
Arensman soloes to Tour stage victory
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who had been third overall, pulled out of the race on the day's first climb of the daunting 2180m altitude Tourmalet.
The Belgian Soudal Quick-Step rider appeared exhausted after Friday's uphill time trial.
Arensman attacked on the third of four mountains on a colossal climb day while Slovenian Pogacar outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard for second just over a minute behind the winner.
Crossing the line in the mist at 1840m altitude, Arensman flung himself to the ground exhausted after taking a first win on this Tour for British team Ineos.
The 25-year-old produced a virtuoso climb amidst suffocating packs of near hysterical fans who had waited all day for the peloton to pass.
Behind him Pogacar fought off a string of attacks from his arch rival Vingegaard on a day the Slovenian never looked like attacking for the win.
Winner of the past two stages Pogacar pounced for the line from 50 metres with his trademark kick gaining another six seconds on the Dane.
Pogacar, overall race winner in 2020, 2021 and 2024, now leads Vingegaard by 4min 13sec with Florian Lipowitz moving into third place at 7min 53sec.
German Lipovitz of Red Bull rode on Pogacar's wheel until Dane Vingegaard, who won back-to-back Tour titles in 2022 and 2023, had attacked late on.
After three days in the Pyrenees the riders next have a hilly stage 15 over 169.3km from Muret to the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne.
Spectator hit by Ineos-Grenadiers team car
An Ineos-Grenadiers team car hit and knocked down a spectator during the 14th stage of the Tour de France cycle race, TV footage showed on Saturday.
The team car was in the middle of the road to the Col de Peyresourde, about 200 metres from the top of the ascent, when it struck the spectator, who was cheering the riders on. Organisers told Reuters they were not aware of the accident while Ineos-Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment.
Olympic champion Evenepoel pulls out of Tour de France
Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel pulled out of the Tour de France during Saturday's stage 14, a gruelling climb of the Tourmalet mountain in the Pyrenees.
The double Olympic champion was third in the overall standings and had won stage five in the 21-stage race, but appeared exhausted after Friday's uphill time trial.
The Soudal Quick-Step rider won both the Olympic road race and time trial gold in Paris, shortly after finishing third at the 2024 Tour de France and claimed the best young rider's white jersey.
But an accident in Brussels in December involving a postal delivery van scuppered the 25-year-old's preparation for this year's Tour.
The opening stages were contested near the Belgian border, but Evenepoel lost a minute of the first day after being caught in a cross wind split.
This tactical error deprived him of a golden chance of taking the leader's yellow jersey in the first week, where he would pulverise the field on a 33km time trial.
The team will now base its attention around fellow Belgian rider Tim Merlier, who has already won two sprint stages on this Tour.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
McIntosh makes golden start at World championships
Canada's Summer Mcintosh reacts after a semi-final of the women's 200m individual medley swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. PHOTO: AFP Teenage phenomenon Summer McIntosh captured gold in ominous fashion on the opening day of the world swimming championships on Sunday as Australia claimed a relay double in Singapore. The 18-year-old Canadian launched her packed programme with a dominant performance in the women's 400m freestyle, romping home in 3min 56.26sec, nearly two seconds clear of China's Li Bingjie, who was followed by American great Katie Ledecky in bronze. It was world record holder McIntosh's first world title in the event as she pursues five individual golds in Singapore. With Australia's Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus skipping the championships before she prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the race was billed as a showdown between McIntosh and Ledecky. But McIntosh grasped control early on and streaked further ahead as the race progressed. "I think the 400 freestyle in past world championships and Olympics, I haven't been at my best and I haven't been where I want to be," she said. "So to finally stand on the centre of the podium is promising for the rest of the meet." McIntosh, who broke three world records at the Canadian trials in the lead-up to the worlds, jumped straight back into the pool for the 200m medley semi-finals 20 minutes after winning gold. She qualified for the final with the fastest time, saying she was "in the best shape of my life". "Now I just have to act on that and put it into all of my races," she added. McIntosh was joined in Monday's 200m IM final by Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi. The schoolgirl, who juggles swimming with homework, squeezed into the final. "I'm in? Oh, I'm happy about that and I will continue to work harder," she said. "I hope to find a breakthrough at these world championships and show my potential." Germany's Lukas Maertens won a nail-biting gold in the men's 400m freestyle, pipping Australia's Sam Short by 0.02sec. Maertens, the Olympic champion and world record holder, became world champion in the event for the first time. German compatriot Florian Wellbrock won four golds in the open water events in Singapore and Maertens said their country had taken a "big step forward". "All the girls and guys are a really young team and there are a lot to come," he said. "Now I'm one of the old guys and I'm 23. That means a lot and I'm really proud to be in the German team."


Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Piastri beats Norris in Belgian Grand Prix
McLaren's Oscar Piastri beat teammate and title rival Lando Norris in a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix to stretch his Formula One lead to 16 points on Sunday. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as dominant champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. "I knew lap one was going to be my best chance of winning the race," said Piastri. "Rest of race we managed really well," the Australian added. "Oscar did a good job, nothing more to say," said Norris. The Belgian Formula One Grand Prix started after four laps behind the safety car on Sunday following a delay of nearly an hour and a half due to rain and poor visibility at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. After an initial formation lap behind the safety car, the cars were brought into the pit lane and the starting procedure halted. "I can't see a lot behind the safety car so I can't imagine what it's like for everyone else," McLaren's pole-sitter Lando Norris, who is nine points behind championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri, said over the team radio. After the long wait, the FIA cleared the race to start once standing water had been removed. The safety car then led the field around to assess visibility before a rolling start was decided. The rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix remains the shortest race in Formula One history with only three laps completed behind the safety car and half points awarded. "We should just run," said Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen over the radio when the red flags were shown. "They're way too cautious." Nico Rosberg, the retired 2016 world champion, told Sky Sports television that there was little drivers could do other than wait. "The conditions out there are horrendous and the race start will be extremely difficult," said the German. "You can't see anything. You have long straights but must stay flat, but you're blind, looking left or right at the wall to find a brake marker board."


Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PSB raises cash rewards for global medalists
Listen to article The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has announced a substantial increase in cash rewards for national athletes who secure medals at international sporting events. The decision came during the 34th meeting of the PSB Board, where the revised 'Cash Award Policy' was formally unveiled. Under the new policy, prize money for Olympic gold winners has risen to Rs30 million from Rs10m earlier. Silver medalists will now receive Rs20 million, while bronze medalists will be awarded Rs10 million. Also Read: Naqvi confirms dates for Asia Cup The revised scheme also includes enhanced financial incentives for other major international competitions. Gold medalists at the Asian Games will receive Rs15m while silver and bronze medal holders will now be entitled to Rs7m and Rs5m, respectively. For the Commonwealth Games, gold medalists will be awarded with Rs7.5m and the Asian Snooker Championship winner will get Rs750,000. The policy further covers squash, squash, with Rs10m in prize money allocated for players winning the prestigious British Open or an equivalent tournament.