin Paret Peintre celebrates winning stage 16 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Express Tribune
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Arensman soloes to Tour stage victory
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman climbed to victory on the gruelling stage 14 of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees on Saturday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar extended his overall race lead. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who had been third overall, pulled out of the race on the day's first climb of the daunting 2180m altitude Tourmalet. The Belgian Soudal Quick-Step rider appeared exhausted after Friday's uphill time trial. Arensman attacked on the third of four mountains on a colossal climb day while Slovenian Pogacar outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard for second just over a minute behind the winner. Crossing the line in the mist at 1840m altitude, Arensman flung himself to the ground exhausted after taking a first win on this Tour for British team Ineos. The 25-year-old produced a virtuoso climb amidst suffocating packs of near hysterical fans who had waited all day for the peloton to pass. Behind him Pogacar fought off a string of attacks from his arch rival Vingegaard on a day the Slovenian never looked like attacking for the win. Winner of the past two stages Pogacar pounced for the line from 50 metres with his trademark kick gaining another six seconds on the Dane. Pogacar, overall race winner in 2020, 2021 and 2024, now leads Vingegaard by 4min 13sec with Florian Lipowitz moving into third place at 7min 53sec. German Lipovitz of Red Bull rode on Pogacar's wheel until Dane Vingegaard, who won back-to-back Tour titles in 2022 and 2023, had attacked late on. After three days in the Pyrenees the riders next have a hilly stage 15 over 169.3km from Muret to the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne. Spectator hit by Ineos-Grenadiers team car An Ineos-Grenadiers team car hit and knocked down a spectator during the 14th stage of the Tour de France cycle race, TV footage showed on Saturday. The team car was in the middle of the road to the Col de Peyresourde, about 200 metres from the top of the ascent, when it struck the spectator, who was cheering the riders on. Organisers told Reuters they were not aware of the accident while Ineos-Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment. Olympic champion Evenepoel pulls out of Tour de France Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel pulled out of the Tour de France during Saturday's stage 14, a gruelling climb of the Tourmalet mountain in the Pyrenees. The double Olympic champion was third in the overall standings and had won stage five in the 21-stage race, but appeared exhausted after Friday's uphill time trial. The Soudal Quick-Step rider won both the Olympic road race and time trial gold in Paris, shortly after finishing third at the 2024 Tour de France and claimed the best young rider's white jersey. But an accident in Brussels in December involving a postal delivery van scuppered the 25-year-old's preparation for this year's Tour. The opening stages were contested near the Belgian border, but Evenepoel lost a minute of the first day after being caught in a cross wind split. This tactical error deprived him of a golden chance of taking the leader's yellow jersey in the first week, where he would pulverise the field on a 33km time trial. The team will now base its attention around fellow Belgian rider Tim Merlier, who has already won two sprint stages on this Tour.
New Straits Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Arensman climbs to misty Tour de France win as Pogacar extends lead
LUCHON-SUPERBAGNERES, France: Dutch rider Thymen Arensman climbed to victory on the gruelling stage 14 of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees on Saturday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar extended his overall race lead. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who had been third overall, pulled out of the race on the day's first climb, the daunting 2180m altitude Tourmalet. The Belgian Soudal Quick-Step rider appeared exhausted after Friday's uphill time trial. Arensman attacked on the third of four mountains on a colossal climb day while Slovenian Pogacar outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard for second just over a minute behind the winner. Crossing the line in the mist at 1840m altitude, Arensman flung himself to the ground exhausted after taking a first win on this Tour for British team Ineos. The 25-year-old produced a virtuoso climb amidst suffocating packs of near hysterical fans who had waited all day for the peloton to pass. Behind him Pogacar fought off a string of attacks from his arch rival Vingegaard on a day the Slovenian never looked like attacking for the win. Winner of the past two stages Pogacar pounced for the line from 50 metres with his trademark kick gaining another six seconds on the Dane. Pogacar, overall race winner in 2020, 2021 and 2024, now leads Vingegaard by 4min 13sec with Florian Lipowitz moving into third place at 7min 53sec. Pogacar praised Arensman as "the strongest of the breakaway and strongest of the race". "That was one hell of a ride from him. You could only see 20m ahead," said the race leader. "I was quite scared racing down the Tourmalet, I was behind Arensman and he just disappeared into the fog," said Pogacar. RISING FORCE Lipovitz rode on Pogacar's wheel until Dane Vingegaard, who won Tour titles in 2022 and 2023, had attacked late on. The 25-year-old Red Bull rider Lipowitz took the best young rider's white jersey and is a rising force in cycling, which he came to late after switching from the winter sport biathlon, a mixture of shooting and cross-country skiing. "When I came here I had no pretensions of taking the white jersey, so I'm really happy," said the quietly spoken 6ft 4in (1.93m) German. "The crowds were so encouraging, it makes you want to ride faster." Ireland's Ben Healy climbed back up to ninth as the EF rider who led the race arriving in the Pyrenees rode all day with the Pogacar clique. Frenchman Lenny Martinez led over the first three mountains and has the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey. After three days in the Pyrenees the riders next have a hilly stage 15 over 169.3km from Muret to the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne. - AFP
