Latest news with #queenstage
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Pogacar closes in on victory as O'Connor wins stage 18
Tadej Pogacar took a huge step towards winning his fourth Tour de France by racing clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard on the mighty Col de la Loze, as Ben O'Connor claimed victory on stage 26, powered clear of his closest rival in the final 500 metres to extend his lead over two-time champion Vingegaard to four minutes and 26 seconds with just three stages crossed the line one minute and 45 seconds behind Australian O'Connor, who went solo with 16km was third over the line, followed closely by Britain's Oscar Onley - now just 22 seconds behind Florian Lipowitz in the final general classification podium place following an outstanding queen stage of this year's race featured three iconic climbs, forcing riders to overcome more than 5,500m of elevation in 171.5km of three ascents came under the hors categorie - the race's toughest mountains - with the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine preceding the Col de la 2,304m above sea level it represented the highest point of this year's race - and likely confirmation of Pogacar's latest triumph. More to follow.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Tour de France 2025 live: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard set for almighty tussle on Alpine queen stage
The battle for the Tour de France crown reignites today on the first of a fiendishly difficult Alpine double-header: the race's 'queen stage' to Courchevel. All of the general classification favourites stayed safe in the melee of stage 17, when Jonathan Milan came out on top in dismally wet conditions at the end of a 160km run from Bollene to Valence. His major sprint rival Tim Merlier was held up in a crash in the final kilometre which brought down several sprinters, including last year's green jersey winner Biniam Girmay, whose torrid Tour continued as he was helped over the line by teammates clutching his collarbone. But today the sprinters will be in survival mode as the yellow jersey favourites battle for supremacy on the toughest stage yet - and Jonas Vingegaard tries to dent Tadej Pogacar 's commanding overall lead. Stage 18 preview The Tour may not be won here - it may have already been won, with Tadej Pogacar leading by more than four minutes - but it can certainly be lost. Today's stage 18 is undoubtedly the 'queen stage' of this year's race: 171.5km from Vif to Courchevel, traversing the high Alps and three hors-categorie climbs, some of the most gruelling in the entire Tour de France repertoire. The riders will also have keep something in the tank for another punishing stage to come on Friday, with nearly as much climbing to crest. It's a classic shark's-tooth profile today, climbing and descending all day with a brief prelude of some gentler uphill to get things underway, and a small valley section before the day's final climb. And it's not just the GC favourites who will be eyeing glory: if Lenny Martinez wants to win the polka-dot jersey over Tadej Pogacar, its current custodian, he'll need to claim serious points on today's stage - meaning we're likely to see fireworks all day, both from the breakaway and the yellow jersey contenders. Flo Clifford24 July 2025 09:40 Stage 18 preview Following one more comparatively relaxed day for the general classification on stage 17's full-throttle, chaotic sprint finish, won by the green jersey of Jonathan Milan, the battle for the overall title reignites today. Milan came out on top in dismally wet conditions at the end of a 160km run from Bollene to Valence, a transitional stage taking the riders out of Provence and towards the traditional battleground of the Alps. His major sprint rival Tim Merlier was held up in a crash in the final kilometre which brought down several sprinters, including last year's green jersey winner Biniam Girmay, whose torrid Tour continued as he was helped over the line by teammates clutching his collarbone. But with the final sprint day before Paris out the way, the Tour de France now reaches its climax on stages 18 and 19: a double-header of hideously difficult Alpine stages back-to-back. Flo Clifford24 July 2025 09:35 Good morning Bonjour et bienvenue to stage 18 of the Tour de France. It's an absolute behemoth and could very well decide the destiny of this year's Tour crown. Allez! Flo Clifford24 July 2025 09:30
Telegraph
19-07-2025
- 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
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Tour de France 2025 live: Stage 14 route and updates from epic climbs in Pyrenean high mountains
Tadej Pogacar has an iron grip on this Tour de France and that could yet be extended today, one of several contenders for the 'queen stage' of this year's race. The defending champion has won two stages back to back, wrestling back the yellow jersey with a dominant performance on Hautacam on stage 12, the race's first real mountain test, before stunning all his rivals once more with a superb time trial on the ascent to Peyragudes on stage 13. And there are yet more climbs on the menu on this third and final day in the Pyrenees, featuring a 'Who's Who' of major Tour summits: the Col du Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde, and Superbagneres. Jonas Vingegaard, second yesterday and second overall at four minutes down, remains best placed to challenge him, but can anyone stop a marauding Pogacar on his favourite terrain? Follow all the action on stage 14 of the Tour de France below: Good morning Bonjour and welcome to The Independent 's live coverage of stage 14 of the Tour de France! It's the third and final day in the Pyrenees, and arguably, it's the toughest day of this year's Tour; it should be a cracker. Flo Clifford19 July 2025 09:30
ABC News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Sarah Gigante wins stage seven of Giro d'Italia Donne
Australian Sarah Gigante has won her second stage of this year's Giro d'Italia Donne, winning the seventh queen stage from Fermignano to the summit finish of Monte Nerone. It is the first time an Australian has won two stages at the Giro since 1998, when Anna Millward won three stages. "Two stage wins is a big result," Gigante said at the finish. "I felt good today, I had studied the final climb and decided to attack on the steepest section. "At the same time, I wanted to prove that Stage 4 wasn't a one-off, that I came to Italy to show my strength." The 24-year-old, who also soloed to victory on stage four, once again burst away on the final climb of the 150km-long stage that featured 3,850 metres of climbing. She attacked with 6km to go on the stage, catching defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini before soloing to another impressive victory. Gigante led Longo Borghini home by 45 seconds, however the Italian had enough of a lead over race leader Marlen Reusser, to overtake the Swiss rider in the overall race for the Maglia Rosa. However, had Gigante not lost one-minute and 42 seconds in cross winds on the sixth stage, she would be in the race lead. Instead, she is third, 1:11 in arrears, with Reusser in second, 22 seconds behind Longo Borghini. Sunday's final stage is a hilly 138km from Forlì to the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola and, although it would take a small miracle to make up the 71 seconds required to take victory, the "I'm really grateful to my team, we stayed close together all day," Gigante said. "I'm still a bit behind in the GC, but I'll give it everything again tomorrow".
