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Tour de France stage 11 preview: How Ireland's Ben Healy can retain yellow jersey in Toulouse

Tour de France stage 11 preview: How Ireland's Ben Healy can retain yellow jersey in Toulouse

Not many predicted Ireland's breakaway artist Ben Healy would own the famous yellow jersey on the first rest day of this Tour, but that's exactly what has unfolded after some tactical brilliance on Monday's stage 10 helped him gain more than three minutes on Tadej Pogacar to depose the reigning champion at the top of the GC standings, while Simon Yates won the stage itself.
Not that Pogacar – who enjoyed coffees and a giant burger on Tuesday's rest day – plans on lending Healy the maillot jaune for long.
'We will see if Ben can hold on to the yellow jersey for a couple of stages,' Pogacar said. 'I think that he spent a lot of time in the breakaway already, so I hope he feels tired and we can fight again for the yellow in the next coming stages, maybe not [ stage 11 around Toulouse] but Hautacam and then the time trial [at Peyragudes] and Superbagneres – it's going to be three really nice climbing days.'
That's all to come later in the week but Ireland's Healy has a strong chance to still be wearing yellow by the end of the day, as the Tour resumes in Toulouse with a 154km route to and from the city. The stage is officially categorised as 'flat' by race organisers, but it is hilly enough to scupper some of the sprinters' hopes if the pace is high, which it may well be – stage 9 was the second fastest stage ever recorded, and stage 10 never let up either.
Each had their own unique set of circumstances driving the peloton's high pace, but there's every reason to suspect another breakaway will form early here on stage 11, with the sprinters' teams forced to give chase if they want to set up their rider. Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick-Step), Kaden Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Biniam Girmay (Intermarche–Wanty) and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto) will all be hoping for a bunch sprint to the line.
But that is no foregone conclusion, with five categorised climbs to clear including four in the 50km, and power riders might be put off by the finale: a loop around the city with a few short, sharp climbs such as the Cote de Pech David (800m at 12.4%) with 9km to go.
The final 6km is flat, so will we see the sprinters there for a showdown or will it be a puncheur breaking clear over the hills who steals the stage?
Start time
Stage 11 starts at 12.45pm BST with an expected finish time of around 4.10pm.
Prediction
This is a tricky stage to predict, with the sprinters' teams desperate for a calm day followed by a dash to the line, but facing the prospect of having to chase down a determined breakaway looking for the stage win themselves. It could even be a day for a solo artist to escape clear, just as Ben Healy so expertly triumphed on stage 6.
I would like to go for something of a romantic option – Julian Alaphilippe is one of the greatest one-day riders of his generation but has not triumphed at the Tour de France since 2021. If he gets into a strong breakaway then he has the racing nous to time a decisive launch to the line.
But more realistic is a rider with the legs to crest the hills and a sprint to outgun their rivals down the home straight. Jonathan Milan and Kaden Groves both have the firepower to do just that, but I fancy Wout van Aert to take an opportunistic win, either by getting himself in the breakaway or by taking a messy sprint.
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Thymen Arensman wins Tour de France stage 19 as Ben Healy consolidates top 10 placing
Thymen Arensman wins Tour de France stage 19 as Ben Healy consolidates top 10 placing

Irish Independent

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Independent

Thymen Arensman wins Tour de France stage 19 as Ben Healy consolidates top 10 placing

Tadej Pogacar followed Jonas Vingegaard over the line just behind Arensman, a fourth overall crown now looking safe with his lead at four minutes 24 seconds over Vingegaard, who took back a couple of bonus seconds but nothing more on this final opportunity to make major changes to the standings. Onley, the 22-year-old Scot riding his second Tour, started the day 22 seconds behind third-placed Florian Lipowitz, both men fighting for the best young rider's white jersey, but faded towards the summit of La Plagne to concede 41 seconds and stay fourth overall. It was a second stage win of his debut Tour for Arensman, who had scored a much-needed victory for the Ineos Grenadiers on stage 14 on Superbagneres. UAE Team Emirates-XRG had looked determined to set up Pogacar for what would have been an exclamation mark of a fifth stage victory of this race on the final climb, but Arensman tried a number of attacks and when he went clear with 13km of the climb remaining, he managed to open a gap. His advantage over Pogacar, Vingegaard, Onley and Lipowitz hovered at around 30 seconds, the sort of margin a fully-fresh Pogacar would be able to close at will, but the fatigue in everyone's legs perhaps told as the anticipated attack from behind never really materialised. It was only when Onley began to struggle that Lipowitz saw his opportunity to finish off the Scot, moving to the front and upping the pace. But even so, Arensman hung on to win by a couple of seconds. "I feel absolutely destroyed," Arensman said. "I can't believe it. Already to win one stage in the Tour was unbelievable from a breakaway, but now to do it against the GC group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming. I don't know what I just did." Ben Healy had stayed with the yellow jersey group chasing down Arensman before finally being shelled out the back 4km from the finish, eventually coming in a creditable 8th, 2' 19'' behind Arensman. The Irish rider stays 9th overall with two stages remaining. The discovery of a contagious disease amongst cattle in the area had forced changes to the route, which was shortened from 129.9 kilometres to 95km, removing two climbs but leaving the main tests of the Col du Pre and the finish to La Plagne, still with 3,250m of climbing packed in. Primoz Roglic had been immediately on the attack in an all-or-nothing attempt to move up from fifth overall, but he was caught before the final climb and quickly distanced to move well down, not up, the general classification. With a hilly but not mountainous stage from Nantua to Pontarlier on the menu for Saturday before Sunday's run into Paris - which this year includes the Montmartre climb - there could still be some changes at the sharp end of the general classification but it is difficult to see the podium changing.

Ben Healy remains 9th in GC as Thymsen Arensman wins final mountain stage
Ben Healy remains 9th in GC as Thymsen Arensman wins final mountain stage

The 42

time2 hours ago

  • The 42

Ben Healy remains 9th in GC as Thymsen Arensman wins final mountain stage

BEN HEALY REMAINS ninth in the general classification with two stages remaining at the Tour de France, with Dutch rider Thymen Arsensman winning the final mountain stage in La Plagne. Arensman picked up his second stage win on Friday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar closed in on a fourth title. Healy finished eighth in stage 19, two minutes and 19 seconds behind Arsensman, to keep himself in the top 10 of the GC. Arensman crossed the finish line in the rain two seconds ahead of title contender Jonas Vingegaard and his great rival Pogacar. Advertisement However barring a collapse, Team UAE rider Pogacar should claim his fourth Tour de France title aged just 26 years in Paris on Sunday. The Slovenian exits the Alps with a lead of four minutes and twenty-four seconds on second placed Vingegaard with just two stages remaining. German breakout star Florian Lipowitz strengthened his hold on third place and top spot in the under-25′s section on his debut Tour de France as he tracked the title rivals all the way to the summit finish. For Arensman and Ineos this was a symbolic victory as the British team begin their revival with the return to the helm of Dave Brailsford. Arensman slumped to the ground in tears at La Plagne as he just held on with a white-knuckle struggle over the final kilometres. He previously won stage 14 at another ski resort, at altitude in the Pyrenees at Superbagneres. This final mountain stage was shortened overnight due to an outbreak of a cattle infection along the route, reduced to just 93km, which ran to a rowdy finish at 2050m altitude. The stage however was largely uncontested in comparison to Thursday's epic cat-and-mouse between Pogacar and Vingegaard, who attacked the champion 71km from the finish line without ever dislodging him. Stage 20 on Saturday is a hilly run through the Jura, while Sunday's run to the Champs Elysees also features a potentially chaotic run up the cobbled lanes of Montmartre. – © AFP 2025

Ben Healy top ten at Tour de France as Thymen Arensman wins stage 19
Ben Healy top ten at Tour de France as Thymen Arensman wins stage 19

RTÉ News​

time4 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Ben Healy top ten at Tour de France as Thymen Arensman wins stage 19

Ireland's Ben Healy remains ninth in the general classification with two stages remaining at the Tour de France as Thymen Arensman won the final mountain stage of the punishing race in La Plagne. Healy (EF Education - EasyPost) finished Friday's 19th stage 2:19 minutes down on Arensman, crossing the finish line eighth to keep himself in the top 10 of the GC overall. Tadej Pogacar followed Jonas Vingegaard over the line just behind Arensman, a fourth overall crown now looking safe with his lead at four minutes 24 seconds over Vingegaard, who took back a couple of bonus seconds but nothing more on this final opportunity to make major changes to the standings. Healy is 28 minutes and two seconds adrift of Pogacar. It was a second stage win of his debut Tour for Arensman, who had scored a much-needed victory for the Ineos Grenadiers on stage 14 on Superbagneres. UAE Team Emirates-XRG had looked determined to set up Pogacar for what would have been an exclamation mark of a fifth stage victory of this race on the final climb, but Arensman tried a number of attacks and when he went clear with 13km of the climb remaining, he managed to open a gap. His advantage over Pogacar, Vingegaard, Oscar Onley and Florian Lipowitz hovered at around 30 seconds, the sort of margin a fully-fresh Pogacar would be able to close at will, but the fatigue in everyone's legs perhaps told as the anticipated attack from behind never really materialised. It was only when Onley began to struggle that Lipowitz saw his opportunity to finish off the Scot, moving to the front and upping the pace. But even so, Arensman hung on to win by a couple of seconds. "I feel absolutely destroyed," Arensman said. "I can't believe it. Already to win one stage in the Tour was unbelievable from a breakaway, but now to do it against the GC group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming. I don't know what I just did." The discovery of a contagious disease amongst cattle in the area had forced changes to the route, which was shortened from 129.9 kilometres to 95km, removing two climbs but leaving the main tests of the Col du Pre and the finish to La Plagne, still with 3,250m of climbing packed in. Primoz Roglic had been immediately on the attack in an all-or-nothing attempt to move up from fifth overall, but he was caught before the final climb and quickly distanced to move well down, not up, the general classification. With a hilly but not mountainous stage from Nantua to Pontarlier on the menu for Saturday before Sunday's run into Paris - which this year includes the Montmartre climb - there could still be some changes at the sharp end of the general classification but it is difficult to see the podium changing. Outside of the general classification, Healy is 11th in both the points and mountain classifications, and fourth in the youth rankings.

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