Enfin! A French stage winner in the Tour de France

3 days ago

Valentin Paret-Peintre has 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.
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 21.5 km ascent averaging 7.5 per cent.
Defending champion Pogacar clawed two more seconds from his Danish rival in a final surge to extend his overall lead to 4 mins 15 secs.
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.
Ben O'Connor, in 12th, 30:08 behind Pogacar, is the only Australian in the top 25 GC riders. He was also the best-placed Aussie in the stage, finishing 32nd, 6.07 adrift of Paret-Peintre
The day belonged to the 29-year-old from the French-Swiss border town of Annemasse, 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."
After the Tour's second rest day, stage 16 took the riders 171.5 km from Montpellier in the south of France on a long flat course until they reached the brutal climb up Ventoux.
Mathieu van der Poel, who had been third in the points classification, withdrew before Tuesday's stage with pneumonia.
Seven riders surged ahead from an early breakaway, carving out a healthy 6:30 buffer as they reached the base of the climb.
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 before being left behind again with 400 metres to go when 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.
Buitrago was third.
Behind the breakaway Vingegaard had attacked a handful of times, but could not shake off Pogacar.
He was further irked after crossing the finish line when, the Dane said, "Some photographer just ran straight in front of me. I don't know what he was doing. I went down. People in the finish area should use their eyes a bit more."

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Ryan Daniels: Inside Harley Reid's contract talks and the multi-million dollar offers on the table

West Australian

22 minutes ago

West Australian

Ryan Daniels: Inside Harley Reid's contract talks and the multi-million dollar offers on the table

It wasn't quite high-powered Wall Street execs in Armani suits, marching in to close a billion-dollar deal — but the stakes, in a footy sense, were just as high. Harley's Melbourne-based manager Nick Geischen rolled into town, and while he didn't utter the words 'Show Me the Money', he didn't need to. The phrase was emanating from his $24 million smile. It's been a hectic week in Harley-world, with a somewhat surprising shift in the situation. Earlier this year, the Eagles put forward multiple contract options to Harley's team. Three, five, seven-year deals — a pick-your-own-adventure approach. Nothing came of it. which had people thinking — he's gone. Even before the Eagles drafted him, there was talk Harley would bail. That the Eagles would be better off trading the pick. Victorian journalist Sam McLure now famously declared 'they won't pick him, Mitch (Cleary)' — suggesting West Coast would be better off passing on one of the most prodigious talents the draft has seen in years — just to avoid the inevitable messy exit. It's always been perceived as a matter of when Harley will leave, not if . Then, the twist. Geischen had come bearing gifts — a proposal for West Coast. An 11-year deal. $2.2 million per year, on average. $24 million all up. The largest deal in AFL history. More money per year than Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins. Unprecedented numbers across the board. While it sounds like monopoly money, in 11 years, $2.2 million won't be as crazy as it sounds right now. By then, Harley will be 32 and potentially edging out of his prime — but with the growth of the AFL's salary cap, he might end up a bargain at some stage. Remember, back in 1994 Alastair Lynch signed a ten-year deal for $1 million — at $100,000 per season, people lost their minds at the money. By the time Lynch retired, he was woefully underpaid. As part of this proposed deal, Harley would have the option to leave after two years. If not, he'd be here until the end of 2037. Let that sink in. In 2037 we might actually have flying cars and robot slaves. Or we'll be slaves to the robots. I'll be 54 years old. Bring me a pair of warm slippers, a glass of prune juice, and cap it off with a few episodes of Murder She Wrote. Maybe my idea of what it's like to be 54 is a little dated — but you get the point — 2037 is an eternity away. Harley's people bringing this to the table signals his intention to stay — if terms can be agreed. So, what's changed? Nothing, really. All along we've heard Harley, the Eagles, even his management declare the young midfielder was taking his time, happy in Perth. In recent weeks Reid's form has elevated, he's exhibiting an edge, leadership around the club. He's forming strong bonds with teammates. My understanding is he's told Andrew McQualter he wants to stay. At 20, he's living on his own, cooking, cleaning, he's got a dog. He's handling the media/fan pressure superbly. Some 20-year-olds can barely remember to flush the toilet. This kid is settled. Credit to the Eagles for an environment where a country kid from the other side of Australia feels comfortable, happy. Saying that, nothing is guaranteed here. The new proposal isn't quite a gun to the head, an ultimatum — but it's not miles off it. This is how keeping Harley Reid looks. If that's too rich, there will be other suitors. It's a fairly simple situation — other than the overwhelming commitment. That's the holdup, if there is one. No one saw this coming. Not even the Eagles. The deal, or at least the sheer enormity of it, has blindsided West Coast. They've taken a pause. In the month following the contract proposal landing in their inbox, there's been no response. Some meals take a lot longer to digest, and this is like going to a steak joint and being served an entire cow. Don't panic Eagles fans, they know what they have in Harley. They love him. If they believe they've found the sun which all other planets can rotate around, that he could be their Dustin Martin, their Patrick Dangerfield, then they need to do it. Maybe it's a slight variation of this proposed deal, a happy compromise, but they can't get too cute here. Harley could be the AFL's best player within a few years. Yes, a deal that long, with that kind of financial commitment comes with risk. In my opinion, it's a risk worth taking. This kid is special. He wants to be here and he's box office. After a disastrous four years at the West Coast Eagles, the signature of Harley Reid would be a significant victory and a sign that things might finally be turning around. Years of endless chat about a move back to Victoria for Harley, now the Eagles have a chance to keep their man. They just need to sign on the dotted line.