Latest news with #VanDerPoel
France 24
3 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Merlier at the double as Van der Poel denied at Tour de France stage nine
There was no change atop the overall standings with Tadej Pogacar now holding a 54sec advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third. This was a second win for Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Merlier who was first across the line on stage three at Dunkirk as he racked up a 12th stage win this year. On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and a teammate broke early and built up a lead of 5min 30sec on the flat roads to Chateauroux. Jonas Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars. With his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's. As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Merlier got ahead with 50m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium. Pogacar's Tour de France defence took a hit Sunday as his key teammate Joao Almeida threw in the towel two days after his nasty fall at the Mur de Bretagne, where he fractured a rib. Monday's stage 10 should shake up the race with eight classified climbs in the Massif Central on the July 14 French national holiday. Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux -- reading Cavendish City -- in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021.
France 24
6 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Ireland's Healy pulls off solo win at Tour de France
Sixth at the start of the day, Van Der Poel climbed above overnight leader Tadej Pogacar to retake the race lead. Healy became the first Irish stage winner since Sam Bennett on the Champs Elysees in 2020. American champion Quinn Simmons came second, and Michael Storer put Team Tudor on the Tour podium for the first time in third. Healy and Van der Poel were part of a nine-man mid-race escape. The Irishman broke solo knowing that if he waited for the final ascent he had little chance of beating the proven climbing experts in the breakaway. He made his move on a flat section, 32 kilometres out. As he pulled to the left and accelerated, the eight others dithered as the distance widened. For Pogacar, allowing the Dutch powerhouse to sneak into the escape meant he got rid of the overall lead and relieved himself of media duties and the draining hullabaloo that comes with wearing the yellow jersey. Once Healy had broken away, even Van der Poel sat up, saving energy, possibly for Thursday's run the the Mur de Bretagne, scene of his 2020 triumph to seize the Tour lead he kept for eight days. The Dutch Alpecin rider wilted at the end on Thursday. Behind Pogacar and arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard raced up the final 10 percent slope, but van der Poel regained the lead by the narrowest margin. Stage six was intense from the off over a series of hills between Bayeux and Vire as temperatures rose above 26.5 Celsius (80 Fahrenheit) with the peloton putting the hammer down at 47kph (29mph) average over the first three hours.
France 24
7 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Pogacar plays down yellow jersey after Evenepoel wins Tour time trial
Pogacar, who started the day in second place on the same time as leader Mathieu van der Poel, produced one of his best time trials on the 33km route around Caen to finish just 16 seconds behind the world and Olympic champion to leave Van der Poel and fellow challenger Jonas Vingegaard struggling in his wake. The Slovenian, who now holds a 42sec lead over Evenepoel with Vingegaard over a minute behind, is the first rider since Eddie Merckx in the 1970s to hold all three of the main jerseys -- the general classification, points and king of the mountains. "I'm super happy with how I rode today, to be 16 seconds behind the world champion, the Olympic champion, the best time triallist in the world right now," Pogacar said after the stage. "It's a very good day and I'm happy, but I'm just happy this day is over and we can keep the ball rolling in this Tour de France. "The most important (jersey) is yellow, and the most important time to have it is on the Champs-Elysees at the finish line. "Now, it's not that important. It feels good, but the important thing is to have it in Paris." Evenepoel completed the course in 36min 42sec at a blistering average speed of 54 km/h. Italian Edoardo Affini finished third, 33sec behind. It was Evenepoel's second stage win on the Tour de France, having triumphed in the time trial in Gevrey-Chambertin last year on his debut in the Grande Boucle. "I knew I had a good chance but, of course, the legs still have to be there and everything has to go to plan," said Evenepoel whose Soudal Quick-Step team-mate Tim Merlier won stage three two days ago. "In the end I think it was pretty good. I didn't really feel like I could go any faster, so I think in general I'm happy with the result. "It's a second stage win for our team, it's super nice. "As for me, I've taken a step towards the podium but there's still a long way to go." 'Incredible' Two-time winner Vingegaard, who began the day just 8sec behind Van der Poel, had a poor day as the Dane could only finish 13th in the stage -- 1min 21sec behind Evenepoel -- to slip to 1min 13sec behind Pogacar in the new standings. He drops to fourth overall with local rider Kevin Vauquelin moving up to third after a hugely-impressive ride that saw him finish fifth on the day. "I'm over the moon, really," said an emotional Vauquelin. "I think I can only experience this once in my life. To see everyone looking at me, cheering me on, it's incredible. "For a 24-year-old just starting out in the professional world, it's just incredible." Dutchman Van der Poel also struggled to maintain the pace, coming in 18th, 1min 44sec behind the winner, dropping him down to sixth overall. Evenepoel was the nailed-on favourite to win the stage given his astonishing record in time trials. The Flemish rider, who has been wearing a golden helmet since his Olympic double, is virtually invincible in this exercise. He has won the last six time trial stages in which he has taken part, and nine out of 12 since the start of 2024. This was his 64th career victory, of which 21 have come in time trials. Evenepoel was also impressed by the performance of Pogacar who was a distant third to the Belgian and Vingegaard in the time trial in the recent Criterium du Dauphine. "Compared to the Dauphine, he took a big step forward. He showed that he's in great form and that he's the man to beat in this Tour." Thursday serves up the second longest stage of this year's Tour with 3,500 metres of elevation over a 201.5km route through Normandy which starts in Vauquelin's home town of Bayeux and ends with a short, steep climb to the finish in Vire Normandie. © 2025 AFP
The National
7 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Tadej Pogacar grabs Tour de France yellow jersey as Remco Evenepoel wins time trial
UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar took charge of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France on Wednesday as Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel won the Stage 5 time trial. One day after registering his 100th career win, Pogacar took the overall lead from Mathieu van der Poel. World and Olympic champion Evenepoel finished 16 seconds faster than Pogacar with Italian Edoardo Affini 33 sec off the stage lead in third. Pogacar has a 42-second advantage over Evenepoel in the general classification. Two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard, who began the day just eight seconds behind yellow jersey holder Van der Poel, suffered a horror ride as the Dane could only finish 13th – one minute and 21 seconds behind Evenepoel. Dutchman Van der Poel also struggled to maintain the pace, coming in 18th, 1 min 44 sec behind the winner, dropping down to sixth overall. 'I'm super happy with how I rode today, to be 17 seconds behind the world champion, the Olympic champion, the best time-trialist in the world right now, probably,' Pogacar said on Wednesday. 'I'm super happy to be second placed today … and gaining time on the others. I'm super, super happy and proud. 'It's a very good day and I'm happy, but I'm just happy that this day is over and we can focus now on the next days and keep the ball rolling in this Tour de France.' Vingegaard slipped down to fourth overall while Pogacar also holds the polka dot and green jerseys. Affini, riding his first Tour de France, set the early pace, and his leading time lasted almost three hours until Evenepoel upped the pace in the second half of the course. The Belgian was four seconds down on the Italian at the second intermediate checkpoint, but the 25-year-old, who finished third last year on his Tour debut, showed his class and crossed the line 33 seconds faster than Affini. 'I didn't really feel like I could go any faster, so I think in general I'm happy with this result,' Evenepoel said. 'I think what we saw in the intermediate, that I was always going up and also still gaining time in the last 7-8 kilometres. So I paced it perfectly, and everything was on point.' Earlier, French cyclist Emilien Jeanniere of the TotalEnergies team was forced to abandon the Tour de France after cycling 174-kilometres with a fractured left shoulder blade. The 26-year-old, riding in his first Tour, crashed at the end of Monday's Stage 3 in Dunkirk. His team said he suffered facial injuries, multiple bruises and had stitches in a number of cuts. He even had to get a dentist to open up to fix a broken tooth. Remarkably, Jeanniere went on to complete the Stage 4 route from Amiens to Rouen on Tuesday, struggling home in 147th place, more than 15 minutes behind stage winner Pogacar. His team said further medical examinations on Wednesday morning had 'revealed a fracture of the left shoulder blade' and he had withdrawn from the race. Stage 6 will take the peloton from Bayeux to Vire in a region of France known as Norman Switzerland featuring some high hills and stunning views. The finale should be spectacular with the Cote de Vaudry likely to feature some attacks from top contenders before an uphill finish with a 10 per cent gradient.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Big adrenalin' propels Pogacar to Tour de France stage and 100th career win
ROUEN, France: Tadej Pogacar blew past his rivals in an 'explosive' finish to take Tour de France stage four at Rouen on Tuesday and claim his 100th professional victory. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport 'That was really pure, classic Tour-de-France-style explosive,' said an elated Pogacar. The win did not quite bring him the overall lead. Dutch powerhouse Mathieu van der Poel finished second to keep the yellow jersey. Pogacar attacked on an incline to the line to finish just ahead of Van der Poel with Jonas Vingegaard third. It was the 26-year-old Slovenian's 18th Tour de France stage win as he seeks a fourth overall triumph on the Tour. 'There was big adrenalin and a big field of contenders,' Pogacar said. Fans were treated to another Pogacar-Vingegaard head-to-head duel as five hills made the final 40km a roller-coaster. Van der Poel also entered the fray and kept the overall lead he took from Alpecin teammate Jasper Philipsen, who quit the Tour injured after a nasty fall on Monday. 'Jasper needs to recover, and I hope he understands how hard I tried to win for him today,' Van der Poel said. On the day's final real climb, Pogacar dropped all his rivals with only Vingegaard offering a real fight. But the big Dutch rider and the slender Dane both came back at Pogacar, making him fight all the way to the line in a thunderous finale. The same trio top the overall standings, with Pogacar second and Vingegaard in third. Van der Poel took the overall lead on stage two but risks losing it on Wednesday's time trial. 'I should be happy to have the jersey again,' said Van der Poel. 'I was surrounded by climbers out there you know.' 'Tadej was stronger and it's as simple as that.' Unlike the opening three stages, there was hardly a puff of wind and not a drop of rain, but there were still plenty of falls. There was also a knifing incident with a man at Rouen slightly injuring a police officer before himself being shot as he tried to escape. Neither the police officer nor the alleged culprit suffered life-threatening injuries. Stage five will shake up the overall standings with a 33km individual time trial around Caen. The stage is being billed as the day Remco Evenepoel will finally slip into the overall leader's yellow jersey. To do so the 25-year-old Belgian world and Olympic champion in the discipline will need to cover the course 59sec faster than Pogacar and Vingegaard. 'Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be the big day, the real test of how good everyone is,' said Pogacar. 'Don't count Remco out,' he added. 'He's the best in the world and he'll be going full gas, like me.' The man who designs the race, Thierry Gouvenou, predicted big time differences on the time trial. 'It's flat and runs through exposed plains. This is a course designed for the specialists. You need to be aerodynamic and powerful,' he said, which suggests it could suit Evenepoel in particular. 'This is a red letter day for all the main contenders.' Rarely lacking in confidence, Evenepoel was true to form. 'I can put a minute into them all tomorrow,' he said in Rouen after the fourth stage. The first mountains come as late as stage 10 over the volcanic landscape of the Puy de Dome, with two more colossal climbing days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps.
