pascal tour de france

Pascal Eenkhoorn disappointed with second on stage 18: “Especially after what Campenaerts did for me"

The breakaway survived on stage 18 of the 2023 Tour de France in a thrilling finale. Sadly for Pascal Eenkhoorn , he wasn't the man to benefit, finishing second behind Kasper Asgreen .

When you're in a position like that, you just want to win. Especially after what Campenaerts did for me," the Lotto Dstny rider told NOS in a post-stage interview, referencing his teammate's immensely powerful and ultimately sacrificial turn on the front of the break in the final few hundred metres that ensured its survival to the line.

Joy at last for Soudal - Quick-Step as Kasper Asgreen takes thrilling breakaway win narrowly holding off the peloton

"He did that without consulting, he just went full towards the last three hundred meters," continues Eenkhoorn. “I was in the perfect position, but I couldn't get over him (Asgreen). Then the strongest wins, but it sucks…”

Perhaps a silver lining for Eenkhoorn will be that at the least the breakaway holding on ensured that Jasper Philipsen was denied a fifth-stage win of the race after having earlier tried to physically block and bully Eenkhoorn out of joining the breakaway.

VIDEO: Jasper Philipsen attempts to physically block counter-attacks in move of intimidation

Video: thrilling finale to stage 18 of the tour de france sees kasper asgreen deny the sprinters for breakaway victory, read more about:, place comments.

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Asgreen holds on to win 18th stage of Tour. Vingegaard protects big lead

Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen celebrates as he crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Pascal Eenkhoorn, right, and Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen, left, to win the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen, second right, crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Pascal Eenkhoorn, right, and Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen, left, and the sprinting pack, rear, to win the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen crosses the finish line to win the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Pascal Eekhoorn, left, to win the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Stage winner Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen celebrates on the podium after the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Stage winner Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen, right, is congratulated by Netherlands’ Pascal Eenkhoorn, left, who took second place in the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Martin Divisek/Pool Photo via AP)

Stage winner Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen celebrates on the podium after the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, follows teammate France’s Christophe Laporte during the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 185 kilometers (115 miles) with start in Moutiers and finish in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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BOURG-EN-BRESSE, France (AP) — Another Danish rider took the limelight at the Tour de France on Thursday as Kasper Asgreen joined an early breakaway and then held on to win the 18th stage in a sprint finish.

His countryman Jonas Vingegaard took it easy this time, sitting comfortably in the main pack as he protected his huge overall lead. The defending champion leads two-time Tour winner Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia by 7 minutes, 35 seconds and Britain’s Adam Yates by 10:45 with Sunday’s finale in Paris getting closer.

But this was Asgreen’s day and he spread his arms after beating Dutchman Pascal Eenkhoorn and Norwegian Jonas Abrahamsen in their dash to the line.

“Obviously the situation of our breakaway was not ideal. I would have preferred to break with seven or eight riders. It’s also one of the final stages of the Tour after really hard weeks,” Asgreen said. “I didn’t rule out the possibility of winning. My breakaway companions were just excellent out there. We all deserved to win because of how much work we put into the break.”

They were all given the same time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 48 seconds after holding off a large group of sprinters behind them who left it too late. Star sprinter Jasper Philipsen missed out on another stage win and finished fourth.

After Vingegaard took full control of the race with some jaw-droppingly fast riding to crush Pogacar in the Alps, Thursday’s stage offered respite to the main contenders on a flat 185-kilometer (114.6-mile) route from Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse.

Belgian rider Victor Campenaerts joined Asgreen and Abrahamsen to form an early breakaway.

They worked well together and after the first hour had opened up a lead of around one minute. The gap remained the same, give or take a few seconds either way, with under 100 kilometers (62 miles) left.

But the peloton, after rolling along in the sunshine at a mercifully reduced pace compared to previous days, then eventually stepped it up, with Quentin Pacher and Fred Wright setting a higher tempo.

Eenkhoorn was the next to attack and he was the only one to join the trio to make it a four-man group.

The peloton left it too late, and they just held on as Asgreen raised his arms at the line. The huge effort took its toll as he dismounted and sat on the tarmac to get his breath back, before being congratulated by a Soudal Quick-Step teammate.

“It means so much with the period I had this year since I crashed at Tour de Suisse,” Asgreen said. “I’ve come a long way, and to cap it off with a victory like this is amazing.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Pascal Ackermann is furious about missing the Tour de France

The german sprinter believes team manager ralph denk went back on his word..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

When Bora-Hansgrohe announced its team for the upcoming Tour de France on Tuesday it did so with Wilco Kelderman and Peter Sagan as its headliners. Emanuel Buchmann was named to the squad too, in what will be his first race back since crashing out of the Giro d’Italia with a concussion.

Conspicuously absent from the line-up though was one Pascal Ackermann, dual-stage and points classification winner at the 2019 Giro d’Italia. And the German sprinter was far from happy about his omission.

“I am more than disappointed, I have to say,” Ackermann told German website radsport-news.com . “Ralph [Denk, team manager] was always a man who kept his word. But this time he definitely did not do it.

“It was said that I will be doing the Tour for three years. And it is always the case that I shouldn’t worry about it. Without this promise, I would not have signed the contract back then. You have to see that too. That’s why I am extremely disappointed.”

Denk’s explanation for Ackermann’s omission was simple: “Ultimately, we believed that Pascal is not at the necessary level to make a successful Tour premiere,” he said in the team announcement. “Therefore he didn’t make it into the squad.”

A quick look at Ackermann’s results for the season lend some credence to Denk’s view – the 27-year-old is without a win so far in 2021. His best results: five third-place finishes, most recently on the final stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour (behind Mark Cavendish and Tim Merlier). His last win came on the final stage of last year’s Vuelta a España.

But Ackermann argues that a lack of wins doesn’t tell the full story.

“Of course there was no victory now, but that is no reason for me not to be allowed to participate if the form is right. And it was right,” Ackermann told radsport-news.com. “If I knew that I’m not in shape, I would understand. But everyone knows, and you can see that from the data, that it’s definitely not the shape. I can’t understand this reason. He [Denk] knows that and the team knows that too. That’s why I’m so disappointed.”

Ackermann’s contract with Bora-Hansgrohe concludes at the end of 2021, and given the tone of his recent comments, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him move on. Indeed, some outlets have already linked Ackermann with UAE Team Emirates for 2022. Could that be a factor in Ackermann’s omission from the Tour team? It’s hard to say, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.

Regardless Bora-Hansgrohe goes into the Tour de France with several prizes in mind: a stage victory, and top five on the final GC (through Kelderman). Of course, Sagan will be targeting a record-extending eighth green jersey as well, but Denk suggests that “will be a tough battle”.

The 2021 Tour de France begins on Saturday June 26. Stay posted to CyclingTips for daily coverage.

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The Birth of the Tour de France

By: Christopher Klein

Updated: May 8, 2023 | Original: June 28, 2013

On July 1, 1903, 60 men mounted their bicycles outside the Café au Reveil Matin in the Parisian suburb of Montgeron. The five-dozen riders were mostly French, with just a sprinkle of Belgians, Swiss, Germans and Italians. A third were professionals sponsored by bicycle manufacturers, the others were simply devotees of the sport. All 60 wheelmen, however, were united by the challenge of embarking on an unprecedented test of endurance—not to mention the 20,000 francs in prize money—in the inaugural Tour de France.

At 3:16 p.m., the cyclists turned the pedals of their bicycles and raced into the unknown.

Nothing like the Tour de France had ever been attempted before. Journalist Geo Lefevre had dreamt up the fanciful race as a stunt to boost the circulation of his struggling daily sports newspaper, L’Auto. Henri Desgrange, the director-editor of L’Auto and a former champion cyclist himself, loved the idea of turning France into one giant velodrome. They developed a 1,500-mile clockwise loop of the country running from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes before returning to the French capital. There were no Alpine climbs and only six stages—as opposed to the 21 stages in the 2013 Tour— but the distances covered in each of them were monstrous, an average of 250 miles. (No single stage in the 2013 Tour tops 150 miles.) Between one and three rest days were scheduled between stages for recovery.

The first stage of the epic race was particularly dastardly. The route from Paris to Lyon stretched nearly 300 miles. No doubt several of the riders who wheeled away from Paris worried not about winning the race—but surviving it.

Unlike today’s riders, the cyclists in 1903 rode over unpaved roads without helmets. They rode as individuals, not team members. Riders could receive no help. They could not glide in the slipstream of fellow riders or vehicles of any kind. They rode without support cars. Cyclists were responsible for making their own repairs. They even rode with spare tires and tubes wrapped around their torsos in case they developed flats.

And unlike modern-day riders, the cyclists in the 1903 Tour de France, forced to cover enormous swathes of land, spent much of the race riding through the night with moonlight the only guide and stars the only spectators. During the early morning hours of the first stage, race officials came across many competitors “riding like sleepwalkers.”

Hour after hour through the night, riders abandoned the race. One of the favorites, Hippolyte Aucouturier, quit after developing stomach cramps, perhaps from the swigs of red wine he took as an early 1900s version of a performance enhancer.

Twenty-three riders abandoned the first stage of the race, but the one man who barreled through the night faster than anyone else was another pre-race favorite, 32-year-old professional Maurice Garin. The mustachioed French national worked as a chimney sweep as a teenager before becoming one of France’s leading cyclists. Caked in mud, the diminutive Garin crossed the finish line in Lyon a little more than 17 hours after the start outside Paris. In spite of the race’s length, he won by only one minute.

“The Little Chimney Sweep” built his lead as the race progressed. By the fifth stage, Garin had a two-hour advantage. When his nearest competitor suffered two flat tires and fell asleep while resting on the side of the road, Garin captured the stage and the Tour was all but won.

The sixth and final stage, the race’s longest, began in Nantes at 9 p.m. on July 18, so that spectators could watch the riders arrive in Paris late the following afternoon. Garin strapped on a green armband to signify his position as race leader. (The famed yellow jersey worn by the race leader was not introduced until 1919.) A crowd of 20,000 in the Parc des Princes velodrome cheered as Garin won the stage and the first Tour de France. He bested butcher trainee Lucien Pothier by nearly three hours in what remains the greatest winning margin in the Tour’s history. Garin had spent more than 95 hours in the saddle and averaged 15 miles per hour. In all, 21 of the 60 riders completed the Tour, with the last-place rider more than 64 hours behind Garin.

For Desgrange, the race was an unqualified success. Newspaper circulation soared six-fold during the race. However, a chronic problem that would perpetually plague the Tour de France was already present in the inaugural race—cheating. The rule-breaking started in the very first stage when Jean Fischer illegally used a car to pace him. Another rider was disqualified in a subsequent stage for riding in a car’s slipstream.

That paled in comparison, however, to the nefarious activity the following year in the 1904 Tour de France. As Garin and a fellow rider pedaled through St. Etienne, fans of hometown rider Antoine Faure formed a human blockade and beat the men until Lefevre arrived and fired a pistol to break up the melee. Later in the race, fans protesting the disqualification of a local rider placed tacks and broken glass on the course. The riders acted a little better. They hitched rides in cars during the dark and illegally took help from outsiders. Garin himself was accused of illegally obtaining food during a portion of one stage. The race was so plagued by scandal that four months later Desgrange disqualified Garin and the three other top finishers. It, of course, wouldn’t be the last time a Tour winner was stripped of his title.

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Jonas Vingegaard wins the 2023 Tour de France

Meeus takes final stage in a photo finish with Philipsen

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) sailed through the final stage of the 2023 Tour de France to be crowned overall champion for the second year in a row.

Pogačar added to his reputation as the ' people's champion ', attacking multiple times in the final 40 kilometres but the sprinters teams shut down the cheeky moves. As the rain started to fall on the Champs Elyseés, the race judges decided to take the general classification times with one lap to go.

After a heated and seemingly even battle with Pogačar, Vingegaard put his mark on this edition of the Tour with his dominant performance on stage 16 time trial then twisted the knife on the Col de la Loze .

He tops the final podium by 7:29 ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in a duel that will go down in the history books. Pogačar’s teammate Yates finished third overall at 10:56 back.

“It's a feeling of being proud and happy - we're winning it for the second time now. It's really amazing. Today with all the Danish people here was really amazing. I have to say thanks not only to my team and family but to the whole of Denmark. They support me and I'm really grateful for this.”

“It's been a long journey but it also went by so fast. We race every day and one day takes the other. It's been a super hard race and a super good fight between me and Tadej. I enjoyed it all the way.”

Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted to victory on the Champs-Elysées, beating Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) to the line on stage 21 to take his first stage victory of the Tour de France.

Alpecin-Deceuninck may have led the way around the final corner, but Meeus was well positioned, surfing wheels. The neophyte Tour rider, edged out the green jersey at the line by less than a wheel length to win after a chaotic sprint.

“I knew in the previous sprints that there was more possible than the result I showed so far. Today everything went perfect and I'm super happy to finish it off,” said Meeus who finished top ten in three of the previous sprint stages this year.

“I felt quite good all day. The beginning was easy obviously but from the moment we went full gas my legs felt incredibly good. Then Marco Haller did a perfect job with positioning and he was also there. I had the wheel of Pedersen and I could come out of the slipstream and catch it on the line.”

“It's my first Tour and it was a super nice experience so far. To take the win today is just an indescribable feeling.”

For the third year in a row, Pogačar swept up the white jersey, with Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) finishing as runner-up in the young rider's classification.

Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) claimed the polka-dot jersey beating Felix Gall (AG2R Citroen) by 14 points to the climber's award.

Philipsen had nonetheless secured the green jersey before the final stage, beating Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) by 119 points at the top of the points standings. Finally, Jumbo-Visma won the team competition ahead of UAE Team Emirates, and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) claimed the super-combativity award after an aggressive three weeks of racing.

How it unfolded

In what is effectively a two-wheeled photo shoot on the 115.1-kilometre stage starting from the velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, a nod to the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games, to the usual finish on the Champs-Élysées, team after team took their turn on the front of the slowly pedalling bunch for the cameras.

Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) jumped off the front at the flag drop to celebrate being awarded the super-combativity trophy. He quickly sat up with a smile and rejoined the peloton.

The opening 60.6 kilometres saw the peloton pass in front of the Château de Versailles before heading to Paris via Meudon and Issy-les-Moulineaux, tackling the final climb of the race, the fourth-category Côte du Pavé des Gardes, after 42.8 kilometres.

Celebrating his polka-dot jersey, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) received a slow lead out from his Lidl-Trek teammates to take to the lone KOM point of the day.

After that – the final 54.5 kilometres of the stage once the riders pass through the finish line for the first time – the racing began in Paris, with eight laps of the finishing circuits left to decide the winner of stage 21.

The Jumbo-Visma team rode on the front gradually amping the pace as the peloton made its way to the final circuits.

The first two laps of the Champs-Élysées circuit saw a flurry of attacks from the peloton. First up the road was Pascal Eenkhoorn then his Lotto Dstny teammate Frederik Frison as each took their chance to escape.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked multiple times in the final 40 kilometres. The first time, he was joined by Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma) who sat on his wheel, refusing to work. More riders tried to jump across to the Slovenian's wheel but the lack of cooperation doomed the moves.

Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) launched the next big move, at 30 kilometers to go. He was soon joined by Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) and Frison. Working well together, the trio pushed their gap up to 18 seconds before being reeled in 20 kilometres later.

No organisation at the front of the peloton led to more short-lived attacks in the final lap, with speeds hitting 64 km per hour. The Jumbo-Visma team sat up to celebrate their overall victory with three kilometres to go, leaving the sprinters' teams to fight out the stage victory.

A mixture of teams – including Alpecin-Deceuninck, Lidl-Trek, Jayco-AlUla and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty – were up front heading into the final two kilometres, with no one team able to wrest control and establish a full lead out at the front.

Not done with racing, Pogačar led the final sprint onto the Champs Elysées. He was overtaken by Mathieu van der Poel leading out Philipsen. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) went early and hit the front, forcing Philipsen to go along the barriers.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), meanwhile, went down the middle but Meeus was on his wheel and came late with a perfect bike throw to the line. He rode it perfectly, with a bike throw, while Philipsen was forced to come late and from behind.

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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites. 

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17 e of the Paris - Tours Elite, of the first stage of the The Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah (Cedar City>Cedar City)

18 e of the seventh stage of the Tour of Britain (West Bridgford>Mansfield)

20 e of the eighth stage of the Tour of Britain (London>London)

23 e of the second stage of the Tour of Britain (Cranbrook>Barnstaple)

24 e of the third stage of the Tour of Britain (Bristol>Bristol)

2019. Team Jumbo-Visma

1 er of the Hammer Stavanger, of the first stage of the Hammer Stavanger (Stavanger>Stavanger)

5 e of the third stage of the Hammer Stavanger (Stavanger>Stavanger)

6 e of the second stage of the Hammer Stavanger (Stavanger>Stavanger)

7 e of the World Championships U23 - Road Race

9 e of the National Championships Netherlands - ITT

13 e of the third stage of the PostNord Danmark Rundt - Tour of Denmark (Holstebro>Vejle)

15 e of the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France

2020. Team Jumbo-Visma

1 er of the fourth stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali (Forlì>Forlì)

2 e of the third stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali (Riccione>Riccione)

4 e of the National Championships Netherlands - Road Race, of the fourth stage of the Czech Tour (Mohelnice>Šternberk)

6 e of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, of the third stage of the Czech Tour (Olomouc>Frýdek-Místek)

7 e of the fourth stage of the Tour de la Provence (Avignon>Aix-en-Provence)

8 e of the Czech Tour

9 e of the second stage of the Vuelta a Burgos (Castrojeriz>Villadiego)

10 e of the first stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico (Lido di Camaiore>Lido di Camaiore)

21 e of the second stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali (Riccione>Sogliano al Rubicone)

24 e of the Duracell Dwars door het Hageland

2021. Team Jumbo-Visma

1 er of the Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl

5 e of the seventh stage of the Tour of Britain (Hawick>Edinburgh), of the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie, of the third stage of the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie (Plombières>Érezée)

10 e of the Tour de Pologne, of the first stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour (Beveren>Maarkedal)

11 e of the fifth stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol (Vera>Pulpí)

14 e of the fifth stage of the Tour de Pologne (Chochołów>Bielsko-Biała), of the fourth stage of the Tour de Pologne (Tarnów>Bukovina Resort), of the fourth stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol (Baza>Cúllar Vega)

15 e of the second stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour (Knokke-Heist>Knokke-Heist [ITT])

20 e of the second stage of the Tour de Pologne (Zamość>Przemyśl)

21 e of the sixth stage of the Tour de Pologne (Katowice>Katowice [ITT])

23 e of the Baloise Belgium Tour

24 e of the first stage of the Tour of Britain (Penzance>Bodmin)

2022. Jumbo-Visma

1 er of the National Championships Netherlands - Road Race

4 e of the prologue of the Sibiu Cycling Tour (Sibiu>Sibiu)

10 e of the twelfth stage of the Giro d'Italia (Parma>Genova)

12 e of the second stage of the Tour de Suisse (Küsnacht>Aesch)

13 e of the Albert Achterhes Profronde van Drenthe

15 e of the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia (Catania>Messina)

21 e of the Le Samyn

22 e of the Dwars door Vlaanderen - A travers la Flandre ME

24 e of the first stage of the Tour de Suisse (Küsnacht>Küsnacht)

25 e of the Volta Limburg Classic

2023. Lotto Dstny

3 e of the Volta Limburg Classic

7 e of the Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia Costa Cálida

11 e of the Trofeo Calvia, of the Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau

15 e of the Jaén Paraiso Interior

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18 e of the Amstel Gold Race

23 e of the Trofeo Ses Salines - Alcudia

24 e of the seventh stage of the Paris-Nice (Nice>Col de la Couillole), of the E3 Saxo Classic

Riders LOTTO DSTNY

born on 11/07/1994

V. CAMPENAERTS

born on 28/10/1991

J. DE BUYST

born on 24/11/1993

P. EENKHOORN

born on 08/02/1997

born on 28/07/1992

J. GUARNIERI

born on 14/08/1987

M. VAN GILS

born on 25/11/1999

F. VERMEERSCH

born on 12/03/1999

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Tour de France 2023: 'He's blocking him!' – Jasper Philipsen cuts up rival with 'bullying tactic' on Stage 18

Updated 20/07/2023 at 17:35 GMT

The green mist descended for Jasper Philipsen on Stage 18 as the Belgian deployed a "bullying tactic" to stop an attack from Pascal Eenkhoorn. The Belgian, who was hunting a remarkable fifth stage win at the Tour de France in 2023, made an aggressive move that sparked a strong reaction in the Eurosport commentary box. Should Philipsen be punished for the incident?

Philipsen slammed for 'bullying tactic' after cutting up Eenkhoorn

Van der Poel crosses line in Roubaix Velodrome to seal dominant win

• Pogacar laments day in 'hell', Vingegaard calls him 'best rider in the world'
• 'I'm gone, I'm dead' - The moment Pogacar cracked on Col de la Loze

'It felt like bullying' - Lloyd on Philipsen 'block' on Stage 18

Philipsen 'begged' Van der Poel for help, thanked team-mate after Milano-Sanremo win

17/03/2024 at 10:17

Pogacar says he 'stuck to' the plan & 'couldn't do much better' after third place at Milano-Sanremo

16/03/2024 at 22:20

Crazy finale sees Philipsen sprint away from Pogacar and Van der Poel to win Milano-Sanremo

17/03/2024 at 10:09

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Asgreen sprints to thrilling stage 18 win as Vingegaard retains solid Tour lead

• Quartet survive high-speed pursuit after joining forces
• Belgian rider Wout van Aert leaves race to be with pregnant wife

Jonas Vingegaard retained his overall lead in the Tour de France as Soudal Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen won stage 18 in Bourg-en-Bresse. Asgreen was one of four riders in the day’s breakaway to survive a thrilling pursuit by the speeding peloton, as the race left the Alps behind and entered the Rhone valley.

The four-rider attack, composed of Asgreen, Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X and the Lotto Dstny pair of Victor Campenaerts and Pascal Eenkhoorn, joined forces with 50km to race and maintained a slim lead into the closing moments of the stage.

Racing at more than 60km/h, the quartet entered the final kilometre with only six seconds’ advantage on their chasers, yet Campenaerts’s time-trialling power kept the group ahead. Asgreen’s last-gasp acceleration to the line was enough to hold off the sprinter Jasper Philipsen, already the winner of four stages, and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

Asgreen was generous in victory and praised his breakaway companions. “I really couldn’t have done it without Pascal, Victor and Jonas,” he said. “We all deserved to win with the work we put out there.”

Asgreen, a former winner of the Tour of Flanders, was making a return to form after struggling for more than a year. “It means so much,” he said. “With the period I had the last year, with my crash in the Tour of Switzerland, and having to leave the Tour de France last year ... I’ve come a long way.”

Meanwhile, after his exploits in the Alps, Vingegaard enjoyed a relatively uneventful day, although his Jumbo-Visma squad lost Wout van Aert, one of his key teammates. The Belgian left the race to be with his wife, who is expected to give birth within the next few days.

“It’s not a dilemma,” the Belgian rider said. “It’s an easy decision. I always thought that I would go home when my wife indicated she needed me. That time has come.”

As Van Aert left the race, the scrutiny of his team leader continued with Olivier Banuls, head of the cycling unit at the International Testing Agency, (ITA) telling Reuters that performance had been taken into account when targeting Vingegaard for testing.

“Performance is one of the criteria and obviously Vingegaard’s performance is one of them for us, so he is obviously targeted in particular,” Banuls said. “There are also other criteria for riders, such as biological passports or information we get from our Intelligence and Investigation Unit.”

Banuls revealed that Vingegaard, who leads Tadej Pogacar by seven minutes and 35 seconds, has been tested 18 times during the Tour and was also tested eight times in June, both in and out of competition.

Compared with Pogacar, who raced throughout much of the spring until he fractured his wrist in April, much of the Dane’s title defence was founded on a series of training camps at altitude.

“We have different places,” he said of the camps, “so in February we go to Tenerife, to Teide. In May, we go to Sierra Nevada and in June we went to Tignes.”

Pogacar’s partner, Urska Zigart, meanwhile, revealed that the Slovenian had nearly quit the Tour after the fifth stage, when he learned that she had crashed while racing in the Giro Donne in Italy.

“He called me to ask how I was and then, when I told him I hadn’t finished the race and had crashed, he said he was coming home,” she said. “I said: ‘No you’re not, it’s the Tour.’”

Pogacar, whose Tour challenge collapsed dramatically in Wednesday’s stage to Courchevel , said he had recovered “a bit” from the experience.

“The start [on Thursday] was pretty hard and quite – not emotional – but just a lot of guys came and spoke to me,” he said. “Thanks to all the riders. They cheered me up.”

• Tour de France 2023
• Tour de France
• Jonas Vingegaard

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DIRECT. Lens-Clermont: Les Sang et Or renouent avec le succès et confortent leur 6e place

D. Machado (54')

J. Gastien (18')

E. Rashani (40')

H. Keïta (45')

Y. Magnin (79')

(3’) F. Sotoca (p)

• Commentaires
• Composition

Tirs cadrés

Duels gagnés, fautes commises, clermont s'enlise à la dernière place.

Clermont était déjà 18e avant la rencontre, mais la situation se complique. Les Clermontois sont désormais à 4 points de la 16e place, celle de barragiste, mais ils ont joué un match supplémentaire.

Lens n'avait plus gagné depuis le 9 mars

Les Sang et Or restaient sur 4 matchs de suite sans victoire, dont une défaite très décevante contre Metz le week-end dernier. Lens conforte ainsi sa 6e place en s'imposant contre Clermont, à l'affut d'un faux pas devant.

C'EST FINI, LENS S'IMPOSE 1-0 !

Il n'y aura pas eu de break mais c'est un détail. Lens l'emporte à Bollaert face à Clermont sur le plus petit des scores : 1-0. Florian Sotoca a transformé un pénalty obtenu après seulement 30 secondes de jeu. Les Sang et Or, ensuite, ont échoué à marquer le deuxième but malgré de nombreuses occasions, mais ils assurent les trois points.

MENDY DEVANCE DIAW !

Le gardien clermontois est un peu court sur sa sortie. Mendy récupère le ballon mais sa frappe, ensuite, est dévissée et ne prend pas le chemin du but.

5 minutes de temps additionnel

Il y a encore un petit espoir pour Clermont.

SOTOCA ENCORE SUR LE POTEAU !

Toujours pas de 2-0 ! Sur une remise de Guilavogui, Sotoca est seul et frappe de l'intérieur du droit à ras de terre. Diaw est battu mais le ballon va heurter le poteau.

Sortie d'Elye Wahi

L'attaquant lensois a manqué trois face-à-face ce soir. Il récolte un mélange de sifflets et d'applaudissements. Il est remplacé par Guilavogui.

Boutobba remplace Cham

Clermont tente d'aller chercher un point dans ces dernières minutes.

Machado remplacé par Haïdara

Franck Haise met un peu de sang neuf derrière pour tenir cette victoire.

RASHANI PUIS KYEI !

Clermont sort de plus en plus ! Rashani repique sur son pied gauche, son tir est contré mais arrive sur Kyei, à bout portant. Heureusement, Samba sort vite pour intervenir.

Carton pour Magnin

Il est en retard sur El Aynaoui, mais son intervention n'était pas dangereuse.

Sortie de Fulgini

Il est remplacé par Pereira Da Costa pour le dernier quart d'heure.

LA FRAYEUR DE SAMBA !

QUELLE BEVUE ! Le gardien lensois manque complètement sa sortie à la limite de sa surface. Kyei tente d'en profiter et frappe en première intention, mais il ne trouve pas le cadre. C'était un gros cadeau pour Clermont, qui n'en profite pas !

Clermont a des raisons d'espérer

Même s'ils sont peu dangereux dans cette seconde période, les Clermontois voient les Lensois manquer leurs opportunités de faire le break depuis 30 minutes.

WAHI BUTE UNE TROISIEME FOIS SUR DIAW !

WAHI N'Y EST PAS ! Lancé en profondeur, avec du temps et aucun adversaire pour le gêner, l'attaquant lensois s'avance vers Diaw. Après avoir perdu deux fois son face-à-face ce soir, il tente cette fois de dribbler le gardien clermontois, mais c'est encore un échec.

Lens pourrait regretter de manquer autant d'opportunités

Deux buts refusés pour hors-jeu, deux face-à-face manqués pour Wahi, des occasions pour Fulgini et Sotoca, ça commence à faire beaucoup.

EL AYNAOUI...

BUT MAIS ENCORE HORS-JEU ! Sur le coup-franc de Fulgini frappe indirectement, El Aynaoui pensait avoir fait le break, mais toujours pas.

WAHI ENCORE !

NOUVELLE PARADE DE DIAW ! Sur une belle combinaison avec Sotoca, Wahi se retrouve lancé en profondeur mais il perd encore son face-à-face.

BUT ANNULÉ POUR LENS !

L'arbitre revient à la faute de Sotoca et estime que l'intervention est illicite. Pas de but, 1-0 pour Lens toujours.

Le VAR vérifie une possible faute de Sotoca

C'est de là que part l'action lensoise, et il y a peut-être faute sur Rashani.

MEDINA FAIT LE BREAK POUR LENS !

LENS SE MET A L'ABRI ! Suite à une récupération de Sotoca, Lens part en contre. Fulgini centre pour El Aynaoui, dont la tête heurte la barre transversale. Mais Medina avait suivi l'attaque et il est présent pour conclure à bout portant de la tête. 2-0 pour Lens !

Clermont a plus de mal à ressortir

Alors que les hommes de Pascal Gastien s'étaient créés des occasions en première période, c'est beaucoup moins le cas désormais. Lens contrôle très bien le match.

Bon retour de Matsima

Fulgini avait bien lancé Wahi en profondeur, mais le défenseur clermontois revient très bien alors que Wahi tentait de s'emmener le ballon en se retournant.

Machado averti

Le Colombien arrive très en retard pour tacler. Jaune logique.

Frappe lointaine de Fulgini

En demi-volée, c'est bien tenté mais ça ne surprend pas Diaw, qui capte en deux temps.

Lens tient bien le ballon

Mais les Lensois manquent pour le moment de justesse dans le dernier geste pour faire le break.

Clermont cherche beaucoup la profondeur

Avec Cham notamment. Mais il est dur à trouver au milieu de la défense à trois lensoise.

WAHI TOUT PROCHE DU 2-0 !

QUEL ARRET DE DIAW ! Wahi était parti dans le dos de la défense clermontoise, mais bute sur Diaw dans son face-à-face. Clermont a failli se faire surprendre au bout de 30 secondes dans cette seconde période, comme en première.

C'est reparti à Bollaert !

Le coup d'envoi de la seconde période est donné par Clermont, mené 1-0.

Les stats de la première période

1 seul tir cadré : le pénalty de Sotoca.

C'est la pause à Lens !

1-0 pour les Sang et Or suite au pénalty obtenu après seulement 30 secondes de jeu et transformé par Florian Sotoca. Lens aurait pu faire le break mais a touché le poteau. Clermont, de son côté, a su réagir après le but et se montrer dangereux sur certaines situations.

Jaune pour Keïta

Juste avant la pause, le milieu clermontois fait faute après avoir perdu le ballon. Il a tenté de se rattraper mais c'est manqué.

Clermont cherche l'ouverture avant la pause

Mais la défense lensoise est bien en place. Les hommes de Gastien ont le ballon mais n'amènent pas le danger pour l'instant.

Carton jaune pour Rashani

Pour avoir remis le ballon dans l'ère de jeu et ralenti la touche lensoise.

SOTOCA ENROULE !

C'EST SUR LE POTEAU ! Diaw n'avait presque pas bougé sur cette frappe du droit de Sotoca depuis l'extérieur de la surface. Le 2-0 était tout proche.

WAHI S'ECROULE DANS LA SURFACE

Il avait été bien trouvé par une passe laser de Medina. Il pousse le ballon devant Matsima et s'écroule ensuite. Mais l'arbitre ne dit rien, le VAR valide, pas de deuxième pénalty pour Lens.

LE RETOUR DE FRANKOWSKI !

Le décalage avait été fait grâce à Cham côté droit, dont le centre pour Rashani était parfait. Frankowski revient in extremis pour retirer le ballon devant l'attaquant de Clermont. Finalement, un hors-jeu de Cham est signalé mais ce n'était pas évident. S'il y avait eu but, il aurait été vérifié.

Franck Haise demande plus de vitesse dans le jeu

Le coach lensois demande à son gardien Brice Samba de relancer plus vite. De manière générale, le jeu lensois est assez lent.

La percée de Caufriez

Il finit par faire faute sur Gradit dans la surface lensoise, mais il tente d'impulser un mouvement pour Clermont, de montrer l'exemple.

Ca devient un peu brouillon

Il n'y a pas toujours beaucoup de maîtrise au milieu. Lens finit par remettre le ballon à terre et à lancer une phase de possession.

Nouvelle frappe de Wahi

Le Lensois aurait aimé que l'arbitre signale une main, mais rien du tout. En vérité, Wahi était sans doute hors-jeu au départ de l'action.

Grosse intervention sur Machado

Le Lensois se relève, il n'y a rien. Clermont défend dur.

Sur une très mauvaise relance de Gastien, le Lensois récupère en pleine surface. Il tente de frapper du gauche en première intention mais c'est au-dessus !

Le coup franc de Fulgini !

C'est bien brossé mais ça ne trouve pas le cadre. C'était bien tenté.

Wahi du gauche !

Il est contré ! C'était une bonne situation pour Lens, après une récupération haute. L'arbitre décide finalement de revenir à la faute juste avant.

Wahi du genou

Le centre était bon mais l'attaquant français ne peut pas reprendre correctement.

Lens tente de reprendre le contrôle

Les hommes de Franck Haise sont bousculés dans ce premier quart d'heure, même s'ils mènent au score.

Le centre vers Sotoca

Le Lensois ne peut pas ajuster, au duel avec Matsima.

Magnin encore

Nouveau centre, encore repoussé par la défense lensoise. Clermont met le pied sur le ballon et réagit bien après le but précoce.

Le centre de Magnin !

Bonne combinaison clermontoise, le centre de Magnin est repoussé in extremis par Danso. Clermont sort la tête de l'eau.

C'est la première sortie clermontoise. En quelques passes, ils se retrouvent proche de la surface. Cham tente d'enrouler du gauche, c'est touché et ça file en corner.

Medina cherche Machado en profondeur

C'est un peu long pour que le piston lensois puisse récupérer le ballon.

Clermont n'arrive pas à sortir le ballon

Début de match très compliqué pour les Clermontois, qui rendent le ballon en permanence et voient les vagues lensois revenir.

SOTOCA NE TREMBLE PAS, 1-0 POUR LENS

L'attaquant lensois transforme le pénalty sans problème. Il ouvre son pied et prend Diaw à contrepied. 1-0 pour le RC Lens !

PENALTY POUR LENS !

APRES SEULEMENT 30 SECONDES ! El Aynaoui est passé devant Matsima sur un centre venu de la droite. Le défenseur clermontois fait faute en voulant dégager. L'arbitre n'hésite pas et désigne le point de pénalty.

C'est parti à Bollaert !

Le coup d'envoi de ce Lens-Clermont est donné par les Sang et Or.

Coup d'envoi imminent

L'occasion de rappeler les compositions du soir.

Lens: Samba - Gradit, Danso, Medina - Frankowski, Mendy, El Aynaoui, Machado - Fulgini, Sotoca, Wahi.

Clermont: Diaw - Pelmard, Caufriez, Matsima, Borges - Keita, Gastien, Magnin - Cham, Virginius, Rashani.

Les Clermontois à l'échauffement

Bollaert à guichets fermés.

Pour la 46e rencontre de suite du RC Lens.

Lens mis sous pression par Rennes

Avec sa victoire dans le derby contre Nantes, Rennes revient à un point de Lens ce soir. Les Sang et Or doivent s'imposer pour reprendre un peu d'air, et ne pas être prendre trop de retard par rapport au Top 5.

Cham est en forme

L'attaquant clermontois a inscrit 3 des 4 derniers buts de son équipe en Ligue 1.

Clermont en 4-3-3

La composition de Clermont: Diaw - Pelmard, Caufriez, Matsima, Borges - Keita, Gastien, Magnin - Cham, Virginius, Rashani.

Sotoca, Wahi et Fulgini devant pour le RC Lens

La composition de Lens: Samba - Gradit, Danso, Medina - Frankowski, Mendy, El Aynaoui, Machado - Fulgini, Sotoca, Wahi.

Coup d'envoi à 21h

Lens reçoit Clermont, un match qui compte autant pour les places européennes que pour le maintien. Les Lensois ont besoin de points pour garder des vues sur les cinq premières places, voire mieux sur la quatrième. Clermont, de son côté, est dos au mur, lanterne rouge et 4 points derrière le barragiste, Metz. Coup d'envoi à 21h à Bollaert.

Ent: Franck Haise

N. El Aynaoui

P. Frankowski

Ent: Pascal Gastien

M. Caufriez

Neto Borges

A. Virginius

Remplaçants

S. Abdul Samed

(76') David Pereira da Costa

(84') M. Haïdara

A. Khusanov

(88') M. Guilavogui

A. Thomasson

B. Boutobba (85')

Y. Armougom

S. Nicholson

Jérémie Bela (62')

G. Kyei (61')

Benoît Bastien