Pogacar retakes Tour de France lead in crushing mountain win
Pogacar skipped away on an 11km solo ascent of the fabled climb to finish 2min 10sec ahead of key rival Jonas Vingegaard while overnight leader Ben Healy wilted to a 13min deficit on the day.
French president Emmanuel Macron was on hand at the mountaintop finish to congratulate the Slovenian Team UAE rider.
Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel dug deep after being dropped on the first of three climbs to claw back level, before eventually losing 3min 35sec on the day's 180.6km ride from Auch, finishing seventh.
In the overall standings Pogacar now leads the Tour de France by 3min 31sec over Denmark's Vingegaard while Evenepoel is third at a daunting 4min 45sec.
Worse for any pretenders hoping to stop the defending champion is that Friday's stage 13 comes in the shape of an uphill individual time-trial that the Slovenian said this week he was looking forward to.
Overnight leader Healy took a beating on his second day defending the yellow jersey as the EF rider slipped off the pace on the first climb, while doggedly trying to limit his losses.
He is now eleventh, over 13 minutes behind Pogacar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
O'Connor takes Tour stage as Vingegaard's plans to unseat Pogacar fizzle
Ben O'Connor stormed to a sensational victory in Stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday, as Jonas Vingegaard's attempt to dethrone Tadej Pogacar imploded in spectacular fashion on the race's most brutal Alpine battleground. The Australian rider, eyes blazing with determination, launched a ferocious solo attack on the fearsome Col de la Loze and never looked back, thundering towards his second career Tour stage win, after his triumph in Tignes in 2021. 'I felt much better today just from the start. I was pretty active, and I think probably the point where you realise you could have a shot was the top of the (Col de la) Madeleine when Jonas and Pogi came across, and we're still with them over the top of the summit,' said O'Connor. Pogacar defended his crown with ice-cold precision, gaining 11 more seconds on Vingegaard and stretching his overall advantage to a commanding 4 minutes 26 seconds after taking second place. 'Today was brutal. Maybe the hardest stage I've ever done in the Tour,' admitted a drained Vingegaard after the finish. "YEEEEEEEESSSS, YEEEEEESSSSS" 🤩 #TDF2025 | @Continental_fr — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2025 'We had a big plan, you saw it, but I couldn't take a second on Tadej. The Tour isn't over, still.' Visma-Lease a Bike had come to the Alps with an all-in strategy for a stage lined with three monstrous climbs. But what could have been a bold masterstroke unravelled spectacularly. On the slopes of the 19.2km Col de la Madeleine, Sepp Kuss's searing acceleration left the top contenders chasing shadows. With Matteo Jorgenson already up the road in a breakaway, Vingegaard launched his move 5km from the summit, but Pogacar followed him with ease. Then came the puzzling twist. After a blistering descent, Vingegaard, who had said he was ready to risk his second place to try to win the Tour, suddenly eased up on the valley floor, inviting rivals to regroup and stripping his team's earlier aggression of any sting. 🎙 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi: « J'aurais aimé gagner l'étape mais la priorité est bien sûr le Maillot Jaune. » 💛 💛 L'interview du porteur du #MaillotJauneLCL ⤵️ 💛 #TDF2025 — Maillot Jaune LCL (@MaillotjauneLCL) July 24, 2025 Jorgenson, once the sacrificial pawn, dropped from the break and rejoined the group, only to be spat out again almost instantly. Up ahead, O'Connor sensed blood and struck with ruthless precision, leaving Einer Rubio gasping for air and balance with a savage attack 16km from the line on the lung-busting 26.4-km Col de la Loze, soaring to 2,304 metres above sea level. Rubio cracked in his wake, and the general classification favourites' hesitation sealed the Australian's day of glory. Behind him, Visma-Lease a Bike flogged the pace but barely clawed back a second. Then, inside the final 2km, Vingegaard made one last desperate thrust. Pogacar, seated and serene, absorbed it before unleashing a devastating counterpunch in the last 500 metres. In a blur of power, the Slovenian dropped Vingegaard, streaked past Rubio, and snatched a six-second bonus as he continued his march towards a fourth Tour title. German Florian Lipowitz kept his third place despite finishing behind Oscar Onley after his attempt to go solo in the final climb backfired. He still leads the British rider by 22 seconds going into the last mountain stage between Albertville and La Plagne.
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
Springbok lock Marvin Orie boosts Blue Bulls for derby match
Springbok lock Marvin Orie has been thrust straight into the Vodacom Blue Bulls starting lineup for their crunch north/south derby against Western Province on Saturday. Orie has signed a short-term deal with the Pretoria side. Also read: Ackers lays down Bulls blueprint The 2023 Rugby World Cup winner, who is no stranger to the club, arrived from Perpignan at the beginning of July on a season-long deal, which begins with the Currie Cup campaign. Orie had previously earned 10 caps for the Bulls before stints with the Lions [44], Ospreys [7], and the Stormers [42], before his French shift at Perpignan where he amassed 29 caps in his two seasons. Former Stormers loose forward Nama Xaba will lead the Bulls into battle at his old stomping ground, forming an exciting loose trio with fellow former Stormer Junior Pokomela and Jeandre Rudolph. YOUR team to face DHL Western Province on Saturday for the first round of the Carling Currie Cup KICK-OFF: 17:10 DHL STADIUM @Vodacom | @TheCurrieCup #UNCENSORED — Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) July 24, 2025 The post Bok lock Orie returns for Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Mekies' move to Red Bull could be 'useful' for rookie Isack Hadjar
Isack Hadjar reacted on Thursday to Laurent Mekies' promotion from Racing Bulls boss to Red Bull as replacement for Christian Horner by saying it could be 'useful' for his own Formula One prospects. The 20-year-old French rookie is a prime candidate to join four-times world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull in place of Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, who has struggled to make an impact after moving up from Racing Bulls. 'If I had to work with him (Mekies), it would be easier, that's for sure. It would sound more familiar,' Hadjar told reporters before the Belgian Grand Prix when it was suggested his compatriot's move stood him in good stead. 'I can't hide it, it's useful. For sure. But we'll see. Twelve more races so I need to keep pushing. You're only as good as your last race.' Hadjar said he was driving the simulator at the team factory when he heard about Horner's surprise dismissal on July 9, with Alan Permane taking over from Mekies as Racing Bulls boss. 'It doesn't really change much for me at the moment,' he continued. 'Alan is someone I know really well. He was always quiet, you don't see him often but he's been a big part of the team so far. 'He's been very close to Laurent, Laurent has built something very solid over the past two years and now he's just taking it on. It doesn't change anything to the team or to my approach.' Hadjar, who has scored 21 points in 12 races this season with a best result of sixth in Monaco, said Mekies had been good to work with as someone from an engineering background. 'I think Laurent was really appreciated in the team. A bit of sadness obviously to see him go,' he added. Teammate Liam Lawson, who started the season at Red Bull and dropped back to Racing Bulls after two races to make way for Tsunoda, said the changes made little difference and he was focusing on the coming races. 'I don't think we have lost anything with regards to Alan filling his (Mekies') position but I think something that Laurent has been very, very good at is leading the team and having everybody around him, I guess having the motivation very high,' he added. 'He was very good for that. Works very hard. He is always here.' Lawson said Horner's departure had come as a surprise and he found out after a press release was issued. He said he exchanged texts with the Briton subsequently. 'I'm sure the communication with Laurent will stay as it has been because he's very supportive ... but in terms of what it means for my future, I honestly don't know at this point,' he added.
