Pogačar closes in on 4th Tour de France title; Groves wins penultimate stage
cycling
Tadej Pogačar closed in on a fourth Tour de France title after safely finishing Saturday's penultimate stage and maintaining his big lead over arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard.
Australian rider Kaden Groves won stage 20 with a late solo breakaway, while Pogačar rolled over the line about seven minutes later in the same time as Vingegaard.
The Slovenian cycling star leads the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard by 4 minutes, 24 seconds, with German rider Florian Lipowitz 11:03 behind Pogačar in third overall.
Barring a heavy crash or illness, Pogačar was expected to celebrate Sunday and move level with British rider Chris Froome on four Tour titles. Victory would also give Pogačar a fifth Grand Tour after winning the Giro d'Italia in dominant fashion last year.
'I am more or less sure of my overall victory, but I still don't want to say anything about it. I want to stay focused until I have crossed the finish line in Paris,' Pogačar said. 'That's one of the most beautiful parts of this sport. We are 180 guys who spend weeks riding in the mountains and in the end, all of a sudden, we come to the streets of one of the biggest cities in the world.'
However, Sunday's final stage of this edition is not a largely processional one, as is usually the case, and could potentially prove somewhat problematic toward the end with three consecutive climbs.
'I am unsure of how the final stage will pan out,' Pogačar said. 'The course is relatively short, and that will make for a rather punchy effort.'
On Saturday, the 184.2-kilometer route through eastern France featured three small climbs and a moderately difficult one up Côte de Thésy before finishing in Pontarlier. But there was scant opportunity for Vinegaard to attack Pogačar.
As the riders set off Saturday in driving rain, the yellow jersey group stayed safely at the front until breakaways formed.
When the front group tackled the 3.6-kilometer Côte de Thésy, Frenchman Jordan Jegat launched a solo attack, but he was then overtaken by Australian rider Harrison Sweeny.
As rain fell heavily again with 40 kilometers, Sweeny opened up a 50-second lead, only to be reeled in shortly after.
The wet roads were treacherous at high speeds. Frenchman Romain Grégoire and Spaniard Iván Romeo crashed taking a sharp turn and slid sideways off their bikes. Both continued.
Groves surged ahead 16 kilometers out and held on for his first Tour stage win and 10th at major races. The 26-year-old has two at the Giro d'Italia and seven at the Spanish Vuelta.
'Winning in all three Grand Tours is a dream of every rider,' he said. 'We saw today as a chance to win from the breakaway. We played our cards correctly and I had super strong legs."
Groves was 54 seconds ahead of Frank van den Broek and 59 clear of Pascal Eenkhoorn.
The final stage of the Tour de France is traditionally a largely processional one, with the overall leader all-but-guaranteed to win — barring mishap — and only the sprinters contesting the stage win right at the end, following several laps around Paris.
But this year's last stage is very different and could prove spectacular.
Breaking with decades of tradition, it features three ascents of Montmartre Hill, a short and sharp climb which featured at last year's Paris Olympics.
Some riders have expressed concern that the sinewy, cobbled Rue Lepic climb, lined with heaving fans either side at extremely close proximity, may be problematic.
The final climb up Rue Lepic comes less than 7 kilometers from the end, before the riders finish on the Champs-Elysées.
Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security over the 132.3-kilometer route, which starts from the outskirts of Paris at Mantes-la-Ville before heading into the city.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Japan Today
India wins test series finale by 6 runs against England in Oval classic
India's players celebrate their win against England on day five of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) cricket A gloomy, drizzly London morning. The final day of a fifth test. Just 35 runs or four wickets away from victory. Those are not usually temptations for selling a bunch of match tickets. But the Oval was sold out on Monday in goosebump anticipation of a dramatic end to the England-India series, and a buzzing crowd of 27,000 wasn't disappointed. The action lasted for only an hour and 8.5 overs but every ball drew a roller-coaster of emotions as India won by a measly six runs in a fitting climax to a series that finished in a 2-2 draw. Adding to the drama, England allrounder Chris Woakes came out to bat one-handed with a dislocated left shoulder tucked in a sling under his jersey. Woakes ran a bye in obvious agony — his left arm fell out of the sling — and was protected by teammate Gus Atkinson from facing a ball. But Atkinson couldn't safeguard his own wicket for long and was the last man out, missing his attempted sweep and bowled by a Mohammed Siraj full toss. England, in pursuit of an Oval-record 374, was all out for 367. Siraj took off running with arms out in airplane mode; his third wicket in the hour gave him five wickets in the innings and nine in the match. 'Siraj is a captain's dream,' India captain Shubman Gill said. 'Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled.' Gill, the first-time captain who became the all-time leading run-scorer in any single England-India series, was named co-player of the series beside Harry Brook, whose 111 on Sunday lifted England in sight of clinching the series 3-1. 'To rock up with a crowd like this today when we needed 30-odd runs to win is phenomenal,' Brook said. "I don't think we could get support like that in any other series, other than the Ashes. 'We have not left anything out on that pitch. We have been absolutely knackered. A very intense test series, but a very enjoyable one.' Woakes arguably had the biggest effect on the Oval test by his absence, after hurting his shoulder while fielding on day one Thursday. He didn't bat when England replied to India's 224 with 247 for a 23-run lead on the first innings. He also didn't bowl as India racked up 396 to set the target of 374, requiring England to achieve its second highest successful run chase, eclipsing the 371 rundown in Leeds in the series opener. By the time Woakes walked out on Monday to a standing ovation, England was nine down and 17 runs from winning. Atkinson farmed the strike. When he swept Siraj, the ball popped out of Akash Deep's hands and over the cow corner boundary for a six, to reduce the runs required to 11. Atkinson kept Woakes off strike for two consecutive overs but at the start of the third he was dismissed by Siraj and the series was over. India took time out of its on-field celebrations to approach Woakes and applaud his pluck, another fitting end to a series in which emotions bubbled over from the drawn third test at Lord's onwards. India, trying to win a series in England for the first time since 2007, lost the toss in all five tests but exceeded expectations by winning more sessions. It was a tribute to Gill and his inexperienced team that the fight they put up diminished talk about the pre-series retirements of India greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. 'Before the series we spoke about how we didn't want to be looked at as a young team,' Gill said. 'We wanted to be a gun team and I think we showed that today." Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Lokesh Rahul put Sharma in the shade, and Gill met the No. 4 traditions of Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli. Gill was questioned about his lack of scores overseas and began preparing for the series during the Indian Premier League. He stamped his authority in India's first bat with 147, the first of his four centuries in the series. 'We weren't given a chance but we've fought in every game and got 2-2,' 11-year test veteran Rahul said. "For Indian test cricket this will rank right at the top and this is where change begins. The India test team will win a lot more series. 'Not having Rohit, Virat, Ashwin hit me two weeks in. Everyone was coming to me to ask about English conditions. Then it hit me, I've stepped into a different role now. Gill's been phenomenal. He's formed connections. Tactically good, changes have gotten us wickets. He'll go on to become a good test captain.' Gill was the series leading run-scorer with 754, more than 200 more than Joe Root, and Siraj was the leading wicket-taker with 23, playing all five tests and still bowling at 90 mph (145 kph) on the final day. Also remarkably, premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah was restricted for workload reasons to three tests and India's two wins were without him. For England, Root's 500-plus runs lifted him to second on the all-time test runs list behind only Tendulkar. Fast bowler Jofra Archer returned after four years with venom and was keen to be available for the year-ending Ashes. Captain Ben Stokes was England's most effective bowler but exhausted himself into a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the Oval test. He was looking forward to being well rested for the first Ashes test against Australia starting on Nov. 21 in Perth. Stokes praised his Oval seam attack — depleted of himself, Archer and Woakes — for running India so close. 'When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the role of the other seamers changes,' Stokes told the BBC. "Even in the second innings, the heart and desire they showed was amazing. There were many what-ifs in the last five days, makes the game great, but all (coach) Brendon (McCullum) and I asked was to give it everything. (Josh) Tongue, Atkinson and (Jamie) Overton showed it. 'The way in which we've been able to perform throughout the series, I'm looking forward to getting to Australia and doing what we want to go out there and do.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Japan Today
Lions hooker Sheehan suspended for 4 matches over Lynagh incident
rugby union British and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan has been suspended for four matches for flattening Wallabies playmaker Tom Lynagh in Saturday's third and final test, World Rugby announced on Monday. The 26-year-old Irishman -- who captained the side for part of the 22-12 defeat after Maro Itoje suffered a head injury -- had argued his action did not merit a citing nor was it foul play. However, an independent panel disagreed, imposing the ban, although he will miss only three games if he successfully completes a coaching intervention. "The sanction has been accepted by the player," read the judgement. "In determining foul play, the Committee found that Sheehan's actions were reckless. The Committee found that he made head contact with the Australian player, that his action amounted to a high degree of danger and that no mitigation applied." Sheehan charged into the breakdown during the first half of the clash in Sydney, appearing to elbow Lynagh in the head. It was missed by the referee and television match official (TMO), despite Lynagh leaving the field for a head injury assessment which he failed. Sheehan will miss his province Leinster's pre-season match against Cardiff and two United Rugby Championship games with South African sides the Sharks and Stormers. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Americans finish strong with relay record at swim worlds
Athletes of team United States celebrate after winning gold medal in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) swimming By STEPHEN WADE The United States, which had a frustrating swim world championships, ended on a high note Sunday with a record in the women's 4x100 medley relay in the last event of the eight-day championships. The Americans swam a time of 3 minutes, 49.34 seconds, breaking their own old record mark of 3:49.63. The United States finished with nine gold medals and 29 overall, ahead of Australia with eight gold and 20 overall. France and Canada were next in the gold-medal count with four gold medals. The 18-year-old Canadian star Summer McIntosh won all four. The Americans battled a case of 'acute gastroenteritis' picked up at a training camp in Thailand. The malady clearly affected the team's up-and-down performances in the eight days in Singapore. 'This is the best way to end the meet,' Gretchen Walsh said. "And I feel like we have such a good opportunity when you have this stacked group of women closing it out on a relay like this. 'We're going to put it all in the pool and we're going to leave Singapore with a smile on our faces,' she added. Regan Smith, Kate Douglass and Walsh swam the first three legs with Torri Huske taking the anchor. The Americans had only five gold medals through six days, but won four in the last two as team health seemed to improve. Sunday's closing day featured eight finals and victories for seven different teams. But there were two clear stars through the week. Leon Manchand of France left the worlds on Sunday with what he came for – two individual gold medals. Summer McIntosh came away with four individual golds – one shy of her quest to win five. Still, she is only the second woman at a world championships to win four individual golds. Her only blip was finishing third to American Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle on Saturday. And 12-year-old Chinese Yu Zidi, in an astounding performance, finished fourth in all three of her individual races. She, however, did pick up a bronze medal in a relay, where she swam in the prelims but not in the final. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
