Latest news with #Superbagnères
ABC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Tour de France spectator hit by team car as Thymen Arensman claims toughest stage
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman has won the Tour de France's toughest stage after a long solo effort over mammoth climbs, while defending champion Tadej Pogačar increased his overall lead. But Arensman's Ineos-Grenadiers team received a fine and a yellow card after its team car struck a spectator. Arensman posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagnères, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands. "To be honest, I just wanted to experience the Tour, the biggest race in the world," he said. "Now, to win a stage in my first Tour, and to do it this way, it's unbelievable, crazy." He went solo with 37 kilometres left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagnères, which is more than 12 kilometres long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders. It was Arensman's second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta. As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogačar and his teammates controlled the race from the back, with the yellow jersey holder and his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard trailing by about three minutes with 8 kilometres remaining. Vingegaard tried a move with 4 kilometres left and Pogačar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo. Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogačar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the stage podium. Overall, Pogačar increased his lead over Vingegaard to four minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned. Meanwhile, a spectator who was cheering riders was hit by a car from the Ineos-Grenadiers team in the Pyrenees. TV footage of the race showed the team car knocking down the fan who was holding what looked liked a mobile phone about 200 metres from the top of the Col de Peyresourde. The vehicle was following riders on the steep ascent and driving at moderate speed. There was no immediate information available on the spectator's condition. The race jury later said Ineos Grenadiers sports director Oliver Cookson was fined for "improper behaviour endangering spectators" and handed a yellow card. Accumulating yellow cards over a defined period of time results in a suspension. Ineos-Grenadiers apologised "to the fan who was accidentally and regretfully struck by one of our race cars while supporting the riders". "Like all teams we take great care to maintain a safe race environment for everyone, including the passionate fans who make our sport so special." AP
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Spectator hit by team car as Remco Evenepoel abandons Tour de France
Thymen Arensman emerged from the fog to take a much-needed victory for the Ineos Grenadiers as Tadej Pogacar further stretched his lead in yellow and Remco Evenepoel abandoned on a brutal stage 14 of the Tour de France. Arensman went solo from a breakaway with 36km to go on this punishing queen stage from Pau to a summit finish at Superbagnères and held off the main favourites to win by 68sec, a first Tour stage win for his team in two years. Behind, Pogacar (Team Emirates XRG) marked moves from main rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) before narrowly beating him to second, adding another 6sec to an overall lead that now stands at 4min 13sec, but the main news in the general classification was Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) abandoning from third place. That saw 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley (Team Picnic-PostNL) rise to fourth, although he was distanced at the top of the final climb by Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who inherited third place and the best young rider's white jersey. The final episode of the Tour's Pyrenean trilogy followed the path of the famous stage won by Greg LeMond in 1986, with the Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin and the Peyresourde coming before a first visit to Superbagnères since Robert Millar (now Pippa York) won here in 1989. It took until the Tourmalet for a break to get clear as Lenny Martinez (Team Bahrain Victorious) went in search of the king of the mountains points he needed to make the polka dot jersey he was wearing on behalf of Pogacar his own, with Arensman among those trying to chase down the young Frenchman. Evenepoel, who suffered in the heat on the previous two days, fared no better on a damper, cooler day, and climbed off early on the Tourmalet, with his team saying the Belgian 'did not feel himself'. Arensman was among three riders to catch Martinez before the Peyresourde, where he launched his own move and opened up a gap on the main group of favourites who until that point has been closing in. The Dutchman's gap grew to three and a half minutes before the the final climb and he fought hard on punishing gradients to keep the chasing pack at bay. TV footage showed that an Ineos team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the crowds on the Peyresourde. The team has been approached for comment. Driver of Ineos Grenadiers support car hits spectator on race course at the Tour de France — Cyclingnews (@Cyclingnewsfeed) July 19, 2025 Pogacar had been backed by many to chase a third consecutive stage win, but he was happy just to mark Vingegaard. 'I didn't have the firepower in me to counter-attack and give it all to the finish, so I committed just to control the stage until the last 200 metres and then do the sprint for second place,' he said. 'It's all good, I'm happy to be in yellow.' Leading Positions after Stage 14 (Pau - Luchon-Superbagneres, 182.6km): 1 T Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers 4h 53m 35s, 2 T Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG +1m 08s, 3 J Vingegaard (Den) Team Visma | Lease a Bike +1:12, 4 F Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team +1:19, 5 F Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe +1:25, 6 O Onley (Gbr) Team Picnic PostNL +2:09, 7 B Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost +2:46, 8 P Roglic (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at same time, 9 T Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility +2:59, 10 K Vauquelin (Fra) ARKEA-B&B HOTELS +3:08 Selected Others: 14 A Yates (Gbr) UAE Team Emirates-XRG +4m 36s, 18 S Yates (Gbr) Team Visma | Lease a Bike +6:20, 40 G Thomas (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +21:58, 47 J Blackmore (Gbr) Israel-Premier Tech +27:27, 84 S Watson (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +35:44, 92 J Stewart (Gbr) Israel-Premier Tech +36:36, 95 C Swift (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +37:25, 111 S Flynn (Gbr) Team Picnic PostNL +37:34, 124 F Wright (Gbr) Bahrain Victorious +38:01, 125 L Askey (Gbr) Groupama-FDJ at same time General Classification after Stage 14: 1 T Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG 50h 40m 28s, 2 J Vingegaard (Den) Team Visma | Lease a Bike +4m 13s, 3 F Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe +7:53, 4 O Onley (Gbr) Team Picnic PostNL +9:18, 5 K Vauquelin (Fra) ARKEA-B&B HOTELS +10:21, 6 P Roglic (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe +10:34, 7 F Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team +12:00, 8 T Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility +12:33, 9 B Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost +18:41, 10 C Rodriguez (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers +22:57 Selected Others: 18 S Yates (Gbr) Team Visma | Lease a Bike +45m 49s, 22 A Yates (Gbr) UAE Team Emirates-XRG +55:04, 37 J Blackmore (Gbr) Israel-Premier Tech +1h 29m 45s, 47 G Thomas (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +1:44:14, 106 F Wright (Gbr) Bahrain Victorious +2:39:11, 111 C Swift (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +2:44:48, 119 S Watson (Gbr) INEOS Grenadiers +2:58:00, 125 S Flynn (Gbr) Team Picnic PostNL +3:03:27, 128 J Stewart (Gbr) Israel-Premier Tech +3:04:07, 136 L Askey (Gbr) Groupama-FDJ +3:12:50
