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Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
Aussie rider in tears as he triumphs in slippery Tour de France stage
Australia's Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins after traversing the slippery roads to triumph on the penultimate day of the Tour de France. His late solo breakaway left the big two of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard trailing in the pouring rain of northern France. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider surged ahead 16 kilometres from home and held on for his first Tour stage win and 10th at major races. The 26-year-old from the Sunshine Coast has claimed two at the Giro d'Italia and seven at the Spanish Vuelta. His bike-handling skills in the wet were to the fore as he negotiated a sodden descent 21km from the finish while two other rivals skidded out of control. He finished 54 seconds ahead of Frank van den Broek and 59 clear of Pascal Eenkhoorn, bursting into tears as he crossed the finish line in Pontarlier. Groves' first career Tour stage win was a third of this race for his Alpecin-Deceuninck team but the first since stage two, with their previous two winners, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel, since lost to injury and illness. 'Today we weren't sure whether to go for the stage or wait for tomorrow but when the rain falls I have a super feeling normally in the cold weather,' an emotional Groves said. 'There's so much pressure at the Tour, and having won in the Giro, having won in the Vuelta, all I ever get asked is am I good enough to win in the Tour? And now I show them.
The Age
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Age
Aussie rider in tears as he triumphs in slippery Tour de France stage
Australia's Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins after traversing the slippery roads to triumph on the penultimate day of the Tour de France. His late solo breakaway left the big two of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard trailing in the pouring rain of northern France. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider surged ahead 16 kilometres from home and held on for his first Tour stage win and 10th at major races. The 26-year-old from the Sunshine Coast has claimed two at the Giro d'Italia and seven at the Spanish Vuelta. His bike-handling skills in the wet were to the fore as he negotiated a sodden descent 21km from the finish while two other rivals skidded out of control. He finished 54 seconds ahead of Frank van den Broek and 59 clear of Pascal Eenkhoorn, bursting into tears as he crossed the finish line in Pontarlier. Groves' first career Tour stage win was a third of this race for his Alpecin-Deceuninck team but the first since stage two, with their previous two winners, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel, since lost to injury and illness. 'Today we weren't sure whether to go for the stage or wait for tomorrow but when the rain falls I have a super feeling normally in the cold weather,' an emotional Groves said. 'There's so much pressure at the Tour, and having won in the Giro, having won in the Vuelta, all I ever get asked is am I good enough to win in the Tour? And now I show them.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
I've shown them: Groves completes grand set of wins
Australia's Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins after traversing the slippery roads to triumph on the penultimate day of the Tour de France. His late solo breakaway left the big two of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard trailing in the pouring rain of northern France. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider surged ahead 16 kilometres from home and held on for his first Tour stage win and 10th at major races. The 26-year-old from the Sunshine Coast has claimed two at the Giro d'Italia and seven at the Spanish Vuelta. His bike-handling skills in the wet were to the fore as he negotiated a sodden descent 21km from the finish while two other rivals skidded out of control. He finished 54 seconds ahead of Frank van den Broek and 59 clear of Pascal Eenkhoorn, bursting into tears as he crossed the finish line in Pontarlier. He said: "There's so much pressure at the Tour, and having won in the Giro, having won in the Vuelta, all I ever get asked is am I good enough to win in the Tour? And now I show them. "It's my first time winning, so it's pretty incredible." Earlier in the stage, another Australian, Harrison Sweeny, had made his mark. When the front group tackled the 3.6km Côte de Thésy, Frenchman Jordan Jegat launched a solo attack, but he was then overtaken by Sweeny. As rain fell heavily again after 40km, Sweeny opened up a 50-second lead, only to be quickly reeled in. Aside from the Australian cameos, Pogačar kept things safe to maintain his healthy lead over arch-rival Vingegard and set the stage for a triumphant finale into Paris on Sunday. The Slovenian ace has a 4 minutes 24 seconds advantage over two-time Tour winner Vingegaard with Germany's Florian Lipowitz 11:03 behind Pogačar in third overall. Barring a dramatic misadventure, Pogačar should complete the job on Sunday and move level with British rider Chris Froome on four Tour titles. Victory would also give Pogačar a fifth Grand Tour after winning the Giro d'Italia in dominant fashion last year. However, Sunday's final stage is not a processional one, as is usually the case, and could potentially prove troublesome toward the end with three consecutive climbs. Saturday's 184.2km route from Nantua through eastern France featured three small climbs and a moderately difficult one up Côte de Thésy. The wet roads were treacherous at high speeds, with France's Romain Grégoire and Spaniard Iván Romeo both crashing as they attempted to navigate tight turns. Both were able to continue. The final stage is a 132.3km ride from Mantes-la-Jolie to Paris, where the peloton will cycle up the famous Butte Montmartre three times before the final laps on the Champs-Elysees. With agencies
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Arensman wins 19th stage of Tour de France, Pogačar moves closer to title
LA PLAGNE, France (AP) — Dutch rider Thymen Arensman launched a daring solo attack on a long final climb and held on grimly to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France on Friday. Although race leader Tadej Pogačar took a step closer to a fourth Tour title, the Slovenian star could not catch Arensman. He finished the stage in third place behind Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who just beat Pogačar to the line. It was a rare success for the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard over Pogačar in this year's race but ultimately made little difference, since Pogačar is 4 minutes, 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard with two stages left. Vingegaard could not drop Pogačar on Friday's shortened stage , which featured a 19.1-kilometer (11.8-mile) finish up to the ski resort of La Plagne. Arensman had shown his climbing ability with a stunning solo effort last Saturday to win a mammoth mountain stage . He made his move this time with 13 kilometers left. Pogačar and Vingegaard marked each other at first and chose not to follow. By the time they did, it was too late and Arensman won the stage by 2 seconds. 'Tadej and Jonas are the strongest in the world, almost aliens, and I'm human,' the 25-year-old Arensman said. 'I can't believe I beat them today. I tried to not look behind.' Moments after crossing the line, Arensman put his hands on his face and wept as he sat on the ground against a crash barrier, panting heavily with exhaustion. 'I'm absolutely destroyed, I can't believe it. To win one stage from the breakaway was already unbelievable,' he said. 'But now to do it against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming.' Ottawa's Michael Woods finished 80th in Friday's stage and dropped three spots to 56th overall, three hours six minutes 59 seconds behind Pogačar. Guillaume Boivin of Longueuil, Que., Woods's Israel-Premier Tech teammate, was 143rd on Friday and remained at 148th overall, 5:15:59 off the pace. Stage shortened after cows infected Stage 19 was shortened after cows infected by a contagious disease were culled in an area along the mountainous route. It was meant to be 129.9 kilometers long but trimmed to 93.1 kilometers. Two of five climbs were removed, including the 13.7 kilometer Col des Saisies — where an outbreak of nodular dermatitis (lumpy skin) affected a herd of cows. 'The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies necessitated the culling of the animals,' race organizer ASO said. 'It was decided, in agreement with the authorities, to modify the route.' However, the stage still featured two Hors catégorie ascents — the hardest level of climbing — with a 12.6 kilometer ascent up Col du Pré followed by the trek up La Plagne. Primož Roglič, the 2020 Tour runner-up and a record-equaling four-time Spanish Vuelta champion , attacked near the top of Col du Pré but then faded well away. Saturday's penultimate stage Saturday's 20th stage is a hilly 184.2-kilometer route through eastern France finishing in Pontarlier. Sunday's 21st and final stage sees three climbs up Montmartre hill — a short, sharp ascent which featured at the Paris Olympics last year — before a traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées. Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed on Sunday to ensure security. ___ More Tour de France coverage: and Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
5 days ago
- Sport
Arensman wins 19th stage of Tour de France, Pogačar moves closer to title
LA PLAGNE, France -- Dutch rider Thymen Arensman launched a daring solo attack on a long final climb and held on grimly to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France on Friday. Although race leader Tadej Pogačar took a step closer to a fourth Tour title, the Slovenian star could not catch Arensman. He finished the stage in third place behind Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who just beat Pogačar to the line. It was a rare success for the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard over Pogačar in this year's race but ultimately made little difference, since Pogačar is 4 minutes, 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard with two stages left. Vingegaard could not drop Pogačar on Friday's shortened stage, which featured a 19.1-kilometer (11.8-mile) finish up to the ski resort of La Plagne. Arensman had shown his climbing ability with a stunning solo effort last Saturday to win a mammoth mountain stage. He made his move this time with 13 kilometers left. Pogačar and Vingegaard marked each other at first and chose not to follow. By the time they did, it was too late and Arensman won the stage by 2 seconds. Stage 19 was shortened after cows infected by a contagious disease were culled in an area along the mountainous route. It was meant to be 129.9 kilometers long but trimmed to 93.1 kilometers. Two of five climbs were removed, including the 13.7 kilometer Col des Saisies — where an outbreak of nodular dermatitis (lumpy skin) affected a herd of cows. 'The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies necessitated the culling of the animals,' race organizer ASO said. 'It was decided, in agreement with the authorities, to modify the route.' However, the stage still featured two Hors catégorie ascents — the hardest level of climbing — with a 12.6 kilometer ascent up Col du Pré followed by the trek up La Plagne. Primož Roglič, the 2020 Tour runner-up and a record-equaling four-time Spanish Vuelta champion, attacked near the top of Col du Pré but then faded well away. Saturday's 20th stage is a hilly 184.2-kilometer route through eastern France finishing in Pontarlier. Sunday's 21st and final stage sees three climbs up Montmartre hill — a short, sharp ascent which featured at the Paris Olympics last year — before a traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées. Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed on Sunday to ensure security.
