Latest news with #TudorPro
West Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Michael Storer takes out combative award after teammates celebration blunder
Australian star Michael Storer has bagged the much coveted daily combativity prize for being the most aggressive rider after his constant attacks enlivened a thrilling afternoon on the 15th stage of the Tour de France . But the Perth rider's illustrious Tudor Pro teammate Julian Alaphilippe will want to forget the embarrassment of celebrating a stage win in the ancient city of Carcassonne on Sunday which he later discovered was actually only a third-place finish. At the end of the 169km route from Muret, the race had actually already been won by UAE Team Emirates' veteran Tim Wellens, wearing the Belgian champion's jersey, with compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma Lease-A-Bike) second in a fitting one-two on the eve of Monday's rest day, which is Belgium's National Day. The pair had both been in the breakaway with the buzzing Storer but the Australian was eventually swallowed up amid the sprint for third, won by Alaphilippe, who celebrated as though he had won the stage. Alas, the former double world champion had been without a working radio due to an early crash, during which he had also dislocated his shoulder, so hadn't realised the two Belgians were ahead. 'I tried to put in the best sprint possible and thought about the stage win. Like an idiot, I raised my hands, but there were a few guys ahead of me,' the 33-year-old later told French television while also revealing he had put his dislocated shoulder back himself. 'I remembered what they did to me in the hospital previously and managed to pop it back in,' Alaphilippe said. 'The day could have gone better -- but I could also have had to go home, so it's okay.' While Raphael Meyer, CEO of the ambitious Swiss-based Tudor team, pointed out they would have been very happy with third if offered that before the stage, he also paid tribute to Storer's 'amazing' ride after the 28-year-old had come home among the pack of sprinters behind Alaphilippe in 22nd place. Further back, there was no change at the top of the general classification, with the main favourites finishing some six minutes after Wellens following a few exhausting days in the high mountains. Tadej Pogacar remains four minutes 13 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease-A-Bike) with Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull?Bora?Hansgrohe) third, just shy of eight minutes off yellow. Ben O'Connor remains the top Australian in the standings in 12th place, 25:44 behind Pogacar. The day's breakaway had formed after the crash had split the peloton. With Vingegaard and Lipowitz delayed, UAE and Pogacar tried to slow the peloton to enable them to catch up - mirroring a similar sporting response by his rivals when he crashed a few days ago. The breakaway was gradually whittled down to four with Storer attempting to go solo at that point only to be reeled back in. With a little over 40km to go, the leading group was eight-strong, at which point Wellens, who had been sitting on the others' wheels, launched his break which quickly became decisive as the rest dithered over how to respond. 'It was a very special victory,' said Wellens, after his maiden Tour win. 'Everybody knows the Tour de France, everybody wants to ride the Tour de France but not many get to win at the Tour de France, so it's very beautiful.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Bizarre moment Tour de France rider snatches cardboard sign off stunned fan
This is the baffling moment a cyclist snatched a cardboard sign off a stunned fan during the Tour de France. In one of the highlights of an unremarkable Stage 14, Julian Alaphillippe was forced to take decisive action on Sunday (AEST). But Alaphilippe, 33, had a brilliant reason for grabbing it, The Sun reports. The home hero stole the cardboard to keep himself warm in the brutal conditions on the savage slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. The spectator, who had scribbled words of encouragement to his rival Wout van Aret, had reached for a cheeky handshake. But it was the sign that Alaphilippe was after, with the cardboard tearing in half as the Frenchman disappeared up the rainy road. You can watch the bizarre incident in the video above He calmly placed the placard across his handlebars, ripped it into two smaller pieces, while tossing the scraps away. Alaphilippe was then spotted unzipping his Tudor Pro cycling trisuit, before stuffing the sign inside, in a last-ditch attempt to preserve body heat. Former stage winner Zdenek Stybar said: 'Julian is really suffering from the cold'. The Tourmalet, the first of four brutal climbs, was living up to its fearsome reputation over the weekend. And around 30km later, after the worst of the conditions had passed, Alaphilippe flagged down the camera motorbike. He appeared to issue a roadside apology, before handing over the soggy remains of the sign. It has since been revealed that Alaphilippe apologised to the fan later while meeting her and offering her a gift. The two-time world champion Frenchman said: 'In the end the story ended well, I apologised to the woman whom I took it from. 'I gave her a bib, and she took a picture with Wout. In the end, thanks to this, she had a better time compared to what she would have experienced at the top of the Tourmalet.' It was a rare moment of drama on an otherwise savage day in the mountains, where Remco Evenepoel abandoned the race on the first climb. Alaphilippe ultimately finished in 50th place, way behind maiden stage winner Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), who held off Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Reigning champ Pogacar, who finished the stage second, marginally extended his commanding overall lead over Jonas Vingegaard. Meanwhile, Alaphilippe was among a group of riders to receive medical attention after being caught up in a big crash on Stage 15 on Sunday. Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Monday morning (AEST) after a 45km solo rampage towards the walled citadel. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall. Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race. It was a large and mixed group that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion suddenly accelerated and caught the others napping. This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four stages on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team. Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of Belgium's national holiday. 'This makes me happier than winning a stage myself,' said Pogacar. 'He helps me keep this thing every day,' he said pointing to the jersey. Having previously won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this triumph completes the set of stage wins on the three big tours for Wellens. 'Everybody wants to win a stage at the Tour de France, this is the special one,' said Wellens. 'I knew I was going to complete the trilogy and was enjoying the home straight with the fans. I'd been planning to lift the bike in the air, but I was so happy I forgot to do it' The remaining 167 of 184 riders embarked towards Carcassonne on yet another nervy stage. After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a pack of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up. There was embarrassment for Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who celebrated at the line thinking he had won when in fact he was third. Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Victor Campenaerts took the top two spots, Alaphilippe pipped Wout van Aert at the line. Poor Alaphilippe hung his head when his horrified compatriots told him. He had been part of the early fall, losing his race radio, and had no idea the stage had already been won, he explained. Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday trailing in second behind surprise yellow jersey Ben Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four-minute advantage at the top of the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. The defending champion said he had been ill. 'Half the peloton is coughing,' said Pogacar. 'I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now.' Monday is the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit. 'Mont Ventoux is for after the day off, so I don't want to talk about it now,' Pogacar said after the podium ceremony at Carcassonne. 'All I know is that Jonas will be attacking, I just don't want to think about it.'
CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Crash and confusion as Alaphilippe celebrates
(In second paragraph corrects Alaphilippe's team) By Julien Pretot CARCASSONNE, France :Julian Alaphilippe endured a chaotic, emotional stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, crashing early, soldiering on with a dislocated shoulder, and then mistakenly celebrating what he thought was a stage win - before discovering he had been beaten by two riders. The Tudor Pro rider hit the deck in the opening kilometres, suffering pain and a shoulder injury that cast doubt over whether he would even finish the day. 'He had a crash at the beginning of the race,' said team sports director Raphael Meyer. 'He had pain and a dislocated shoulder. He was seen by the doctor and he still has some pain. He's going to do x-rays.' But the Frenchman fought on, eventually crossing the line — arms raised in triumph, believing he had pulled off an emotional comeback victory. He hadn't. Unbeknownst to Alaphilippe, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already powered away from the breakaway group earlier and claimed a convincing solo win. Victor Campenaerts had also slipped away and crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Alaphilippe. "He thought he was first on the line — but the radio didn't work,' Meyer said. For Wellens, the victory marked a brutal show of strength, and another chapter in the dominance of leader Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, as they continue to exert near-total control over the race. For Alaphilippe, it was a bitter-sweet finish - a gritty ride, a brave comeback, and a win that wasn't. It was not the first time such misfortune happened to Alaphilippe. In 2020, he raised his arms in celebration before the finish at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic, only to see Slovenian Primoz Roglic effectively beating him to the line. The Frenchman was then disqualified for deviating from his sprint line.
Mint
a day ago
- Sport
- Mint
Cycling-Crash and confusion as Alaphilippe celebrates
(In second paragraph corrects Alaphilippe's team) CARCASSONNE, France, July 20 (Reuters) - Julian Alaphilippe endured a chaotic, emotional stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, crashing early, soldiering on with a dislocated shoulder, and then mistakenly celebrating what he thought was a stage win - before discovering he had been beaten by two riders. The Tudor Pro rider hit the deck in the opening kilometres, suffering pain and a shoulder injury that cast doubt over whether he would even finish the day. 'He had a crash at the beginning of the race,' said team sports director Raphael Meyer. 'He had pain and a dislocated shoulder. He was seen by the doctor and he still has some pain. He's going to do x-rays.' But the Frenchman fought on, eventually crossing the line — arms raised in triumph, believing he had pulled off an emotional comeback victory. Unbeknownst to Alaphilippe, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already powered away from the breakaway group earlier and claimed a convincing solo win. Victor Campenaerts had also slipped away and crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Alaphilippe. "He thought he was first on the line — but the radio didn't work,' Meyer said. For Wellens, the victory marked a brutal show of strength, and another chapter in the dominance of leader Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, as they continue to exert near-total control over the race. For Alaphilippe, it was a bitter-sweet finish - a gritty ride, a brave comeback, and a win that wasn't. It was not the first time such misfortune happened to Alaphilippe. In 2020, he raised his arms in celebration before the finish at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic, only to see Slovenian Primoz Roglic effectively beating him to the line. The Frenchman was then disqualified for deviating from his sprint line. (Reporting by Julien Pretot)
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Crash and confusion as Alaphilippe celebrates
Find out what's new on ST website and app. CARCASSONNE, France - Julian Alaphilippe endured a chaotic, emotional stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, crashing early, soldiering on with a dislocated shoulder, and then mistakenly celebrating what he thought was a stage win - before discovering he had been beaten by two riders. The Tudor Pro rider hit the deck in the opening kilometres, suffering pain and a shoulder injury that cast doubt over whether he would even finish the day. 'He had a crash at the beginning of the race,' said team sports director Raphael Meyer. 'He had pain and a dislocated shoulder. He was seen by the doctor and he still has some pain. He's going to do x-rays.' But the Frenchman fought on, eventually crossing the line — arms raised in triumph, believing he had pulled off an emotional comeback victory. He hadn't. Unbeknownst to Alaphilippe, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already powered away from the breakaway group earlier and claimed a convincing solo win. Victor Campenaerts had also slipped away and crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Alaphilippe. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July both linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi "He thought he was first on the line — but the radio didn't work,' Meyer said. For Wellens, the victory marked a brutal show of strength, and another chapter in the dominance of leader Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, as they continue to exert near-total control over the race. For Alaphilippe, it was a bitter-sweet finish - a gritty ride, a brave comeback, and a win that wasn't. It was not the first time such misfortune happened to Alaphilippe. In 2020, he raised his arms in celebration before the finish at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic, only to see Slovenian Primoz Roglic effectively beating him to the line. The Frenchman was then disqualified for deviating from his sprint line. REUTERS
