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Japan Today
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
Pogacar 'ready to fight Vingegaard' for Tour de France title
Jonas Vingegaard and reigning champion Tadej Pogacar are set for a dramatic battle in the final week of the Tour de France cycling By Damian MCCALL Tadej Pogacar said Monday he was ready to fight every kilometer with arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. Far from resting on his laurels with a four-minute lead in the standings, defending champion Pogacar insisted his thoughts were on closing out the win in the six days of riding left. On the second rest day in the 21-day, 3,400km slog around France, Pogacar appeared much more mature than the 20-year-old who won the first of his three titles in 2020. "You learn every week, every day on this race that you must stay focused," said the 26-year-old Team UAE rider. "This is my sixth Tour. I miss the white jersey (for the best rider under 26), you know, but yes I've grown up, got more mature," said Pogacar. He said he had also grown into this Tour. "Nobody liked those stages at the start of the Tour, it was quite nerve-wracking, but you need to be focused," he said of the first week when he appeared a little annoyed at times. Pogacar headed into the Pyrenees last week second only to surprise leader Ben Healy of Ireland. But he grabbed the lead by winning two of the tough, mountainous triptych of stages, emerging 4min 13sec ahead of second-placed Vingegaard, with promising German rider Florian Lipowitz third. "I'm actually enjoying the Tour now," he said. Asked about whether he planned to take part in the Vuelta a Espana, which begins on August 23, or if he preferred to take a break after his exertions on the Tour, Pogacar said the only thing he was sure about was giving it everything in the final week in France. "Some riders are planning holidays. Not me. I'm thinking about the six days left. I haven't decided about racing the Vuelta. I'm not planning anything until after this Tour," he said. As the peloton prepares to soar into the Alps on Tuesday Pogacar said he was prepared for an attack from Vingegaard. "It's going to be tough. We are ready for a fight. With everybody, but especially Jonas, we've seen how strong he is. "There are three mountains where he has previously been faster than me, But it is not about names, that was always because of the race situation," he said, recalling how the Dane had come close to denying him the win in 2021, and took the title in 2022 and 2023 when Pogacar was runner-up. "It's not that i'm looking for revenge, I just want to do better," he said. "I'm confident in myself, but I know Jonas can be too. I need to keep eating and sleeping well, and hope the mood persists. "The group we have this year, at breakfast, on the bus, it's good. With the boys and the atmosphere, I'm happy to be part of this group, and I'd come here just to be with them regardless of the race." © 2025 AFP
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Wellens' stage win underscores Team Emirates' Tour control
AE Team Emirates XRG's Tim Wellens won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Sunday 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' Alaphilippe red faced: 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.' Earlier. Thymen Arensman of the Netherlands won the 14th stage after a superb solo ride in the 183-km (113-mile) mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. The day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 7.8%) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3%) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final metres to further cement his domination. Reuters
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold
CARCASSONNE, France: Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Sunday 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.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Wellens enjoys stage win as Pogacar retains yellow jersey
PA Media/DPA Paris Tim Wellens had time to high-five fans inside the final kilometre as he soloed to victory on stage 15 of the Tour de France into Carcassonne with his team-mate Tadej Pogacar retaining the yellow jersey. Wellens, 34, completed his set of Grand Tour stage victories, attacking from a breakaway on the 169km stage from Muret and quickly opening a sizeable gap before the long downhill run into the medieval city where his margin of victory over Victor Campenaerts was 88 seconds. In the confusion of another frantic day of racing on Sunday, Julian Alaphilippe celebrated as though he had won the stage when he edged a three-way sprint for third, having apparently been without a working radio after hurting his shoulder in an earlier crash. Instead, it was a fifth stage victory of this Tour for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with Pogacar having taken the other four on his way to building an advantage of four minutes 13 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard going into Monday's rest day. There was no change at the top of the general classification, with the main favourites finishing some six minutes after Wellens took the win. Florian Lupowitz remains third, just shy of eight minutes off yellow and one minute 25 seconds ahead of 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley. 'It was a very special victory,' Wellens said. 'Everybody wants to ride the Tour de France but not many get to win at the Tour de France so it's very beautiful...' It was Wellens' first Grand Tour stage win since he won two stages of the 2020 Vuelta a Espana to add to his two Giro d'Italia stage victories.
Observer
2 days ago
- Sport
- Observer
Wellens wins Tour de France stage 15, Pogacar keeps lead
Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Sunday after a 45 km 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. 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. I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT 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. I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now,' said Pogacar. Monday is a the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8 km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 per cent 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.' — AFP
