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United News of India
24-07-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Tour de France: Jonathan Milan wins Stage 17
Paris, July 24 (UNI) Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won a chaotic Stage 17 of the Tour de France, pipping Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) in a rain-soaked finale in Valence. With Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) closing in on Milan in the race for the green jersey, Milan's team was determined to ensure the stage would finish in a bunch sprint and maximise the Italian's points haul. The Tour de France 2025 moves into Stage 18: Vif – Courchevel Col de la Loze. Catch the live action as the riders tackle this decisive stretch, LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD from 19:00 hrs (7:00 PM IST) onwards on Thursday, 24th July 2025. Although not what Milan would have wanted, that task was made easier by a crash that occurred beneath the flamme rouge banner, with a kilometre to go. Only the front ten riders were completely unaffected, with most of the rest of the bunch impeded by a wall of bodies and bikes. They included the rider most expected to challenge Milan for the stage, Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), who stayed upright but was forced to slow to a standstill and was unable to contest the final sprint. It all came at the end of a short, somewhat punchy stage that wasn't even guaranteed to finish in a bunch sprint. That it did was almost entirely down to the efforts of Milan's Lidl-Trek team-mates throughout the stage. Their first task was to restrict the size and make-up of the breakaway. Narrow roads out of Bollene made that an easier one. Once four riders had disappeared up the road, a wall of riders mostly wearing red, yellow and blue appeared at the front, slowing the bunch down and repressing any further efforts to make the jump. Kasper Asgreen (EF Education EasyPost) was the most apparently keen of those who had missed out, but the Danish rider was put in a box and prevented from finding a way through. By the time Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadier) was able to bust out it was too little too late. The Frenchman spent about 20km with his nose in the wind before being reabsorbed into the peloton. It was soon clear that Vincenze Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) were going to be allowed the most limited of leads. Although they worked hard and cooperated well, for most of the afternoon, they were about as invisible as a break could be. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) was charged with keeping the gap below three minutes, and mostly much less. The first of two 4th category climbs was when Milan and Lidl-Trek found themselves most under pressure. Ineos Grenadiers and Movistar looked to increase the pace with Milan and Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) two of the biggest names cut adrift from the peloton. They could have been permanently distanced had Alpecin-Deceuninck, among other teams, realised sooner that they were the main beneficiaries and been quick enough to take advantage. Although Kaden Groves' team-mates did eventually come to the front, it was not soon enough to prevent Milan and Merlier from making it back to the front. Once they had, Lidl-Trek retook charge over the peloton and gradually worked to bring the break back at the time of their choosing. The arrival of heavy rain made that a more stressful responsibility but one Jasper Stuyven and Tom Skujins were ideally suited to. Between them they kept Milan close enough to the front to avoid being impacted by any crashes, made more likely by the conditions. When a big accident occurred, directly under the flamme rouge banner with 1km to go, he not only avoided it entirely but later said he was unaware it had even happened. Only ten other riders escaped the incident. They did not include double-stage winner Merlier, or last year's green jersey, Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty.) UNI RKM
The Advertiser
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Enfin! A French stage winner in the Tour de France
Valentin Paret-Peintre has 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. 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 21.5 km ascent averaging 7.5 per cent. Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4 mins 15 secs. 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. Ben O'Connor, in 12th, 30:08 behind Pogacar, is the only Australian in the top 25 GC riders. He was also the best-placed Aussie in the stage, finishing 32nd, 6.07 adrift of Paret-Peintre The day belonged to the 29-year-old from the French-Swiss border town of Annemasse, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory. "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." After the Tour's second rest day, stage 16 took the riders 171.5 km 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. 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. Spanish climber Enric Mas looked like the chosen one, attacking solo with 14.2 km to the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase. As they passed Chalet Reynard - where pine forest yields to desolate, white-stone slopes - it became a survival march. Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back before being left behind again with 400 metres to go when Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, 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. Buitrago was third. Behind the breakaway Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, but could not shake off Pogacar. He was further irked after crossing the finish line when, the Dane said, "Some photographer just ran straight in front of me. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more." Valentin Paret-Peintre has 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. 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 21.5 km ascent averaging 7.5 per cent. Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4 mins 15 secs. 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. Ben O'Connor, in 12th, 30:08 behind Pogacar, is the only Australian in the top 25 GC riders. He was also the best-placed Aussie in the stage, finishing 32nd, 6.07 adrift of Paret-Peintre The day belonged to the 29-year-old from the French-Swiss border town of Annemasse, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory. "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." After the Tour's second rest day, stage 16 took the riders 171.5 km 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. 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. Spanish climber Enric Mas looked like the chosen one, attacking solo with 14.2 km to the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase. As they passed Chalet Reynard - where pine forest yields to desolate, white-stone slopes - it became a survival march. Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back before being left behind again with 400 metres to go when Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, 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. Buitrago was third. Behind the breakaway Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, but could not shake off Pogacar. He was further irked after crossing the finish line when, the Dane said, "Some photographer just ran straight in front of me. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more." Valentin Paret-Peintre has 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. 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 21.5 km ascent averaging 7.5 per cent. Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4 mins 15 secs. 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. Ben O'Connor, in 12th, 30:08 behind Pogacar, is the only Australian in the top 25 GC riders. He was also the best-placed Aussie in the stage, finishing 32nd, 6.07 adrift of Paret-Peintre The day belonged to the 29-year-old from the French-Swiss border town of Annemasse, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory. "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." After the Tour's second rest day, stage 16 took the riders 171.5 km 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. 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. Spanish climber Enric Mas looked like the chosen one, attacking solo with 14.2 km to the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase. As they passed Chalet Reynard - where pine forest yields to desolate, white-stone slopes - it became a survival march. Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back before being left behind again with 400 metres to go when Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, 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. Buitrago was third. Behind the breakaway Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, but could not shake off Pogacar. He was further irked after crossing the finish line when, the Dane said, "Some photographer just ran straight in front of me. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more."
Perth Now
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Enfin! A French stage winner in the Tour de France
Valentin Paret-Peintre has 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. 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 21.5 km ascent averaging 7.5 per cent. Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4 mins 15 secs. 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. Ben O'Connor, in 12th, 30:08 behind Pogacar, is the only Australian in the top 25 GC riders. He was also the best-placed Aussie in the stage, finishing 32nd, 6.07 adrift of Paret-Peintre The day belonged to the 29-year-old from the French-Swiss border town of Annemasse, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory. "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." After the Tour's second rest day, stage 16 took the riders 171.5 km 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. 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. Spanish climber Enric Mas looked like the chosen one, attacking solo with 14.2 km to the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase. As they passed Chalet Reynard - where pine forest yields to desolate, white-stone slopes - it became a survival march. Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back before being left behind again with 400 metres to go when Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, 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. Buitrago was third. Behind the breakaway Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, but could not shake off Pogacar. He was further irked after crossing the finish line when, the Dane said, "Some photographer just ran straight in front of me. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more."
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Paret-Peintre paints masterpiece on Ventoux as record setter Pogacar stays in control
Find out what's new on ST website and app. 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%. 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. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Singapore Singapore, Vietnam agree to step up defence ties, dialogue between leaders Asia Malaysia govt's reform pledge tested as DAP chief bows over unresolved 2009 death of political aide Tech Singapore to increase pool of early adopters in AI to complement data scientists, engineers Singapore Prosecution says judge who acquitted duo of bribing ex-LTA official had copied defence arguments Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving "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 metres to go and the gradient spiking to a lung-scorching 10%, Healy launched his sprint. But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, 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." REUTERS
TimesLIVE
22-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Paret-Peintre paints masterpiece on Ventoux as Pogacar stays in control
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 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.
