Paret-Peintre paints masterpiece on Ventoux as Pogacar stays in control
MALAUCENE, France - Valentin Paret-Peintre kept his cool in a furnace of pressure and heat, delivering a thunderous victory atop the legendary Mont Ventoux to give France its first win in this year's Tour de France during a breathtaking Stage 16 on Tuesday.
The Soudal-Quick Step rider edged out Ireland's Ben Healy in a heart-pounding sprint finale on the Giant of Provence, while Tadej Pogacar remained unshakable in yellow, fending off Jonas Vingegaard on the brutal 21.5km ascent averaging 7.5%.
Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4:15.
Germany's Florian Lipowitz held firm in third at 9:03, pulling further ahead of fourth-placed Briton Oscar Onley, who lags another 2:01 behind.
But the day belonged to Paret-Peintre, whose lack of belief turned into defiance and then glory.
"I honestly didn't believe it," he said. "I thought Pogacar would go for victory today. But when we built a real gap, I told myself, you can't let a win on Mont Ventoux slip through your fingers."
Seven riders surged ahead from an early breakaway, carving out a healthy 6:30 buffer as they reached the base of the climb.
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The air grew thinner, the crowds louder and the landscape more lunar.
Spanish climber Enric Mas looked like the chosen one, attacking solo with 14.2 km to the summit. Behind him, Paret-Peintre, Healy, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago gave chase.
As they passed Chalet Reynard - where pine forest yields to desolate, white-stone slopes - it became a survival march.
Mas and Buitrago fought valiantly but were dropped by the Franco-Irish duo, only to courageously claw their way back.
Then came Belgian Ilan Van Wilder, who fought his way back to the group and dug deep for teammate Paret-Peintre to keep the Pogacar-Vingegaard threat at bay.
Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, the first attempt coming 9km from the top, but could not shake off Pogacar, whose lone acceleration was also not strong enough to drop the Visma-Lease a Bike leader.
With 400 meters to go and the gradient spiking to a lung-scorching 10%, Healy launched his sprint.
But Paret-Peintre, with ice in his veins and fire in his legs, clung to his wheel. In the final, agonising metres, he surged past, claiming not just a stage win, but also a place in French cycling folklore.
He was only the fifth Frenchman to conquer the Ventoux. REUTERS
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