[themaclad]

Two massive mountain days to come, will decide the Tour++Jonathan Milan claimed his second victory of this year's Tour de France by winning a wet sprint finish on stage 17.

A bunch sprint was expected on the 160.4km stage from Bollene to Valence and with 4km remaining, the peloton caught the final rider from a four-man breakaway.

Rain was pouring for the final 30km and Milan's sprint rivals Tim Merlier and Biniam Girmay were involved in a crash just inside the final kilometre.

Milan then proved too strong for Jordi Meeus as the 24-year-old Italian strengthened his grip on the green jersey for points classification leader.

The Lidl-Trek rider stretched his lead by 61 points to give him a 72-point advantage over reigning champion Tadej Pogacar.

Wearing the yellow jersey, Pogacar crossed safely in the peloton and there was no change in the top 10 of the general classification standings - so the three-time Tour winner maintains his overall race lead of four minutes 15 seconds.

"We still have some tough days that await us, the climbs," said Milan. "But at the moment, we've had a lot of fun, and I'm really happy with how it's going.

"We'll keep fighting for the intermediate [sprints] and on the last day for the stage, but we'll see how it goes. We have a bit more distance with the points and I'm a bit more relaxed, but I will keep fighting."

Wednesday's stage could be the final opportunity for sprinters to triumph this year - as Sunday's finale in Paris, which traditionally favours the fast men, features the Montmartre climb shortly before the finish so it could scupper their chances.

Milan, who is making his Tour debut having previously won the green jersey twice on the Giro d'Italia, had already claimed his maiden Tour win on stage eight.

But with Pogacar closing on him in the points race, Lidl-Trek were caught out on Tuesday as Milan was out of position to contest the intermediate sprint.

This time, they ensured he was at the front of the peloton for the sprint, claiming 11 points after the breakaway, and the team helped Milan recover as he was dropped on the first of two categorised climbs.

The Lidl-Trek riders then played their part to reel in the lead group, from which Jonas Abrahamsen attacked with 12km to go, only to be caught by the peloton with 4km remaining.

The wet conditions made for a treacherous finish and although Milan avoided the crash, it put some of his rivals out of contention as he sprinted to the line.

"This is a really fantastic team victory and I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart," Milan added.

"I survived with the help of my team-mates. Without this, I would not be here. They delivered me in the best position [for the finish]."

The battle for the yellow jersey is set to continue on Thursday with the first of two gruelling mountain stages in the Alps.

Stage 17 as it happened - Milan wins sprint finish to strengthen grip on green jersey
Tour de France 2025 - stage guide and results
Published
19 minutes ago
Stage 17 results
Jonathan Milan (Ita/Lidl-Trek) 3hrs 25mins 30secs

Jordi Meeus (Spa/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) Same time

Tobias Lund Andresen (Den, Picnic PostNL)

Arnaud de Lie (Bel/Lotto)

Davide Ballerini (Ita/XDS Astana)

Alberto Dainese (Ita/Tudor)

Paul Penhoet (Fra/Groupama-FDJ)

Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz/XDS Astana)

Clement Russo (Fra/Groupama-FDJ)

Jasper Stuyven (Bel/Lidl-Trek)

General classification after stage 17
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 61hrs 50mins 16secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 15secs

Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +9mins 3secs

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +11mins 4secs

Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +11mins 42secs

Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +13mins 20secs

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +14mins 50secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +17mins 1sec

Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +17mins 52secs

Carlos Rodriguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +20mins 45secs

[themaclad]

Pogacar easily dealt with any threat, think it's a foregone conclusion he wins, but can the Kelso flyer get on the podium, Olney is a talent

Tadej Pogacar took a huge step towards winning his fourth Tour de France by racing clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard on the mighty Col de la Loze, as Ben O'Connor claimed victory on stage 18.

Pogacar, 26, powered clear of his closest rival in the final 500 metres to extend his overall lead over two-time champion Vingegaard to four minutes and 26 seconds with just three stages left.

He crossed the line one minute and 45 seconds behind Australian O'Connor, who went solo with 16km remaining.

Vingegaard was third over the line, followed closely by Britain's Oscar Onley - now just 22 seconds behind Florian Lipowitz in the final general classification podium place following an outstanding ride.

The queen stage of this year's race featured three iconic climbs, forcing riders to overcome more than 5,500m of elevation in 171.5km of racing.

All three ascents came under the hors categorie - the race's toughest mountains - with the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine preceding the Col de la Loze.

At 2,304m above sea level it represented the highest point of this year's race - and likely confirmation of Pogacar's latest triumph.

Tadej Pogacar stays close behind rival Jonas Vingegaard during stage 18
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
Tadej Pogacar (left) became the first rider to win six stages in a single edition since Mark Cavendish in 2009 as he dominated last year's race

The Col de la Loze is the mountain on which Pogacar conceded the Tour two years ago, famously telling his team "I'm gone, I'm dead" as Vingegaard disappeared up the road.

But on Thursday, he maintained control throughout a gruelling stage and neutralised Vingegaard's early attempt to put him under pressure.

Vingegaard, winner in 2022 and 2023, and his Visma-Lease a Bike team successfully isolated the Slovenian from his team-mates inside the final five kilometres of the Col de la Madeleine.

But, after launching his first attack with 70km still remaining, he was unable to apply further pressure and Pogacar regained team-mates before the ascent of the Col de la Loze.

At the front, O'Connor broke clear of Einer Rubio with 16km of climbing ahead of him and the Team Jayco–AlUla rider held on with Pogacar prioritising the defence of his yellow jersey over the stage victory.

Pogacar eventually made a move inside the closing stages, sprinting away from Vingegaard to finish nine seconds clear while collecting six bonus seconds for his second place, to his rival's four.

Onley, 22, managed to follow Pogacar and Vingegaard to boost his podium hopes and, after seeing Lipowitz struggle on the final climb, will aim to move above the German in another challenging stage on Friday.

Pogacar will look to once again defend the yellow jersey when the final mountain stage of this year's race takes the riders over five ascents on a 130km route from Albertville to La Plagne - including two more climbs which fall under the hors categorie.

"I'm happy I had good legs and kept the yellow jersey. It was difficult to make any difference today. I was a bit scared of this stage, but it turned out to be a beautiful day," said Pogacar.

"I expect tomorrow to be another big day. Visma will try everything, but we are strong as a team and I hope we will survive so we can reach the Champs-Elysees in yellow on Sunday."

Stage 18 of the Tour de France as it happened
Tour de France 2025 - stage guide and results
Published
13 hours ago
Can anyone stop dominant Pogacar at the Tour de France?
Published
3 July
Tour de France stage 18 results
Ben O'Connor (Aus/Jayco–AlUla) 5hrs 3mins 47secs

Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) +1min 45secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 54secs

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +1min 58secs

Einer Rubio Reyes (Col/Movistar) +2mins

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +2mins 25secs

Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +2mins 46secs

Adam Yates (GB/UAE Emirates-XRG) +3mins 3secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +3mins 9secs

Sepp Kuss (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +3mins 26secs

Tour de France general classification standings
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 66hrs 55mins 42secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 26secs

Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +11mins 01secs

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +11mins 23secs

Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +12mins 49secs

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +15mins 36secs

Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +16mins 15secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +18mins 31sec

Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +25mins 41secs

Ben O'Connor (Aus/Jayco–AlUla) +29mins 19secs

[themaclad]

Some very tired cyclist even the best of the lot looked knackered
#
Tadej Pogacar is set to win his fourth Tour de France after defending his lead on the final mountain stage of this year's race, as Thymen Arensman held on for a dramatic victory after a gruelling ascent to La Plagne.

Barring a remarkable turnaround, Pogacar will confirm his latest victory in Paris on Sunday after he crossed the line with Jonas Vingegaard, conceding just two bonus seconds to his rival.

The Slovenian's lead stands at four minutes 24 seconds, with two significantly flatter stages remaining.

In an epic conclusion to the final stage in the high mountains, the top four general classification riders chased Arensman to the finish, at 2,052m above sea level, but Vingegaard fell two seconds short of catching the Dutchman.

Britain's Oscar Onley, 22, lost touch in the final two kilometres in pursuit of what would have been a remarkable podium finish, allowing Florian Lipowitz to consolidate his hold on third.

Organisers altered Friday's route because of a herd of diseased cattle on the Col des Saisies, reducing the stage distance from 130km to 95km and dropping two of the five planned categorised climbs in the Alps.

The route still featured two hors categorie climbs - following the three tackled on Thursday's queen stage - with the Col du Pre preceding the finish on La Plagne.

Saturday's penultimate stage is a rolling 184.2km route from Nantua which should favour breakaway specialists as it snakes over the hills of the Jura towards Pontarlier.

Pogacar closes in on victory as Onley demonstrates podium potential
After resisting chasing victory on Thursday's queen stage, Pogacar once again demonstrated that his focus remains firmly on protecting his commanding lead in the general classification.

It appeared he would launch an attack in pursuit of Arensman - and his fifth stage win in this year's race - but instead he closely watched Vingegaard, and then followed when his main rival made a late bid for victory.

This is set to be the sixth consecutive edition of the race won by either Pogacar or two-time champion Vingegaard, but the Slovenian has once again proven to be a class above his rival in 2025.

"It was a tough last three days and I'm happy that today is over. This Tour de France has begun to feel very long," said Pogacar.

"This is the Tour de France and you never know what might come your way. We have to keep our focus for two more days."

The top four in the general classification were locked together on the final mountain of this year's Tour de France

With huge time gaps splitting most riders in the top 10, the battle for third between Lipowitz and Onley was finely poised after the Briton's outstanding ride up the mighty Col de la Loze took him within 22 seconds of an unlikely podium finish.

Team Picnic-PostNL rider Onley has gone from strength to strength at only his second Tour, but it was the Scot who faltered first on the 19.1km final climb - rising at a brutal average gradient of 7.2% - and eventually lost 41 seconds to Lipowitz.

Having displayed his form by finishing on the podium at the Tour de Suisse last month, Onley started the race targeting a stage win - but will leave with a reputation as one of the sport's most promising young riders with fourth place all but assured.

This was Arensman's - and British team Ineos Grenadiers' - day, however.

The 25-year-old broke free in the final 13km after following an initial move by Pogacar and Vingegaard, and, much to his disbelief, would not be caught.

"I feel absolutely destroyed," said Arensman.

"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."

Thymen Arensman (Ned/Ineos Grenadiers) 2hrs 46mins 06secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +2secs

Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) +2secs

Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +6secs

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +47secs

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +1min 34secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +1min 41secs

Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +2mins 19secs

Valentin Paret-Peintre (Fra/Soudal Quick-Step) +3mins 47secs

Simon Yates (GB/Visma-Lease a Bike) +3mins 54secs

Tour de France general classification standings
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 69hrs 41mins 46secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 24secs

Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +11mins 09secs

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +12mins 12secs

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +17mins 12secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +20mins 14secs

Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +22mins 35secs

Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +25mins 30secs

Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +28mins 02secs

Ben O'Connor (Aus/Jayco–AlUla) +34mins 34secs

[themaclad]

Tadej Pogacar is set to secure his fourth Tour de France title after maintaining his overall lead, as Kaden Groves won the penultimate stage of this year's race.

Australian sprinter Groves claimed his first Tour stage win in Pontarlier after launching a solo attack with 16km remaining.

Pogacar completed the 184.2km hilly stage safely in the peloton meaning that, barring an accident, the 26-year-old Slovenian will seal his title defence on Sunday.

The final day of the Tour is a processional stage, where traditionally the general classification leader is not challenged.

Groves has now completed the trilogy of claiming stage victories on each of the three Grand Tour races, having also won at the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.

Alpecin-Deceuninck handed the 26-year-old his Tour debut this year and he has become the third rider from the Belgian team to win a stage on the 112th edition of cycling's biggest race.

Alpecin's star riders Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel triumphed on the first two stages, before later being forced to abandon the Tour through injury and illness respectively.

"There are so many emptions to win here," said Groves. "The team, we came here with so many different plans with Jasper and Mathieu.

"In the end, I get my own opportunities and they haven't gone the right way. But today I had super legs. I just suffered to the line and, as a reward, we get a Tour stage
The 160 remaining riders had to contend with rain soon after the start in Nantua and intermittently along the route.

Groves was then part of a 13-man breakaway that was formed after the second of the day's four categorised climbs.

His compatriot Harry Sweeny attacked over the day's penultimate climb and went clear of Jordan Jegat with 54km to go, but the EF Education-EasyPost rider was caught on the first slopes of the final ascent.

Local favourite Romain Gregoire and Spanish debutant Ivan Romeo attacked on the downhill but as they sped into a wet turn, both slipped to the tarmac, with 21-year-old Romeo coming off worse as he also slid into the kerb.

Groves was right behind them so watched it all unfold and sensed his opportunity, attacking with 16km remaining.

Frank van den Broek and British rider Jake Stewart merely looked at each other, with that momentary stalemate allowing Groves to go clear.

He gradually increased his lead to the line, where he was sobbing after clinching an emotional victory.

"The team gave me a free role in the last few days," Groves added. "We weren't sure if I should go for it today or wait until tomorrow. But when the rain falls, I always have a super feeling normally, in the cold weather. It's my first time winning solo - and it's in a Tour stage, [so] pretty incredible.

"There's so much pressure at the Tour. Having won in the Vuelta and the Giro, I always get asked whether I'm good enough to win in the Tour - and now I've shown them.

"I tried to play my cards right and get into an early move. But the uphill start made that incredibly difficult. When I made the decision, I knew that [Matteo] Jorgenson and [Tim] Wellens would watch each other, so I tried to distance myself form them.

"Then after the crash, Van den Broek goes full, so I closed that. Then him and Jake Stewart watched each other and I had a gap with 16km to go, so I rode full until the final 200m."

Jonas Vingegaard looked resigned to defeat, having been unable to significantly cut Pogacar's lead on two gruelling days in the Alps.

When the two-time Tour winner did not contest the first categorised climb, it meant Pogacar secured his third King of the Mountains title on the Tour.

While Pogacar will not be attacked on the final day in Paris, a prestigious stage win will be up for grabs on the Champs-Elysees.

[themaclad]

Actually had a race on the last day, slightly changed route in Paris made it much more entertaining

Wout van Aert denied Tadej Pogacar a prestigious win on the final stage of this year's Tour de France as the Slovenian secured his fourth Tour title.

Reigning champion Pogacar had a lead of more than four minutes heading into the final day, when only the stage win would be contested in Paris.

With rain falling in the French capital, the 26-year-old established himself in a six-man breakaway during a thrilling finale on the same circuit used for last year's Olympic race.

But Van Aert attacked on the third and final climb to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre and stretched his lead over the final 5km to clinch victory on the Champs-Elysees.

After a frustrating race, the versatile Belgian star was able to claim his 10th career stage win in the Tour, crossing the line 19 seconds before a group of three riders, the latter being Pogacar.

As Pogacar finished he put a hand in the air to celebrate going level with British rider Chris Froome for all-time Tour de France wins, with only Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain above them (five wins).

Pogacar has also become the first reigning world road champion to win the Tour since Greg LeMond in 1990 and secured the King of the Mountains title for a third time.

Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard finished the race four minutes 24 seconds behind Pogacar, with Florian Lipowitz third in the general classification standings.

That meant that for the first time there was a repeat of the podium for last month's Criterium du Dauphine, regarded as the final Tour warm-up.

Oscar Onley was fourth on the 22-year-old Scot's second appearance in cycling's biggest race, while Lipowitz, 24, was the best young rider and fellow Tour debutant Jonathan Milan, who is also 24, topped the points classification standings.



How was the race won?
Pogacar's fourth Tour de France win continues a remarkable 12 months for the Slovenian superstar, in which he has established himself as the dominant figure in modern cycling.

After regaining the Tour title from Jonas Vingegaard last year, Pogacar won four of his final five races in 2024, becoming the road world champion for the first time last September.

Then over the start of this year, Pogacar won six of his nine races before the Tour. He won both of the stage races he entered - the UAE Tour and Criterium du Dauphine - and he won four of the seven one-day classics he contested, finishing on the podium in the other three.

That meant that he was not just top of the UCI rankings coming into the Tour, he had twice as many points as his closest rival, Remco Evenepoel.

Over the past five years, Pogacar and two-time Tour winner Vingegaard developed one of the greatest rivalries in sport, but anyone hoping for another epic battle for the yellow jersey over the past three weeks were left disappointed.

Even after Pogacar won stage four, Vingegaard was only eight seconds behind, but the Dane shipped over a minute on the following day's time trial, when Pogacar claimed the overall race lead for the first time.

Pogacar not just survived his first major test during stage seven, he clinched victory on the iconic Mur-de-Bretagne climb to regain the 'maillot jaune'.

Vingegaard stuck with Pogacar over the next few days, with Ireland's Ben Healy spending two days in the yellow jersey, although there was one moment of panic for Pogacar on stage 11.

He fell 4km from the line but his GC rivals sportingly chose not to attack, allowing Pogacar to catch up and finish in the peloton.

They may have rued that decision the following day, as Pogacar triumphed on this year's first summit finish and first true mountain stage to put another two minutes into Vingegaard.

He would remain in yellow for the rest of the Tour, winning the following day's mountain time trial for his fourth stage win of 2025 and his 21st overall.

Visma-Lease a Bike were clinging to hope they could crack Pogacar once the race reached the Pyrenees and the Alps, but he was imperious in the mountains as the only time Vingegaard gained time was two seconds on stage 19, when he was resigned to finishing as the 'best of the rest'.

Vingegaard battled on gamely, but Pogacar has gone to another level over the past year, and time is on his side as he aims to become the greatest cyclist of all-time, not just the modern era.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mates Adam Yates, Tadej Pogacar and Tim Wellens pose for a picture during the final stage of the

Final stage results
Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease a Bike) 3hrs 7mins 30secs

Davide Ballerini (Ita/XDS Astana) Same time

Matej Mohoric (Slo/Bahrain Victorious)

Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG)

Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike)

Matteo Trentin (Ita/Tudor)

Arnaud de Lie (Bel/Lotto)

Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels)

Mike Teunissen (Ned/XDS Astana)

Dylan Teuns (Bel/Cofidis)

Final general classification standings
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 76hrs 32secs

Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 24secs

Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +11mins

Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +12mins 12secs

Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +17mins 12secs

Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +20mins 14secs

Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +22mins 35secs

Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +25mins 30secs

Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +28mins 2secs

Jordan Jegat (Fra/TotalEnergies) +32mins 42secs