Latest news with #Superbagneres
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Thymen Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about at Tour as doping cloud hangs
Thymen Arensman gave Ineos-Grenadiers something to cheer about, despite a doping cloud hanging over the team, as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France following a superb solo ride in the 182.6-km mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos-Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the center of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky, before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. The team carer was seen at the beginning of the Tour in Lille but has not been sighted in recent days. "I have no idea about this, you have to ask the management about this. I'm just focused on my job, doing my own thing," Arensman told reporters. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign. "Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority," the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. The agency said it would not further comment on the matter. Operation Aderlass, which began with a raid during the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria, implicated athletes and medical personnel across several sports, including cycling. The doctor at the center of the case, Mark Schmidt, was later convicted and sentenced to prison time for administering illegal blood transfusions. On the Tour, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead over Vingegaard in the general classification by six seconds to 4:13 at the end of a stage which saw Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who had started the day in third place overall, abandon the race. The day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 kilometers at a 7.8% gradient) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3%) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final meters to further cement his dominance. "I can't really believe it," Arensman said. "I got sick after the Giro, but I had a good preparation going into my first Tour. I had to be patient and wait for the mountains to try my luck. This is unbelievable, the way I did it today." "I had amazing legs and I'm in the shape of my life. I thought with Tadej and Jonas in the favorites group three minutes behind, I was not sure I had enough, but I held them off." The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, reduced the gap with the breakaway from four to just over two minutes, giving the sense that the Slovenian would go for the win. But Arensman had other ideas and he went on his own in the Col de Peyresourde and never looked back.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Tour de France: Arensman wins 14th stage, Pogacar retains yellow jersey with second
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman assisted with his bike after winning the 14th stage of the 2025 Tour de France. Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO Dutch rider Thymen Arensman gave his Ineos-Grenadiers team something to cheer about as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France after a superb solo ride in the 182.6km mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday (France time). Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the centre of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign, with the carer nowhere to be seen in recent days. "Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority," the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates - XRG on the podium with the yellow jersey during stage 13 of this year's Tour de France. Photo: Vincent Kalut The ITA told Reuters it would not further comment on the matter. Operation Aderlass, which began with a raid during the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria, implicated athletes and medical personnel across several sports, including cycling. The doctor at the centre of the case, Mark Schmidt, was later convicted and sentenced to prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. On the Tour, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead over Dane Vingegaard in the general classification by six seconds to 4:13 at the end of the Pyrenean stage, but the day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 7.8 percent) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3 percent) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final metres to further cement his dominance. "I can't really believe it. I got sick after the Giro, but I had a good preparation going into my first Tour. I had to be patient and wait for the mountains to try my luck. This is unbelievable, the way I did it today," Arensman said. "I had amazing legs and I'm in the shape of my life. I thought with Tadej and Jonas in the favourites group three minutes behind, I was not sure I had enough, but I held them off." New Zealand rider Lawrence Pithie finished 77th in the stage, and is 95th in the general classification standings. - Reuters
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Tour de France: Arensman climbs to misty stage 14 win as Pogacar extends lead
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman won the Tour de France's toughest stage after a long solo effort over mammoth climbs but Tadej Pogacar increased his overall lead on Sunday AEST. Arensman, who rides for Ineos-Grenadiers, posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagneres, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands. He went solo with 37km left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagneres, which is more than 12km long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders. It was Arensman's second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta. As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogacar and his teammates controlled the race from the back. The yellow jersey holder and his main challenger, Jonas Vingegaard, trailed by around three minutes with 8km remaining. Vingegaard tried a move with 4km left but Pogacar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo. Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogacar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the podium. Overall, Pogacar increased his lead over Vingegaard to 4 minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned his race. Evenepoel, who was third overall, struggled early on as the peloton faced another day of suffering on climbs that are part of the Tour's lore such as the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagneres. The Olympic champion was dropped on the ascent of the Tourmalet. Evenepoel won the stage five time trial but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday's uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he managed to keep his third place in the general classification. Ben O'Connor was the highest finishing Australian rider, in 16th place, with Callum Scotson 19th. O'Connor is in 12th position overall. Meanwhile, a spectator was hit by a car from the Ineos-Grenadiers team on Saturday. TV footage showed the team car knocking down the fan, who was holding what looked liked a mobile phone, close to the top of the Col de Peyresourde. The vehicle was following riders on the steep ascent and driving at moderate speed. There was no immediate information available on the spectator's condition. The race jury later said Ineos-Grenadiers sports director Oliver Cookson was fined the equivalent of just under A$10,000 for "improper behaviour endangering spectators" and handed a yellow card. Accumulating yellow cards over a defined period of time results in a suspension. Ineos-Grenadiers apologised "to the fan who was accidentally and regretfully struck by one of our race cars while supporting the riders. "Like all teams we take great care to maintain a safe race environment for everyone, including the passionate fans who make our sport so special." Riders will leave the high mountains on Sunday's stage during a 169km ride from Muret to the medieval city of Carcassonne. The race finishes next weekend in Paris.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arensman wins toughest stage as Pogacar stretches lead
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman won the Tour de France's toughest stage after a long solo effort over mammoth climbs but Tadej Pogacar increased his overall lead on Saturday. Arensman, who rides for Ineos-Grenadiers, posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagneres, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands. He went solo with 37km left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagneres, which is more than 12km long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders. It was Arensman's second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta. As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogacar and his teammates controlled the race from the back. The yellow jersey holder and his main challenger, Jonas Vingegaard, trailed by around three minutes with 8km remaining. Vingegaard tried a move with 4km left but Pogacar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo. Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogacar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the podium. 🏆 Such a brilliant way to claim you first Tour de France stage win! Congrats @ThymenArensman!🏆 Une première victoire d'étape sur le Tour de France décroché avec la manière ! Un grand bravo @ThymenArensman!#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 19, 2025 Overall, Pogacar increased his lead over Vingegaard to 4 minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned his race. Evenepoel, who was third overall, struggled early on as the peloton faced another day of suffering on climbs that are part of the Tour's lore such as the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagneres. The Olympic champion was dropped on the ascent of the Tourmalet. Evenepoel won the opening time trial but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday's uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he managed to keep his third place in the general classification. Ben O'Connor was the highest finishing Australian rider, in 16th place, with Callum Scotson 19th. O'Connor is in 12th position overall. Riders will leave the high mountains on Sunday's stage during a 169km ride from Muret to the medieval city of Carcassonne. The race finishes next weekend in Paris.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thymen Arensman wins Tour de France's toughest stage after gruelling solo effort
LUCHON-SUPERBAGNERES, France (AP) — Dutch rider Thymen Arensman won the Tour de France's toughest stage after a long solo effort over mammoth climbs and Tadej Pogačar increased his overall lead on Saturday. Arensman, who rides for the Ineos-Grenadiers team, posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagnères, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands. He went solo with 37 kilometres left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagnères, which is more than 12 kilometres long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders. It was Arensman's second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta. As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogačar and his teammates controlled the race from the back, with the yellow jersey holder and his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard trailing by around three minutes with eight kilometres remaining. Vingegaard tried a move with four kilometres left and Pogačar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo. Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogačar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the stage podium. Overall, Pogačar increased his lead over Vingegaard to four minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned. Ottawa's Michael Woods was the top finisher for Israel Premier Tech in 45th with teammate Guillaume Boivin of Longueil, Que., crossing the line in 100th. Evenepoel, who was third overall, struggled early on as the peloton faced another day of suffering on climbs that are part of the Tour's lore such as the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagnères. The Olympic champion was dropped on the ascent of the Tourmalet. Evenepoel won the opening time trial but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday's uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he managed to keep his third place in the general classification, more than seven minutes behind Pogačar. Sunday's stage Riders exit high mountains during a 169-kilometre ride from Muret to the medieval city of Carcassonne. Although the route could favour sprinters, the Côte de Saint-Ferréol and then the Pas du Sant, a 2.9-kilometre climb at 10 per cen%, could provide opportunities for bold challengers seeking a breakaway. The race finishes next weekend in Paris. ___ AP sports: The Associated Press
