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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pogacar set to seal title after Groves wins stage 20
Tadej Pogacar is set to secure his fourth Tour de France title after maintaining his overall lead, as Kaden Groves won the penultimate stage of this year's race. Australian sprinter Groves, 26, claimed his first Tour stage win after launching a solo attack with 16km remaining. Pogacar completed the 184.2km hilly stage safely in the peloton meaning that, barring an accident, the 26-year-old Slovenian will seal his title defence on Sunday. The final day of the Tour is a processional stage, where traditionally the general classification leader is not challenged. More to follow. Tour de France - penultimate stage as Pogacar closes in on title defence Tour de France 2025 - stage guide and results
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Pogacar set to seal title after Groves wins stage 20
Tadej Pogacar is set to secure his fourth Tour de France title after maintaining his overall lead, as Kaden Groves won the penultimate stage of this year's sprinter Groves, 26, claimed his first Tour stage win after launching a solo attack with 16km completed the 184.2km hilly stage safely in the peloton meaning that, barring an accident, the 26-year-old Slovenian will seal his title defence on final day of the Tour is a processional stage, where traditionally the general classification leader is not challenged. More to follow.
CNA
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
LA PLAGNE, France :Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass - a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title. Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way. The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures. The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat. "It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower, Pogacar told reporters. "I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometres to Paris. "I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate." ULTIMATE LUXURY He did not need to and did not bother to either in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances. The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win. Pogacar leads the Danish rider by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his 2020, 2021 and 2024 triumphs. Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars. Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while it features three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification. Asked if he was bored - having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 - as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and centre. "From day one to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey. For most riders, counting down the kilometres to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
LA PLAGNE, France, July 25 (Reuters) - Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass - a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title. Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way. The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures. The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat. "It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower, Pogacar told reporters. "I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometres to Paris. "I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate." He did not need to and did not bother to either in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances. The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win. Pogacar leads the Danish rider by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his 2020, 2021 and 2024 triumphs. Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars. Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while it features three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification. Asked if he was bored - having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 - as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and centre. "From day one to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey. "Sometimes, all you can do is keep counting down the distance to the finish line. That's how it is." For most riders, counting down the kilometres to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pogacar begins final week of 2025 Tour de France in touching distance of legend
Three-time champion Tadej Pogacar will spend Monday's rest day of the 2025 Tour de France savouring his feats in the Pyrenees of southern France that have helped him establish a four-minute lead over his arch rival and two-time victor Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar, who is seeking a fourth title that will take him joint fifth on the all-time winner's list, claimed the 12th and 13th stages to open up the gap on Vingegaard. The wins on Thursday and Friday also furnished him with his 20th and 21st stage victories. Friday's 10.9 km time trial for the 13th stage was completed in 23 minutes. 'I really wanted to go all out from start to finish, smashing the pedals as much as possible,' said Pogacar. 'I almost blew out in the end but I saw the time on the finish arch and it gave me an extra push because I saw I was going to win.' Pogacar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, cemented his grip on the race during Thursday's first big mountain stage on the slopes of Hautacam, where he destroyed the field to reclaim the yellow jersey after it had adorned the back of the Irish rider Ben Healy for two days 'So far, so good,' said Pogacar. "We're just a bit over halfway now and it's still a long way to Paris but if we keep riding like this and don't do any mistakes, then we can be satisfied with this margin." Vingegaard says he will fight on Vingegaard, who won cycling's most prestigious race in 2022 and 2023, vowed to keep fighting. "The Tour is far from over," insisted the 28-year-old Dane. "We have to keep believing we can do something here in the race." Tim Wellens, Pogacar's teammate took stage 15 on Sunday. The 34-year-old Belgian completed the 169.3km between Muret and Carcassonne in three hours, 34 minutes and nine seconds. Victor Campenaerts was second and Julien Alaphilippe was third. "I had the opportunity, I took it, and I had legs to finish it," said Wellens who ended the course 88 seconds ahead of Campenaerts. 'I knew that I had to enjoy the moment,' Wellens added. 'I kept riding until 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 that I forgot to do it.' The tour resumes on Tuesday with a 171.5km run between Montpellier and Mont Ventoux and concludes on Sunday along the Champs Elysées in Paris.
