
Ben Healy stays in top 10 as Tadej Pogacar retains yellow jersey
Healy slips one position to 10th after crossing the line six minutes behind Wellens.
In the confusion of another frantic day of racing, Julian Alaphilippe celebrated as though he had won the stage when he edged a three-way sprint for third, having apparently been without a working radio after hurting his shoulder in an earlier crash.
Instead, it was a fifth stage victory of this Tour for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with Pogacar having taken the other four on his way to building an advantage of four minutes 13 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard going into Monday's rest day.
There was no change at the top of the general classification, with the main favourites finishing some six minutes after Wellens took the win. Florian Lupowitz remains third, just shy of eight minutes off yellow and one minute 25 seconds ahead of 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley.
Wellens, who triumphed in the Belgian champion's jersey a day before his home country's national day, savoured every moment on the ride into town.
'It was a very special victory,' Wellens said. 'Everybody knows the Tour de France, everybody wants to ride the Tour de France but not many get to win at the Tour de France so it's very beautiful…
'I knew it was going to be very beautiful to complete my trilogy of the Giro, Tour and Vuelta and I knew I had to enjoy the moment. I kept riding to the finish line because I wanted a big gap and to maybe put my bike in the air on the finish, but I was so happy I forgot to do it.'
In keeping with so much of this Tour to date, it was another chaotic stage as a hilly route across southern France offered little let-up after three days in the Pyrenees.
A furious fight to get into the breakaway was interrupted by an early crash that split the peloton, with Vingegaard and Lupowitz among those held up.
Pogacar tried to slow the pace to allow them to close a one-minute gap, but others were still attacking to get down the road and it took a full 20 kilometres for the main favourites to come back together.
Around 35 riders did go clear of the main bunch, and Wellens used all his experience to sit in the wheels and not offer up turns until launching his decisive attack where the road continued to rise after the summit of the final categorised climb.
It was Wellens' first Grand Tour stage win since he won two stages of the 2020 Vuelta a Espana to add to his two Giro d'Italia stage victories.

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


Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Tour de France final stage neutralised after slippery road conditions
The final stage of the Tour de France saw its competitive element largely neutralised on Sunday after organisers decided to freeze the times with about 50 kilometres left due to hazardous road conditions. Following a pre-stage check, officials identified several sections of the course as dangerously slippery. The stage goes up the cobbled roads of the Butte Montmartre three times. 'After a reconnaissance carried out before the stage, and after noting that certain sections had slippery road conditions, it was decided, in agreement with the president of the commissaires' panel, that the times would be frozen at kilometre 82, that is, on the 4th crossing of the finish line,' organisers said in a statement. 'A stage classification will be established, but it will not affect the general classification.' READ MORE The overall standings will therefore remain unchanged, preserving the yellow jersey leader's position. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar will, however, still need to cross the finish line to be declared winner of the race.


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
‘I've never had to do so many' – David Moyes fears Everton crisis has left him in uncharted managerial territory
DAVID Moyes claims Everton's numbers crisis has left him in uncharted managerial territory. Veteran Moyes is beginning his 28th campaign in the dugout, leading the Toffees into their new home at the 5 David Moyes' Everton are facing a recruitment crisis Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Moyes' Everton were crushed 3-0 by Bournemouth on Saturday in the Premier League Summer Series in the US Credit: Getty But the Scot says he needs 'five or six' players in the next few weeks - and that requirement was made clear as Moyes, who confirmed he is looking to land 'That's what we have to try and do. 'In the past I probably have had to sign a lot of players, but I've never had to do so many in one window as we need now.' READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Moyes suggested that he and the club's new Friedkin Group owners are paying for the chaos of the final years under He said: 'We're sort of picking up a little bit of what we're at the end of now. 'We had a lot of people out of contracts, a lot of loan players, because of the financial situation. 'So we're having to sort of find a way around that and we're trying really, really hard behind the scenes to get things done. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'But you can see we're going to need it. 'We've got no centre-halves and we're really struggling.' Everton and West Ham to fight it out for Douglas Luiz Quizzed on Aznou, who has made just two Bundesliga appearances but did well on loan at Valladolid in Spain in the second half of last term, he added: 'We have made an offer. Whether it's accepted and all done is another thing. 'But he's a young player, someone who we see having a good future and potential, rather than ready. 5 Bayern Munich's Adam Aznou (middle) is a high priority signing for Moyes Credit: AP 5 Moyes is facing a defensive crisis with a swathe of key personnel being ruled out through injury Credit: Getty 'If I'm being honest, we've tried to actually target more senior players if we can, players who are over the age of 25 with Premier League experience. 'That's not taking us away from the fact that we want to try and buy some young players as well. 'I'm hoping by the time we get to the end of the transfer window, we might have a balance of youth and experience.' Moyes is without And he is already concerned about the impact of the African Cup of Nations that starts before Christmas and will strip him of 5 Everton's top scorer last season, Iliman Ndiaye, will be unavailable during AFCON due to his commitments to the Senegal national team Credit: Getty He said: 'I always want my players to be selected for their country. I want them to represent their countries because I think that's the right thing to do. 'But when they get taken away in the mid-season, it becomes a problem. 'So we will miss them. And it's something which I know a lot of clubs are considering. 'If you're going to buy an African player who's in the AFCON, what's going to happen? Will clubs not sign African players because of the AFCON?'


The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Now you're quiet' – Nico Rosberg in frosty exchange with Jos Verstappen over Christian Horner after Red Bull sacking
NICO ROSBERG and Jos Verstappen shared a frosty exchange over Christian Horner's Red Bull sacking. Horner was following a string of woeful results at the team. 2 Martin Brundle, Jos Verstappen and Nico Rosberg It also came amid rumoured friction between Jos - who raced professionally from 1994-2003 - was probed about Horner's exit by Martin Brundle at the Belgian GP. Brundle asked: "Big changes in the team. Are you and Max and everybody happy with where it's going so far?" Jos replied: "Well, they decided to change so I'm fine with everything. So as long as it works." READ MORE IN F1 Former F1 champion Rosberg, working for Sky Sports, awkwardly gatecrashed the interview. And he told Jos: "Last year, you said Horner needs to go!" Jos replied: "That was one and a half year ago. It's different. I have nothing to say. It's fine." Rosberg then added: "Now you're quiet?" Most read in Motorsport Jos responded: "I'm always quiet." Reigning world champ Verstappen still has three years left on his Red Bull deal but remains linked with a move to Mercedes. Christian Horner 'in tears' during farewell speech to Red Bull employees as sacked boss admits decision came as 'shock' But the Dutchman insisted Horner's exit will have no bearing on his future with Red Bull. He said: "No, it doesn't really. Now, I think people can have a difference of opinion here and then. "And I actually expect that to happen because if everyone always agrees, there is a problem. You need to have difference of opinions. "And yeah, that's now something that we work with in a different direction. I'm excited about it. "Like you said, I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future. "And yet, the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really. "And like I said, the last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. "Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations." 2 Max Verstappen insisted Horner's exit will have no bearing on his future with Red Bull Credit: PA