logo
Arensman climbs to misty Tour de France win as Pogacar extends lead

Arensman climbs to misty Tour de France win as Pogacar extends lead

France 243 days ago
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who had been third overall, pulled out of the race on the day's first climb, the daunting 2180m altitude Tourmalet.
As the disappointed Belgian Soudal Quick-Step rider left the race 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.
"After all that effort it was beautiful to win.
"I was focussed on trying to get in the breakaway and luckily I had good legs today," Arensman said.
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.
Pogacar praised Arensman as "the strongest of the breakaway and strongest of the race".
"That was one hell of a ride from him. You could only see 20m ahead," said the race leader.
"I was quite scared racing down the Tourmalet, I was behind Arensman and he just disappeared into the fog," said Pogacar.
Biathlon to white jersey
Lipovitz rode on Pogacar's wheel until Dane Vingegaard, who won Tour titles in 2022 and 2023, had attacked late on.
The 25-year-old Red Bull rider Lipowitz took the best young rider's white jersey and is a rising force in cycling, which he came to late after switching from the winter sport biathlon, a mixture of shooting and cross-country skiing.
"When I came here I had no pretensions of taking the white jersey, so I'm really happy," said the quietly spoken 6ft 4in (1.93m) German.
"The crowds were so encouraging, it makes you want to ride faster."
Evenepoel's premature exit meanwhile came following Friday's stamina-sapping uphill time trial.
"Today in the morning I could feel I was empty and on the climb the legs just weren't there," said Evenepoel, a fan favourite. "It's a pity, but you need to be 110 percent to win this race."
Evenepoel had won the stage five time trial and but for a blunder on day 1 would likely have at least worn the yellow jersey at some stage of the first week.
"It really sucks for the Tour to lose someone like him," Pogacar said.
Ireland's Ben Healy, who did wear yellow for two days, climbed back up to ninth as the EF rider who arrived in the Pyrenees in the lead but suffered badly on the first climb, rode all day on stage 14 with the Pogacar clique.
Frenchman Lenny Martinez led over the first three mountains and has the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey.
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.
© 2025 AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Paret-Peintre lands first French Tour stage win in Mont Ventoux thriller
Paret-Peintre lands first French Tour stage win in Mont Ventoux thriller

France 24

time11 hours ago

  • France 24

Paret-Peintre lands first French Tour stage win in Mont Ventoux thriller

Behind them Jonas Vingegaard attacked overall leader Tadej Pogacar relentlessly but the defending champion tracked the Dane all the way up the 15km ascent to extend his lead by two seconds. Trailing by 4min 13sec at the start of this stage Vingegaard attacked with 9km to climb on Mont Ventoux, whose eery upper reaches resemble a lunar landscape. "I didn't want to push too hard and then let him have me on a counter-attack. I kept my rhythm as much as I could," said Pogacar who has been fighting off a cold this week. "He attacked many times but I just tried to hold his wheel." Vingegaard was knocked off his bike by a motorbike after the finish line but was unhurt, remounting to go and congratulate Pogacar on another fine battle. "He seemed okay," Pogacar said later. The battle for the overall lead, however, was eclipsed by a frantic fight for the stage win between EF's Healy and Soudal Quick-Step's Paret-Peintre who became the first French winner on Mont Ventoux since Richard Virenque in 2002. "He looked so happy at the finish line," said Pogacar, who crossed the summit 43sec adrift. Mont Ventoux has long been held in awe by riders and spectators alike and it has witnessed some of the greatest dramas and tragedies of the Tour. In 1967, the British cyclist Tom Simpson died here after collapsing on a baking climb. The great Eddy Merckx once needed oxygen at the summit while Chris Froome ran part of the way up during a frantic wait for mechanical assistance on his way to a third Tour de France title in 2016. 'Perfect tactic' Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two days after winning the Bastille Day stage six, appeared to be heading for his second stage win as the two riders approached the finish of an epic tussle. Paret-Peintre looked completely drained but, cheered on by the home crowd, he found a final surge of strength to overtake the Irishman with 20 metres remaining and held on to the line. "I was near giving up, Healy was so strong but I said to myself come on, it's the Tour de France, Mont Ventoux," said Paret-Peintre. "I knew that if I held on, the last section suited me better than him as it's really steep. It turned out to be the perfect tactic." Healy's consolation was to be awarded the day's combativity prize while moving up one place to ninth in the overall standings. Almost unnoticed further down the mountain, German break out star Florian Lipowitz consolidated his third place, extending his lead on fourth-placed Scottish rider Oscar Onley by around 30 seconds. With two more Alpine stages coming up and five more stages left Vingegaard and his Visma team did everything they could to hurt the Team UAE leader Pogacar here, and can only hope they have tired the pugnacious champion. But the 26-year-old resisted all they threw at him, despite being isolated from his teammates early in the climb. Stage 17 should be one for the sprinters as Tim Merlier hopes to add to his two stage wins and current green jersey Jonathan Milan also targets a second win at the 700m straight run to the finish line at Valence. The weather however could rewrite the script with 50kph winds forecast along the 170km run. © 2025 AFP

Ukraine-Russia talks overshadowed by child deportations and renewed strikes
Ukraine-Russia talks overshadowed by child deportations and renewed strikes

France 24

time11 hours ago

  • France 24

Ukraine-Russia talks overshadowed by child deportations and renewed strikes

01:57 22/07/2025 Trump escalates war on the press 22/07/2025 France sounds alarm over Gaza press and hunger crisis 22/07/2025 Duplomb Law: Feeding France, but at what cost? 22/07/2025 Tour de France: The science of feeding the peloton 22/07/2025 The shadow lives of millions of Pakistanis, stateless in their own country 22/07/2025 'Coldplaygate': CEO's resignation sparks debate on workplace affairs 22/07/2025 Gaza: 'It's impossible to get food' says a resident to FRANCE 24 22/07/2025 Tour de France: What is the Tour caravan? 22/07/2025 'Our journalists might die of hunger': AFP press agency warns Gaza team risk starvation

Paret-Peintre delivers Tour de France home win in Mont Ventoux thriller
Paret-Peintre delivers Tour de France home win in Mont Ventoux thriller

France 24

time12 hours ago

  • France 24

Paret-Peintre delivers Tour de France home win in Mont Ventoux thriller

Behind them Jonas Vingegaard attacked overall leader Tadej Pogacar relentlessly but the defending champion tracked the Dane all the way up the 15km ascent to extend his lead by two seconds. Trailing by 4min 13sec at the start of this stage Vingegaard attacked with 9km to climb on Mont Ventoux, whose eery upper reaches resemble a lunar landscape They were eclipsed, however, by a frantic fight for the line and the stage win between EF's Healy and Soudal Quick-Step;s Paret-Peintre who relieved home hopes on a Tour raced entirely on French soil. Vingegaard and his Visma team did everything they could to hurt the Team UAE leader Pogacar, but the 26-year-old resisted all they threw at him despite being isolated from his teammates early in the climb which is already etched into Tour folklore after epic past battles. Chris Froome ran part of the way up during a frantic wait for mechanical assistance, while even the great Eddy Merckx once needed oxygen at the summit. Tom Simpson died here in 1967 after collapsing on a baking climb but asking to be helped back onto the saddle. Stage 17 should be one for the sprinters as Tim Merlier hopes to add to his two stage wins and current green jersey Jonathan Milan also targets a second win at the 700m straight run to the finish line at Valence. The weather however could rewrite the script with 50kph winds forecast along the 170km run.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store