Tim Wellens surges to stage win, Ben Healy stays inside top 10 overall
Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) crossed the line in 27th to slip one place to tenth overall as the 24-year-old's terrific Tour continues.
Wellens, one of defending champion and overall leader Tadej Pogacar's domestiques, jumped away from a leading group of six some 43 kilometres from the finish and never looked back, beating compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 1:28.
France's Julian Alaphillipe took third place, nine seconds further back.
Wellens' master, Pogacar, still leads Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13 in the overall standings, edging 169.3km closer to a fourth Tour title after the hilly ride between Muret and Carcassonne.
German Florian Lipowitz sits in third place, 7:53 off the pace.
The top guns stayed quiet all day, Pogacar slowing down after Lipowitz and Vingegaard were caught up behind an early crash.
It was hectic stage with relentless attacks from riders looking for a rare occasion of a victory as flat and mountain stages are the exclusive domain of top sprinters and general classification contenders.
The group who would fight for the win took a definitive shape after more than 100 kilometres and Wellens was not only the stronger rider, he was also the smartest.
Having done very little in the breakaway - one of the perks of riding for the yellow jersey holder - Wellens attacked on a slightly uphill section, catching everyone off guard.
The 34-year-old crushed the pedal and the chasing group quickly disappeared in the background as he sped to his maiden Tour de France win to complete his grands tours stage victory collection after prevailing in the Grio d'Italia in 2016 and 2018 and in the Vuelta a Espana in 2020.
Monday is a rest day on the Tour de France, in Montpellier.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tearful Red Bull F1 staff ordered to ‘smile more' after being rocked by Christian Horner axe
TEARFUL staff rocked by Red Bull chief Christian Horner's axing have been ordered to 'smile more' by their new Austrian and German bosses. Loyal workers were stunned when the British Formula One team's supremo 3 Red Bull staff have been told to 'smile more' despite being upset over Christian Horner's exit Credit: AFP 3 The ace was brutally fired earlier this month in a surprise meeting Credit: AP He helped And sources told SunSport new Austrian boss Helmut Marko upset staff who gathered to meet him at the team's HQ in Milton Keynes — with some now threatening to quit. A female Red Bull worker revealed: 'It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us. 'But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up — he said, 'You need to smile more'. READ MORE IN F1 'It didn't endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?' Horner's roles as chief executive officer and team principal have been usurped by Austrian team adviser Marko, 82, and German ex-football official Oliver Mintzlaff, 49. While French engineer and motorsport exec Laurent Mekies, 48, was quickly unveiled as Horner's replacement last week. But insiders have insisted Mintzlaff and Marko are now the men in the driving seat — and revealed their first address to staff at Milton Keynes was a 'car crash'. Most read in Motorsport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Mintzlaff sparked more anger when he joked about the brutal axing of senior staff including Horner, chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and director of communications Paul Smith. Horner was summoned to London on July 9 believing he was attending a regular team meeting. Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull F1! Shock Departure After 20 Years But he was then relieved of his duties on the spot and put on gardening leave. Hughes and Smith were called into an office and also told they were no longer part of Red Bull's future. They were escorted out of the building after having their company devices taken from them — leaving hundreds of staff with no bosses to answer to. And another staff member told SunSport: 'Mintzlaff also said, 'If you have any problems, just text your line manager'. 'Then he added, 'Oh, and if you don't have a line manager any more, just text me!' and started laughing.' Red Bull supremo Horner knew nothing of the plans to get rid of him, 18 months after he was accused of a sexting scandal which broke the heart of his Spice Girl wife Geri, 52. And the £12million-a-year chief was replaced within 24 hours by Marko and Mintzlaff, who arrived to address staff members, 90 per cent of whom are British. Emotional Red Bull insiders spoke in depth for the first time yesterday over their shock at the loss of their boss. They also laid bare the chaos that is now gripping this once all-conquering F1 team. 3 And long-standing family friends who have spoken to Horner admitted he was left stunned by his ruthless removal. One told SunSport: 'Christian told me how hurt and betrayed he felt after all that he and Geri and their family have been through over the past 18 months. 'He was cleared twice over the texting scandal but is now on gardening leave and has still been given no explanation why he's lost the job he loved. 'Red Bull's Austrian bosses have always resented the fact that so much of their F1 success was down to a team that Christian built in Britain. 'That is what lies behind this — as well as the hangover from the terrible headlines last year. 'Christian was called to a London meeting and had no idea what it was about. 'He was just told, 'You have to be there' and was dumbfounded when he was ushered into a room and effectively sacked on the spot. 'It left him totally blindsided — he thought he'd been called in to speak about another issue. 'But the staff are nearly all Brits and are fiercely loyal to him and are now talking about walking out. 'It was a targeted attack for control of the race team because Red Bull's Austrian HQ didn't like a British man running their race team. 'But now the team is in chaos — Red Bull at Milton Keynes has hit the skids.' Red Bull's Austrian-based HQ was approached for comment yesterday.
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Watch: Evan Ferguson receives hero's welcome in Rome as Brighton boss confirms loan deal
Brighton and Hove Albion have not ruled out Evan Ferguson returning to the club next year despite loaning the Irish striker to Roma with a €38m purchase option. The 20-year-old travelled with his delegation on Sunday by private jet Ciampino Airport, where he was greeted at by droves of excited fans. 🔴 Ecco Evan #Ferguson a Ciampino accolto da un centinaio di tifosi. Domani le visite mediche. Prestito oneroso da 3 milioni con diritto di riscatto da 38. — Checco Oddo Casano (@CheccoCasano) July 20, 2025 Ferguson hardly featured for the Seagulls following the arrival of Fabian Hürzeler as manager just over a year ago, gradually reintegrating him following injury before sanctioning a loan to West Ham United in January. That change of scene didn't spark a revival for the man from Bettystown in Co Meath. He struggled for game-time under David Moyes and despite Brighton recently losing João Pedro to Chelsea, the German manager didn't view Ferguson as a reliable option to spearhead their attack when the Premier League season begins on August 16 at home to Fulham. He's allowed him to join the Serie A giants for the season – believed to be based on a loan fee of €3m – with the option available to make the transfer permanent. As Ferguson arrived in the Italian capital to complete the formalities of the switch, Hürzeler provided his reasoning behind the decision, talking up the traits which led to a notional price tag of €100m after he'd scored a Premier League hat-trick against Newcastle United in September 2023. 'For us, it is always important that the individual player has an environment where they can develop,' he said. "We decided the loan was the best option (but) Evan is still a player of us. "He still brings us quality with him. He is a target player and I am sure when he gets more game-time he will one day be back and be an important player for us.' Time will tell whether that's doable as the Italian club have factored in first refusal on his future into the package. Ferguson will work under legendary head coach Gian Piero Gasperini during a pre-season programme that includes friendlies against Aston Villa and Everton in England three days apart in early August. The league opener for I Giallorossi is against Bologna on August 23.
The 42
10 hours ago
- The 42
Wellens wins stage as Pogacar keeps Tour de France lead
BEN HEALY REMAINS in the top 10 of the General Classification of the Tour de France after his 27th-place finish today. Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 at Carcassonne after a 45km solo rampage towards the walled citadel. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to his advantage with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall. Advertisement Wellens had been part of an early break that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion' sudden acceleration caught the others napping. This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team. Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of the Belgian national holiday. Wellens has also won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana. The remaining 167 riders embarked towards Carcassonne Sunday on yet another nervy stage. After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a clique of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up. Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday tucked in at second to surprise yellow jersey Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four minutes advantage atop the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. Monday is a the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit. – © AFP 2025
