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ABC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Tadej Pogačar wins fourth Tour de France, one off all-time record
Tadej Pogačar appears on the verge of emulating cycling great Eddy Merckx after his fourth Tour de France win, but the Slovenian says he is in no rush to chase history, warning that the risk of burnout looms large in one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports. The 26-year-old sealed his fourth Tour de France title after three more weeks of dominance, but admitted fatigue crept in during the final days. "We were comfortably in the yellow, but yeah, I was a bit tired in the last week, to be honest," Pogačar told a press conference, adding he wanted to enjoy the moment in Paris rather than dissect mistakes. While his achievements have already placed him among the all-time greats in the race's 122-year history, Pogačar said cycling's relentless calendar and obsession with training create a dangerous cycle that could leave riders drained. "Burnouts happen in sports, in a lot of sports, mental burnout, physical burnout. We train a lot. Cyclists are sometimes too obsessed with training, and everybody wants to train more and more and more," he said. The world champion warned over-training combined with constant racing demands could trap riders in a cycle of fatigue that rarely allowed time for recovery. "You see some riders have fatigue too early in the season and then the team needs you to race, race, race. In the end, you just keep going into this circle and you never recover," the UAE Emirates-XRG rider said. "Then you come to October and you're like, finally a break. And then in December, you're trying to do it all over again." For Pogačar, that risk is why he refuses to set lofty targets such as joining Merckx, Miguel Induráin, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault with five Tour titles. "Obviously it's not the goal to win five tours. Right now, I have no clear goals. Maybe the world championships this year and [the Tour of] Lombardy, but for now I just enjoy the moment and will think about the next goals quite soon," he said. Pogačar also credited rival Jonas Vingegaard, saying their five-year duel was a privilege and pushed both "to the next level". It is the first time two riders finish first and second in five consecutive Tours, Vingegaard having beaten Pogačar in 2022 and 2023 while the Slovenian edged his rival out this year, in 2021 and 2024. After three gruelling weeks, Pogačar savoured the relaxed final stage in Paris. "Today was pure racing and I enjoyed it quite a bit," he said with a smile. Ben O'Connor was the best-placed Australian, finishing 11th, 34 minutes and 34 seconds behind Pogačar. Reuters
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tour de France 2025: stage 15 from Muret to Carcassonne
Update: Date: 2025-07-20T10:45:47.000Z Title: Preamble Content: It was nice of Tadej Pogacar to finally let some of the other riders to have a go yesterday and he still found a way to twist the knife further into the heart of Jonas Vingegaard's beleaguered hopes of winning the Tour de France. Even the Dane's most generous fans would struggle to describe him as a yellow jersey rival now. Pogacar's advantage is 4mins 13secs and he is essentially racing against himself. The Slovenian has 21 stage wins and there is every chance that he will continue his rapid pursuit of Mark Cavendish's record. Pogacar made it pretty clear after winning stage 13 on Friday that he is not planning to take any days off. 'I'm not here to make enemies,' he said, 'but it's the Tour, you cannot just back off if there's the opportunity for a stage win. You never know when it's your last day on the Tour. 'I will say it honestly. The team pays you to win, and there's a big team behind me that supports me and that works every single day of their career to come to the Tour, to win the Tour. If there is an opportunity, you go for it. You can't say no to a stage in the Tour.' Still, UAE Emirates may look at the empty threat to Pogacar's general classification lead and decide to play this one safe. There are three categorised climbs and a lumpy to descent into Carcassonne to contend with, so maybe there is a bit of hope for the breakaway? Should that be allowed to play out, such is the nature of professional cycling in this constant-go era that a winner for this stage will likely be a familiar name capable on the slopes from the one-day racing pack. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-LAB) are strong contenders, maybe even Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-LAB) or someone with that kind of profile. For the good of the Tour, a non-Pogacar stage win would be good. Domination can quickly become dull and while there is nothing boring about Pogacar's style of racing, cycling as a foregone conclusion is not much of a sport.
Irish Examiner
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Tour de France: Pogacar demolishes rivals with devastating stage 12 win in Pyrenees
Tadej Pogacar dominated Jonas Vingegaard on the slopes of Hautacam to take a commanding lead in the Tour de France. After the first summit finish of 2025, the defending champion's next overall victory now appears an inevitability. Pogacar beat his rival to the ski station finish by well over two minutes and now leads the Tour by more than three and half minutes, with nine stages remaining. Pas de suspense, the French would say, and after the Slovenian's eighth career stage win in the Pyrenees, Vingegaard is scrambling to sustain a meaningful challenge. If Pogacar had been scared when crashing in Toulouse, 24 hours earlier, he showed no ill effects as he dealt a lethal blow to Vingegaard's aspirations under a fierce Pyrenean sun. 'I feel at the best moment of my career,' he said. 'I'm riding in the rainbow jersey, I ride with an amazing team, so it's like a fairytale for me. I think once this fire goes out, I will probably decline in performance but I'd say that now is the peak of my career, and I'll try to hold it for as long as I can.' He did admit to being anxious prior to the stage however. 'I was nervous at the start, a little bit cranky maybe,' Pogacar said. 'There was the role of 2022, when I lost the Tour here [at Hautacam]. I lost it that day and I guess I was really motivated.' Burned by Pogacar, Vingegaard is looking over his shoulder at those hot on his heels, including the Scottish climber Oscar Onley, who was fifth at Hautacam and is sustaining his challenge in sixth overall. The Dane has lost time to his Slovenian rival in the long time trial and in the Tour's first summit finish. From here, it appears unlikely that he will be able to mount a challenge for the yellow jersey. There was more than a little questioning of his Visma-Lease a Bike team's tactics, after Vingegaard arrived at the foot of the final climb alone and surrounded by UAE Emirates riders. Long gone was Matteo Jorgenson, who had started the stage fifth overall but fell back on the Col du Soulor. Nor was there any sign of Simon Yates, winner on Puy de Sancy, but now unable to help his leader. Pogacar's decisive move came at the foot of the 13km ascent after he was set up by his Ecuadorian teammate Jhonatan Narváez. Initially, Vingegaard kept the defending champion in sight, the gap hovering at a handful of seconds, but as the pursuit wore on, Pogacar cruised clear. Emmanuel Macron briefly joined Christian Prudhomme in the race director's car and the French president was treated to a ringside seat as Pogacar powered up the slopes. Further down the mountain, Ben Healy was toiling up the climb, eventually losing the best part of 14 minutes to the Slovenian. In furnace conditions, Healy's overall leadership had wilted on the exposed climb of the Col du Soulor, where Remco Evenepoel also suffered and lost ground. The morning after Pogacar's crash on the approach to Toulouse, the polemics over the peloton's decision to wait for the Slovenian continued. In the end, however, it was an irrelevance. The show of sportsmanship from Healy and Vingegaard was not lost on Demi Vollering, whose crash while leading the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, after which the peloton did not look back, effectively cost her the race. 'So kind of the bunch not to use this crash of Tadej Pogacar to take time on him,' she posted on Instagram. 'Guess men are a bit more kind.' It also was a mournful convoy that entered the Pyrenees, the morning after a promising talent had been lost to a high-speed crash, following the death of young Italian Samuele Privitera, who was killed on Wednesday while racing in the Giro delle Valle d'Aosta. According to reports in the Italian media, the 19-year-old crashed as the peloton was riding downhill at 70kph. He is understood to have fallen and hit the iron gate of a house, losing his helmet during the impact and suffering a cardiac arrest. Thursday's second stage of the Giro delle Valle d'Aosta was cancelled. The Italian was riding for the Hagens Berman Jayco development team, a feeder outfit for Jayco AlUla, currently riding in the Tour. In tribute, there was a minute's applause at the start of stage 12 in Auch. Axel Merckx, son of Eddy and manager of the Hagens Berman team, said that the rider's loss was 'devastating beyond words.' Friday's stage 13 time trial, from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes is unlikely to change the current narrative, although Evenepoel will be keen to bounce back and exploit any further weakness on the part of Vingegaard. Pogacar however, is expected to increase his overall lead. Guardian
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Tour de France 2025: Aussie Ben O'Connor in top 20 at halfway mark
The Tour de France has reached Toulouse and the riders have definitely earned their first rest day with ferocious pace as we near the halfway point of the three-week race. The battle for the Maillot Jaune has been fascinating. Tadej Pogacar has been happy to pass it to anyone who is not a real threat for his title. It takes pressure off his UAE Emirates squad, slightly depleted with the withdrawal of the champion rider's right-hand man Joao Almeida. Irishman Ben Healy proved again that he is the Energiser bunny with a dogged performance to snatch the yellow jersey. Former team leader of Jayco AlUla, Simon Yates – now right hand man for Vingegaard at Visma Lease a Bike – was too strong and rode to victory on stage 10. But it was the current leader of the Aussie squad, Ben O'Connor, who got hearts pumping. He showed that he is finally recovering from his injuries on his spectacular stage 1 crash. Ben was strong in the breakaway all day and only faded slightly in the final kilometre to finish fourth. 'It's been a roller coaster of a tour in many ways,' O'Connor said. 'Both physically and emotionally. 'But I'm feeling stronger as each day goes on and I'm looking forward to the bigger mountains coming up.' Teammate Luke Plapp is also coming good and will be a chance to get into a breakaway over the next week. 'I've been struggling for a few days but I'm feeling good now and looking forward to the challenge,' Plapp said. As good as the race for yellow has been, it's this Thursday and Friday that will show the strongest and expose the challengers. Thursday's 180km stage to the summit of Hautacam is brutal and Vingegaard and his Visma Lease a Bike team must try every trick in the book to isolate Pogacar. But Friday's individual time trial, although only 10km long, is a monster and virtually all uphill. In the time trial, called the race of truth, there are no team tactics. The legs do the talking and Pogacar seems to have the loudest voice at the moment. It hasn't been a brilliant tour for the Aussies so far, but two third placings – Kaden Groves in a solid sprint on stage 3 and a wonderful ride by Michael Storer to take third spot on stage 6 – have been highlights. As the race goes on Groves will get closer to the other sprinters. Storer proved with his 10th overall at the Giro that he is capable of challenging in the mountains in the final week. Harry Sweeny has been fantastic with EF Education-Easy Post. His team now has the Maillot Jaune and Sweeny's going to be very busy in the next couple of days trying to keep that jersey on his teammate Healy's back.
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Tour de France stage eight preview: Route today with tricky uphill finish for sprinters to overcome
The yellow jersey of Tour de France leader is firmly back on defending champion Tadej Pogacar 's shoulders, after the Slovene outsprinted rival Jonas Vingegaard to the win on stage seven in Mur-de-Bretagne. Mathieu van der Poel had been in yellow by a margin of just one second after being in the breakaway on stage six, but the Dutchman could not replicate his heroics on the punishing Mur-de-Bretagne climb in 2021, when he attacked twice to take the overall lead and his maiden Tour stage win. Instead, it was his Classics rival Pogacar who distanced him, with team UAE Emirates-XRG setting an infernal pace up the final slope to whittle the field down to a select group of climbers, including Remco Evenepoel, local boy Kevin Vauquelin, and Briton Oscar Onley, who ultimately finished third. But as has already happened multiple times in this race no-one could live with the acceleration of Pogacar bar Vingegaard himself, and as the Slovenian attacked in the final few hundred metres he held off the two-time champion for his 101st career victory and 19th at La Grande Boucle. Pogacar said afterwards that he was hoping for a couple of 'easy days' in the saddle, and after a challenging few days in Normandy and Brittany, the sprinters finally get another chance on stage eight. It's one of just five friendly days for the fast men in this year's route, a 174km ride from Saint-Meen-le-Grand in Brittany to Laval in the Pays de la Loire region. And even this one has a spanner in the works in the form of an uphill drag to the line, the sort of finish Mark Cavendish would roundly object to. It means that the likes of Tim Merlier, winner of stage three, may find themselves struggling to power past the more versatile sprinters. There's also the matter of a categorised climb in the final 20km, the Cote de Nuille-sur-Vicoin, which at 3.8% for 900m is short but steep enough to punish the pure fast men and ensure they waste some energy ahead of the final. Other than that it's pretty much pan-flat, and with the sprinters' teams no doubt controlling things all day, we may see no riders bother with a breakaway at all. Let's hope they do, because it'll be a long day otherwise. Route map and profile Start time Stage eight's neutralised start is at 1.10pm local time (12.10pm), with the finish time expected to be around 5.15pm local time (4.15pm BST). Prediction This may be one for the punchier sprinters given the uphill finish, so in truth it could be anyone's game. Wout van Aert hasn't looked on song so far in this Tour and his primary role is support for Jonas Vingegaard, but if he's feeling up for it, he could do well. Marijn van den Berg can sprint but has been nowhere in the two previous sprint stages; Biniam Girmay doesn't look to be on the sparkling form of last year but was second on stage one. The green jersey of Jonathan Milan is an absolute powerhouse but might struggle on the cat-four climb, but if his team protect him and get him back at the front, he might be the best-placed of the fast men to haul himself over the uphill drag.
