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New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Tour de France stage 21: Pogacar seals overall victory for fourth time, Van Aert masters Montmartre, why was race neutralized?
Wout van Aert soloed to victory in stage 21 of the 2025 Tour de France on Sunday — dropping Tadej Pogacar on the final ascent of the newly-added Montmartre climb. The Belgian star proved the strongest as torrential rain swept through Paris and turned the final day into a dramatic battle of attrition. Advertisement The irrepressible Pogacar — who sparked much of the drama in the stage — crossed the line in fourth place to seal his fourth overall Tour de France title, at the age of 26. There were the usual final-day pleasantries in the first half of the stage: group photos, friendly chats and a pace that any amateur could happily match. While that was going on news emerged that, due to the wet weather expected in the French capital, general classification times would be taken on the fourth crossing of the finish line. In other words, before the three ascents and descents of the atmospheric but perilously-cobbled Côte de la Butte Montmartre. The first crossing of the finish line saw the UAE-Emirates team of Tadej Pogacar cross the line together in front of the peloton. Then the race began in earnest. An early break of Quinn Simmons in the US national champions jersey and white jersey winner Florian Lipowitz was caught before the first ascent of Montmartre, a moment that saw Pogacar follow Julian Alaphilippe. By the time they had descended down the other side the race was split in two — 27 one-day classics specialists (which includes Pogacar, of course) at the front; the tired and the nervous in the second group. The forecast rain then arrived, and made the second visit to the climb even more treacherous. Another Pogacar acceleration reduced the front group to six riders — the yellow jersey, Matteo Jorgenson, Wout van Aert, Matej Mohoric, Matteo Trentin and Davide Ballerini. The third and final ascent began as expected, with the yellow jersey stringing out the group on the early slopes, but as they reached the steep section near the top, Van Aert did what his team leader Jonas Vingegaard could not do all race; he dropped Pogacar. 🔥🔥🔥 @WoutvanAert DROPS @TamauPogi in the last climb up Montmartre ! 🔥🔥🔥 🔥🔥🔥 WOUT VAN AERT DISTANCE POGACAR 🔥🔥🔥#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 Van Aert's biggest challenge in the final run-in was staying upright on the drenched Parisian streets. He did so adroitly, taking a popular and iconic win alone, the 10th stage win of his Tour de France career but the first since 2022. Pogacar, who took on the challenge of this stage in a manner that surely no yellow jersey since Bernard Hinault would have done, deserves huge praise too for his contribution to what was a sensational finale to this year's race. Jacob Whitehead and Duncan Alexander break down the key moments from an epic stage. Find all of The Athletic's Tour de France coverage here. Or follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab. Wout van Aert has won on the Champs-Élysées before, but that has about the relevance of saying he once won a two-wheeled race. Sunday's finish was a totally different proposition — but if anything more suited to his rare skillset. In riding away from Pogacar on Montmartre, the Belgian underscored why he is still one of the best racers in the world. This has not been a vintage Tour for Van Aert. Visma Lease-a-Bike were roundly beaten in the GC battle, while his best result was second in a sprint finish. For some time, it didn't seem as if he would ever be back here. 2023 and 2024 were nightmare years with injuries. His right knee is cross-stitched with scars that tell the story of suffering, for one thing, but also the hard work needed to come back. His win in Siena at the Giro showed his enduring class, but another Tour appeared to be slipping by. In the end, he surged away, outpowering Pogacar at the top of Montmartre before using his time trialling power to stay clear. Advertisement 'It was a special day out,' Van Aert said after the stage. 'Really special to win here on the Champs-Élysées once again, and on the first occasion where we also climbed Montmartre. The rain made it quite sketchy but I managed to stay upright and had the full support of my teammates, I really have to thank them for still believing in me as I tried over and over again. Without them I couldn't control this race, go to the last climb and leave it all out there. That was our plan and it worked.' Standing on his pedals in the Paris rain, Van Aert smiled the smile of a man who had taken none of this for granted, but banged his handlebars with the conviction of a man who always believed that, one day, he would be back. 🔥 Take a bow 🔥 🔥 MONSIEUR @WoutvanAert 🔥#TDF2025 | @Continental_fr — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 Jacob Whitehead There was palpable excitement as the peloton approached the Côte de la Butte Montmartre for the first time, and not just among the huge crowds that had gathered, ten-deep, on the banks of the hill. In one of the cleverest Tour de France routes for several years, here was stage 21 offering something different and very thrilling. The locals roared as Julian Alaphilippe attacked the first ascent like a man who knows how to work a (sizeable) crowd. And who was that easing his way effortlessly behind him? It was Tadej Pogacar, of course, clad all in yellow and enthused by the chance to race properly on the final day. By the time the race reached Montmartre for a second time the heavens had opened but Pogacar's approach remained the same: full effort, major carnage. Only Jorgenson, van Aert, Trentin and Ballerini could keep up; only a rider as skilled as Mohoric could descend at speed on soaking wet cobbles to bridge the gap and make it a front six. Advertisement And if the first two ascents had not convinced everyone, then the sight of Wout van Aert rolling back the years and pulling clear of the valiant Pogacar on the third ascent surely sealed the deal. The crowd — most of whom had been locked into their positions for hours — howled even louder. This was cycling drama at its purest, and dampest. There will be understandable calls from fans for this new route to become the standard template for the Tour's final stage. It will be highly tempting for the organizers too, once they sit down and review the drama that unfolded today. The sprinters, though, are getting fewer and fewer crumbs to fight over at the Tour, and permanently removing their opportunity race for victory on the Champs-Élysées would be a shame. Perhaps the answer is to opt for the Montmartre route every two or three years. Rare enough to keep it special, but regular enough to enjoy scenes like today's. Duncan Alexander There was light drizzle in Paris, and with that, one of the Tour's great debates was ended. After the success of the Paris Olympics last summer, race organisers were intrigued by the notion of featuring Montmartre as part of the final stage — announcing plans to loop the 1.1km climb (5.9 per cent) three times, before ending with the traditional sprint on the Champs-Élysées. 'In our dreams, or in the dreams of our president, Mr Prudhomme, there was a desire to change the last stage a little bit,' route designer Thierry Gouvenou told The Athletic earlier this month.. 'It is true that we were in a bit of a comfort zone, especially in the city of Paris, where we used to do the Champs-Élysées circuit. 'But then came the Olympics. That stage at Montmartre struck us all, that was the turning point. We knew it could not be done in the same conditions. On the way, the road is narrow and it's on cobbles, but we do that in Flanders — it's not an issue. But it was necessary to find descents that were much safer than the Olympics. That was the challenge.' It was because of this safety issue that several teams and riders were frustrated. Typically, the 21st stage is processional, where teams soft-pedal before the sprint favourites come to the fore in the final 20km. There is no risk for the GC favourites. Here, with slopes suddenly on the agenda — cobbled slopes no less — it suddenly appeared as there may be efforts to create time gaps on GC. For many, it was one change too many. Advertisement 'I think the GC guys' worst fear is losing their place because of that final,' Remco Evenepoel said at the Tour's outset. 'Imagine you're in the yellow jersey or second place with a small margin, you just want to keep your place. That's something that nobody really likes for the last 20km of a Grand Tour. We'll probably have to race it and see how it goes.' However, come Sunday, there were no small time gaps in the top five. It meant any serious time gaps were unlikely — and rather than bringing excitement, Montmartre only offered the opportunity of a fall on the greasy cobbles. The decision was made to neutralise the stage before the first ascent of Montmartre. It meant Tadej Pogacar, in a sense, won the Tour de France with 50km remaining — though he still needed to complete the stage. Jacob Whitehead The Tour de France promises nothing to anybody. Perhaps it made sense that it ended in pouring rain, with slick cobbles and tight bends. This has been a Tour which has at times been light on drama, but which may be remembered as the cornerstone of Pogacar's legacy. This was the month he went toe-to-toe with his greatest rival, both in perfect condition — and was a resounding champion. We've had cattle herds and crosswinds, the Mur and Mont Ventoux, and been witness to stage wins and crushing disappointment. The Tour is a cross-section of this sport's rich tapestry. Thanks so much for your support and comments as we covered the race as The Athletic for the first time. There will be few more post-race articles to come over the next couple of days, so look out for those. We'll also have further coverage of the Femmes over the next week from my colleague Jess Hopkins — we hope you stick with us. Jacob Whitehead 💪 The #TDF2025 Super combative : 🇮🇪 Ben Healy 💪 Le Super combatif du #TDF2025 : 🇮🇪 Ben Healy 👋 @century21fr — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
New York Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Tour de France stage 15: Wellens lands popular win, Pogacar's sportsmanship, and why did Alaphilippe celebrate on finish line?
Belgian national champion Tim Wellens soloed to victory on stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday. The UAE-Emirates domestique attacked from a breakaway with around 40km to go on another chaotic and entertaining afternoon of racing. The early part of the day was shaped by a crash inside the first 20km, an incident that brought down several riders, including white jersey Florian Lipowitz and Jonas Vingegaard, third and second on GC respectively. Advertisement That delay hastened a series of attacks, with more than half the peloton keen to get up the road. Tadej Pogacar attempted to use his influence to bring calm to the bunch and let his rivals catch up. Few listened to the yellow jersey. Eventually a high-quality front group that included Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Arnaud De Lie, Tim Wellens, Neilson Powless and Victor Campenaerts established themselves, not that it prevented more tumult in the chasing groups. Van der Poel took maximum points at the intermediate sprint but that juncture was just a catalyst for more chaos as the fourth category Côte de Saint-Ferréol approached. Attacks in the peloton, including a Matteo Jorgenson effort that was pointedly shut down by Pogacar, saw them almost catch the break, which split up anyway as they reached the next climb, the third-category Côte de Sorèze. By the time the race reached the Pas du Sant with around 55km to go, a front four of Quinn Simmons, Tim Wellens, Victor Campanaerts and Michael Storer were trying to fend off a chasing quartet of Carlos Rodriguez, Aleksandr Vlasov, Warren Barguil and Alexey Lutsenko. On tight, rural lanes, this was highly-enjoyable fare. The two groups coalesced with 44km remaining but moments later Wellens attacked and got clear, shortly before a long downhill towards Carcassonne. Wellens is almost the perfect rider to capitalize on that terrain. His big engine has been deployed in the service of his team leader Pogacar for the entirety of this Tour; this was his chance to ride for himself. 🤩🇧🇪 @Tim_Wellens had plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful victory and his last kilometer! 🤩🇧🇪 @Tim_Wellens a eu tout le temps de savourer cette belle victoire et son dernier kilomètre !#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 20, 2025 He reached the outskirts of Carcassonne with an advantage of more than one minute and 40 seconds, plenty of time to celebrate on the run-in to the finish line as he sealed a popular victory. Compatriot Campanaerts came in alone for second, while Julian Alaphilippe raised his arms after pipping Van Aert to third place, erroneously thinking he had won the stage. It was that sort of day. Jacob Whitehead, Jordan Halford and Duncan Alexander analyse another spectacular stage. Find all of The Athletic's Tour de France coverage here. Or follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab. Tim Wellens' Tour de France had been excellent but understated. The Belgian national champion is arguably Pogacar's most important domestique — both a rouleur who looks after the yellow jersey on the flat, and a strong enough climber to set a punishing initial pace at the base of climbs. Having spent several days in the polka dot jersey earlier in the Tour, those days appeared to be his only public recognition — his primary role now is as one of the world's best support riders. Advertisement But Wellens is a fine rider in his own right — the winner of two stages apiece in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. In Carcassonne on Sunday, he completed the Grand Tour set. Wellens' history with the Tour has not always been smooth sailing. He described his 2015 debut performance for Lotto as 'really bad', while he had to retire two years later with heat and pollen-related issues — having refused to treat them with a therapeutic use exemption (TUE). Eight years later, this was to be his greatest day. He began it in the same breakaway group as compatriot Victor Campenaerts, who has been playing Wellens' role for Vingegaard at Visma-Lease a Bike. But UAE Team Emirates would win this proxy war. 💥 The Belgian champion's decisive attack! 💥 L'attaque décisive du champion de Belgique !#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 20, 2025 Having refused to work on the day's final ascent, Wellens attacked fiercely on a false flat 42km from home, a similar distance out to his winning move in the Belgian national championships last month. By striking on a small road, followed by a large highway, Wellens was able to quickly build his gap — once achieved, his pure power on a slight downhill meant the chasing group never got close to catching him. 'How is he looking?' Pogacar asked his team car. 'How does Tim look? Now, you should reply — he looks fabulous.' Crossing the line with a one minute and 28 second advantage over Campenaerts, Wellens began to celebrate from 800m out — veering to the side of the road to high-five fans. Julian Alaphilippe edged out Wout van Aert for third, breaking up a potential Belgian 1-2-3. 'Before the stage, Nils (Pollit) and I were laughing a little bit that we would go in the break,' Wellens said post-stage. 'Suddenly, there was a big crash, so we tried to block and wait for the rest. Advertisement 'But people kept on attacking and then I followed one move and I was in the breakaway. Then on the climb it exploded again. On the last climb of the day, I felt really good, and I knew I had to go solo. 'I had the opportunity, I took it and I had the legs to finish it — but of course I would have traded my victory directly for a yellow with Tadej in Paris. 'I knew I had to enjoy the moment. I kept riding till the finish line because I wanted a big gap to fully enjoy it and maybe put my bike in the air after the finish — but I was so happy to win, I forgot to do it.' UAE place a stuffed toy on the front of their bus after every podium — the driver will soon be unable to look out the window. Jacob Whitehead Julian Alaphilippe's third place, pipping Wout van Aert to prevent a Belgian 1-2-3, was France's first podium of this Tour. But that alone, surely, was too little for the former world champion's ecstatic celebrations? Alaphilippe's day started badly — one of the riders worst-affected by the early crash, and appearing to significantly damage his shoulder. It was remarkable that he rose from the ground to not only rejoin the main bunch, but to bridge across to the day's breakaway. Coming into the final kilometre, he was over 90 seconds down on stage winner Wellens and second-placed Campenaerts, but after miscommunication from his team, sprinted as if riding for the win. It would have been his first Tour triumph since 2021. 'His radio was not working after the crash,' Tudor DS Raffael Meyer said post-stage. Punching the air, baring his teeth, Alaphilippe looked close to tears when he realised he had not won. Awkwardly, French TV coverage is hosted by his wife, Marion Rousse, who was forced to try and explain her husband's embarrassing mistake. 🇫🇷 #TDF2025 Looking at the photo, you'd think Wout finished second. In reality, he came in fourth today. 😬 The rider who did take second was Victor, delivering another strong performance but just missing out on the win. ✌🏼 — Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) July 20, 2025 'I managed to put my shoulder back together,' Alaphilippe said after the stage. 'I remembered how they did it at the hospital. I fought, I had good legs. The radio was't working after the fall, so like an idiot, I sprinted to try and win. But morale is good.' Alaphilippe has had plenty of memorable days on the Tour before — and well, this is one of them. Jacob Whitehead The beauty of Grand Tours is that there is always a race within a race. Or in the case of stage 15 today, dozens of races within the same stage. From a cursory glance at the GC standings, it might be tempting to think this year's Tour is petering out, what with Tadej Pogacar continuing his dominance. But, in part due to the Slovenian, Grand Tour stages are increasingly seeing riders attack from the moment the flag drops more akin to one-day racing. Advertisement None more so from Muret to Carcassonne, which featured three categorised climbs, a route hilly enough for breakaway specialists to mark it as a potential stage win and offering floundering teams a chance to salvage their tour, just as Thymen Arensman and INEOS Grenadiers did yesterday. Any hope that Jonathan Milan had of taking any points at the intermediate sprint were ruined by the mayhem that ensued from the moment the flag dropped. There were multiple attacks from the off, with riders strewn across the route in multiple groups, even more so after an early crash disrupted the peloton. The race was run at an astonishing average speed of 52.23kph for the first 70km, and it took a blue-chip combination of Victor Campenaerts (Visma–Lease a Bike), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) to finally form the day's decisive breakaway. The flamboyant Simmons has been one of the most combative riders in this year's race, but second place on stage six to Vire Normandie remains his best result. Steven de Jongh, his directeur sportif at Lidl-Trek, said before the stage. 'If big breakaways are going, Quinn is one of the riders who should be in them. He's really in the shape of his life, so if they are going, then I'm pretty confident that he will make it, especially if it's a big group.' He was right, Simmons — once again — made that front group. But again he was outmanoeuvred by a cannier rival. A Tour de France of significant gaps is still being decided by marginal moments. Jordan Halford Five days ago, when Tadej Pogacar crashed with 6km of the sprint into Toulouse remaining, the remaining favourites had a choice. They could put the hammer down and force Pogacar to lose time before the mountains — or sit up, ensuring he rejoined the bunch after a crash which was not predominantly his fault. Advertisement Since, several riders in the peloton have claimed credit for the decision to slow down, but the fact remains — a decision was made by Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and then yellow jersey Ben Healy, et al, to allow Pogacar to rejoin. The next day, Pogacar destroyed the field on the ascent of the Hautacam to take yellow, and what appears to be an unassailable lead. 'Last time I do him a favour,' some members of the peloton might have thought. But now, on stage 15, Pogacar had a chance to directly repay the bunch. Minutes into Sunday's stage, the likes of second-placed Vingegaard, third-placed Florian Lipowitz, and fourth-placed Oscar Onley were all caught in a large pile-up within the bunch. Pogacar was virtually the only favourite to escape the chaos — and shortly afterwards, received the instruction from UAE Team Emirates to stop. 'Guys, Jonas crash, Lipowitz crash,' it said. 'If you can slow down the bunch.' The yellow jersey did, eventually — and the peloton rode into Carcassonne otherwise uneventfully, content to let the breakaway enjoy their freedom. Post-race, however, Pogacar expressed discontent with Visma's tactics during this period. Pogacar chased down an attack from Matteo Jorgenson, who was with the main bunch, but 22 minutes down on GC, and ordinarily would not have been of concern to the race leader. 'There was a crash, Jonas was involved, Lipowitz was involved, and we were trying to calm things down in the bunch and wait for the guys in the back. But what bothered me was that there were three Visma guys trying to go in the break again. They had Jonas at the back, chasing. 'Maybe it would have been fair if one went in, and the others stayed and waited, so I followed the third rider (Jorgenson) to try and get in the break.' It's a flashpoint that may be worth keeping an eye on in the Tour's final week. Jacob Whitehead We're all guilty every October of scanning the following year's Tour de France route when it's released, and letting our eyes jump to the showpiece mountain stages. But perhaps, after the 2025 edition, everyone will be a bit more discerning. It's what Thierry Gouvenou deserves, after all. 📸 Postcard of the day : les four castles of Lastours 📸Carte postale du jour : les quatre châteaux de Lastours #TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 20, 2025 The Tour's route designer spoke to The Athletic before this year's race and said that his aim was 'to find difficulties in every corner of France'. Sunday's stage 15 was a perfect example of him doing precisely that. What could have been a run-of-the-mill transition stage — effectively a functional route to get the race away from the Pyrenees and towards eastern France — was anything but. Advertisement Two category three and one category two climb were placed perfectly to coax the sort of furious racing we saw all day, and the narrow wooded lanes of the Pas du Sant, so typical of the Aude region, were the perfect atmospheric prelude to Tim Wellens' winning attack, shortly before the race emerged onto a wide main road like wild beasts spilling out of a forest. Add Sunday's stage, then, to the growing list of great parcours in the 2025 Tour de France. Gouvenou not only knows virtually every inch of France, he also knows how to turn his country into a canvas for great bike racing. Duncan Alexander Tadej: Enjoy 😉 Tim: Will do 🥇 Congratulations from the boss / Les félicitations du patron 😎#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 20, 2025 The second rest day of this year's Tour comes on Monday, and the riders will savour it because on Tuesday it's... The race resumes with a set-piece finish up Mont Ventoux. It's a flat day for 130km until the riders reach the town of Bedoin and commence what's generally accepted to be the hardest of the three routes up the 'Giant of Provence'. Iban Mayo's record ascent of 55:51 has stood since the 2004 Criterium du Dauphine, but is surely in danger of being toppled here. For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
