Tim Wellens wins Stage 15 as Team UAE continues to dominate Tour de France
Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4-minute, 13-second advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up after being caught behind an early mass fall.
Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race.
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Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
Tour de France stage shortened due to infected cattle
The 19th stage of the Tour de France has been shortened due to the discovery of a contagious disease in a herd of cattle located along the original route between Albertville and La Plagne, race organizers said Thursday. "The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies has necessitated the culling of the animals," said organizers in a statement about Friday's stage. "In light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers and in order to preserve the smooth running of the race, it has been decided, in agreement with the relevant authorities, to modify the route of Stage 19 (Albertville-La Plagne) and to avoid the ascent to the Col des Saisies." This considerably changes the profile of the stage, which will now be just 95 km long instead of the planned 129.9 km. The ceremonial start will be given as planned on the outskirts of Albertville but will now take place at 1230 GMT — an hour later than originally scheduled. After a 7-km parade the official start will then be given. The Col des Saisies will notably be bypassed with the race rejoining the original route just after the initially scheduled 50-km mark. Three climbs remain on the program with the hors-categorie Col du Pre, the Cormet de Roselend and the final ascent to La Plagne for a finish at an altitude of 2,052 m.
Japan Today
18 hours ago
- Japan Today
Pogačar withstands Vingegaard's attacks to keep yellow jersey after Tour's monster mountain stage
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Vif and finish in Courchevel Col de la Loze, France, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) cycling Ben O'Connor won Thursday's monster Alpine stage to the ski resort of Courchevel as three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar responded to attacks from archrival Jonas Vingegaard and dropped him to cement his grip on the yellow jersey. With just three stages left before the race ends in Paris, Pogačar looks poised to retain his title, with a comfortable lead of more than four minutes over Vingegaard, a two-time champion. Stage 18 featured three extremely difficult ascents, including the 26.4-kilometer (16.5-mile) daunting climb of the Col de La Loze up to the finish. At 2,304 meters of altitude, La Loze is the highest summit in this year's Tour. Two years ago, Vingegaard dropped Pogačar on that mountain on his way to his second Tour title but could not deal a decisive blow this time. Riding behind O'Connor, Vingegaard and Pogačar closely watched each other in the final climb, surrounded by buoyant fans braving the cold temperature and the fog. Vingegaard attacked his Slovenian rival but Pogačar responded with ease. Vingegaard and his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates had also tried to hurt the defending champion earlier in the day in the Col de La Madeleine, but their efforts left Pogačar unfazed. The reigning world champion, who rides for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, never panicked and accelerated near the end to drop Vingegaard in the last 500 meters and increase his overall lead. Pogačar crossed the finish line 1 minute and 45 seconds behind O'Connor. Vingegaard completed the stage podium, 1:54 off the pace. 'I was a bit scared of this stage, but it turned out to be a beautiful day,' Pogačar said. 'This side of the Col de La Loze is easier than the one we did in 2023 — that was much worse. Whenever we climb that side again, I'll definitely go for the win.' Ahead of Friday's final mountain stage to La Plagne, Vingegaard lags 4:26 behind Pogačar, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 11:01 back. It was O'Connor's second stage win at the Tour, four years after his victory in Tignes. The team Jayco AlUla leader dropped his last breakaway companion, Einer Rubio, with 16 kilometers to go and then held off the return of the main contenders. 'It's special to do it again here in the Tour de France," O'Connor said. "The last time in Tignes was a complete shock but this time I got to enjoy much more. I had a super day today, I was finally back to being me after struggling for the past 17 days. My knee is absolutely screwed now, it's really painful. It's lingering there and it's not going to stop until the end of the race." © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Activists protest Gaza war during Tour de France and call for Israeli team ban
Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and unfurled banners on Wednesday as the Tour de France peloton rode through Dieulefit, a southeastern French town honored as a "Town of the Just" for sheltering Jewish people during World War II. A house was draped with Palestinian flags and protesters waved dozens more by the roadside. Cries of "Free Palestine" echoed through the town, as the riders cycled through. One banner read "Affamer c'est tuer," meaning "Starving is killing." Vanessa Huguenin, who runs a family-owned department store in Dieulefit, a town of about 3,000 people, said the action had been planned for nearly two months to take advantage of the Tour's visibility. "We can't change Israel or Hamas, but we want our government to act, not just say 'it's not good,'" she said. Such protests about international politics are relatively rare in the three-week annual race, in which fans line the route as the riders tackle daily stages. A small protest over the war in Gaza occurred during the first stage of last year's edition. A man was also arrested on July 16 in Toulouse after running onto the final straight of the stage wearing a T-shirt reading "Israel out of the Tour" and waving a black and white keffiyeh headdress. Through a loudspeaker on Wednesday, a protester shouted: "Mr. Adams, spokesperson for a genocidal army," referring to Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team competing in the race. The protester called for the team to be kicked out. Israel has repeatedly rejected that its military operation in Gaza amounts to genocide. "Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone's right to free speech which includes the right to protest," said a statement from Israel-Premier Tech, which is Israel's first elite cycling team, founded in 2014. "Our focus is on racing and we continue to work closely with race organizers and relevant parties to ensure that any protests do not jeopardize team members' safety, nor impact races, or our right to participate." The team has been granted extra security on the Tour, with police officers stationed by the team bus. They were escorted by plain-clothed officers at the team's presentation in Lille. Huguenin, 45, said the town's history inspired residents to act and said the protest had been peaceful. "Here we say no one is a stranger. My grandparents hid people during the war. For us, being 'just' means protecting everyone, regardless of race or religion,' she said. The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for nearly two years since the Palestinian militant group killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages in the deadliest attack in Israel's history, Israeli tallies show. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, Gaza's health ministry says. It has decimated Hamas as a military force, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times. The man arrested last week said he was due to stand trial for endangering the riders and refusing to give his fingerprints. He says the security officer who tackled him threw his walkie-talkie at him. Race organizer, the Amaury Sports Organisation, declined to comment about either protest.
