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Tour de France 2023: Kwiatkowski wins stage 13 as Pogacar grabs time – as it happened

Michal Kwiatkowski produced a superb solo ride on Grand Colombier while Tadej Pogacar reduced Jonas Vingegaard’s lead

• 14 Jul 2023 Top 10 on stage 13
• 14 Jul 2023 Vingegaard now leads overall by nine seconds
• 14 Jul 2023 Michal Kwiatkowski wins stage 13!
• 14 Jul 2023 Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny) abandons
• 14 Jul 2023 Mike Teunissen takes the intermediate sprint
• 14 Jul 2023 Stage 13 begins!
• 14 Jul 2023 Preamble

115km to go: That previous group of six was shut down. Now it’s Pacher, Van Gils, Oliveira and Teunissen out front, a group of four, and they have 13sec.

117km to go: One of the sports directors comes on the radio, saying that UAE Team Emirates have let it be known that they want to control the race today and go for the stage win. On commentary, Sean Kelly and Robbie McEwen poo-poo this idea. Neither believe UAE Team Emirates will expend the energy to control this.

119km to go: Cavagna (Soudal–Quick-Step), Castroviejo and Fraile (Ineos Grenadiers), Cort (EF Education–EasyPost), Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Coquard (Cofidis) are the six up front.

121km to go: Six riders bust away from the clutches of the peloton once again. Is that Mohoric up there? I think it may be. Anyway six riders have five seconds on the bunch, but the bunch is still trying to shut all this silliness down.

We’re told the front group is moving at 56km/h. That’s a spicy meatball!

122km to go: Cavagna, the Frenchman who hails from Clermont-Ferrand, has a crack off the front again. It is Bastille Day, after all. Not Metronomy Day or Friendly Fires Day.

124km to go: Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) are on the move up front. They have impressively built a lead of eight seconds over the chasing peloton. But chasing is the operative word: the main bunch aren’t having any of this, and are trying their hardest to close it down … Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is taking charge of the chase, and predictably given his ludicrous power, he shuts it down in double-quick time. All back together.

125km to go: You already know about today’s climb. Stage 13’s intermediate sprint comes at Hauteville-Lompnes, with 50.5km to race. It’s on the way to the top of the long, but uncategorised ascent that comes as an hors d’oeuvre for Grand Colombier.

128km to go: “Huge day,” emails Paul. “But why have the French declared a national holiday named after a middling but erudite indie synth band? Can any Francophile readers explain? Not knowing is driving me MAD but I’ll wager that it’s do with why we needed to leave the EU and that. I predict we will see Pogacar in yellow today (the colour, not the middling but erudite Swiss synth band).”

129km to go: Cofidis up front now. There’s a gaggle of riders up ahead of the peloton again. Again they are going to be reeled in. At this pace, we’ll be faster than the fastest predicted stage finish, I’d bet.

130km to go: EF Education–EasyPost now have two riders up front trying to snap the elastic.

“Good afternoon!” emails Bill.

“It’s France! It’s Bastille Day! It’s a big mountain finish! It’s Thibaut’s time! Pinot is going to get a huge stomp on, and the final climb is going to be thrilling heorics in the red all the way to the top. He will take a brilliantly emotional victory on his farewell Tour de France .

“It will be marvellous.”

132km to go: The situation is fluid up front … but now that latest attempt to break away is closed down and we are back together again. This isn’t going to be a nice, relaxed start to the three looming days in the mountains, that’s for sure.

134km to go: Rémi Cavagna (Soudal–Quick-Step) now has a dart. There are four riders who have a few metres on the peloton. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Circus–Wanty) gets across and swells the group. Six there now … but I fancy this is going to get pulled back as well. They only have a few metres and it’s strung out at the front as the riders try to pull it back.

136km to go: That first attempt to break away is shut down. But more attacks come almost immediately. Mike Teunissen (Intermarché–Circus–Wanty) is the next to have a bash. He springs out of the peloton on the left-hand side of the road. And several riders give chase.

137km to go: Victor Campanaerts is one of two Lotto Dstny riders up front, trying to form the breakaway. Three Uno-X men are giving chase. They are speeding along at 50km/h.

Stage 13 begins!

And they’re off. Lotto Dstny are on the attack.

On the telly, there’s a beautiful shot of the Alps looming in the far distance.

Andrey Amador (EF Education–EasyPost) needs a front wheel change following a puncture.

Here we go then. The peloton are rolling along in the neutralised zone. 1.2km until they race.

Jens Voigt believes the break has zero chance of survival today. I don’t agree – and not just because Pogacar said UAE will be keeping their options open …

As mentioned earlier, De Gendt won on this day in 2016, the same day that Chris Froome went for a jog on Mont Ventoux:

On Eurosport , pundit Dan Lloyd points out that going really deep today may cost riders over the weekend: perhaps not tomorrow, but Sunday. Managing effort over the next three days is going to be so important.

Now Vingegaard speaks , and is asked by Eurosport if this is a climb for Pogacar? “Yes, it suits him better. It’s only one climb in the end. In that case we’ll try to ride a bit defensively today.

Are you going to leave everything to UAE? “Basically, yes.

“I have the lightest options for today [bike and equipment].

“It’s a very, very hard climb. It’s 17km. Especially the bottom of it is very hard. It’s a hard climb to predict. In the bottom it’s steeper … we’ll see what plans everyone else has.”

He looks nervous, in my view, but that’s only to be expected …

Tadej Pogacar speaks to Eurosport, and is asked about how today may play out: “A lot depends on the break … then we have to decide if we go for it, or we let go.”

Is Grand Colombier a good climb for him? “I think yes, it suits me good. Three years ago was really nice memories . It would be nice to have it again. But today might be totally different than three years ago.”

And what did he think of Jumbo Visma’s tactics yesterday? “It was a bit crazy. They really wanted to go for the break. It was strange to see. But for us, it was OK, we had a good day yesterday. We focus on ourselves, and do our own thing.”

The headline in GC is that Vingegaard leads Pogacar by 17sec.

Top 10 before stage 13:

Vingegaard 50hr 30min 23sec Pogacar +17sec Hindley +2min 40sec Rodriguez +4min 22sec Bilbao +4min 34sec A Yates +4min 39sec S Yates +4min 44sec Pidcock +5min 26sec Gaudu +6min 01sec Pinot +6min 33sec

Mark Cavendish gives an update following his unfortunate departure from the race . He says his broken collarbone is slightly complicated by a previous injury – the one he sustained when he crashed in Harrogate in 2014. Anyway, aside from that, he sounds upbeat and thanks everyone who’s sent him messages of support. It’s been “wicked”, he says.

An update on @MarkCavendish from his hospital bed 🤕 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/YqY0pM7i8y — ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 14, 2023

One more next year … ?

Any thoughts on today’s stage? You can email me or tweet . Allez!

Ion Izagirre mounted a superb lone breakaway yesterday to snaffle Cofidis’s second stage win of this Tour. Here’s Jeremy Whittle’s report, kicking off with some “Hell yes, I’m tough enough” thoughts from Vingegaard on the looming battle with Pogacar on Grand Colombier:

Chris Froome enjoyed some good times on Mont Ventoux, of course, but things are rather different now. Sylvan Adams, Israel-Premier Tech’s owner, took the opportunity yesterday to point out that the four-times Tour winner has not provided value for money since signing for the team in 2020:

Seven years ago today: everyone’s favourite Belgian breakaway specialist, Thomas de Gendt, won the stage on Mont Ventoux. (Being pedantic, it wasn’t “atop” Mont Ventoux as the Lotto Dstny tweet states. The finish was at Chalet Reynard, I think, but certainly not atop the mountain as you can see from the photo.)

Throw🔙 Seven years ago, a memorable win atop Mont Ventoux for @DeGendtThomas on #BastilleDay ! pic.twitter.com/11l7mSLDCa — Lotto Dstny (@lotto_dstny) July 14, 2023

It’s the 14th of July – Bastille Day – a time for French pride and, perhaps, a French stage winner?

Here’s a picture of Tony Gallopin (Lidl-Trek) waving the flag, a proud Frenchman, but not the type of rider who will be in contention for today’s win.

Below that, a hint from the Tour’s official Twitter that we may see an appearance from the Patrouille acrobatique de France.

🇫🇷 Bastille day on the Grand Colombier 🇫🇷 Fête nationale au Grand Colombier ! #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/J32EMuqRAv — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2023

The omens could hardly be better for UAE Team Emirates today. In 2020, Tadej Pogacar won stage 15 atop Grand Colombier on a day that Egan Bernal’s attempt to defend his title with Team Ineos disintegrated. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) remained well placed for the overall win, or so it seemed before that fateful final time trial.

Have you got much planned for this weekend? The Tour de France certainly has: three mountain stages, beginning today, that may even determine the overall winner. The race hits the Jura Mountains this afternoon before two punishing days in the Alps on Saturday and Sunday. This afternoon’s route is relatively short, at 137.8km, but very sharp with a summit finish atop Grand Colombier, 17.4km long, peaking 1,501m above sea level.

We will almost certainly see a full-on early fight to form a breakaway among the peloton’s climbers who fancy a stage win, but regardless of how the rest of the stage plays out, attention will be focused on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar on that final, attritional ascent. The Slovenian Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is just 17sec behind his Danish rival in the general classification. Vingegaard, of Jumbo-Visma, may still lead the race, but there is a sense Pogacar is getting stronger and merely waiting for his moment.

Perhaps the GC teams will seek to control things, and let Vingegaard and Pocagar duke it out for the stage win as well as precious seconds in the GC at the front of the race? However it shakes down, the relatively short distance and the finely-balanced situation at the top of the standings means it’s going to be gripping entertainment anyway.

Scheduled stage start time: 12.55 BST

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Tadej pogacar wins 2021 tour de france as van aert takes final stage.

Tour de France stage 21 - As  it happened

Wout van Aert ( Jumbo-Visma ) sprinted to the prestigious stage 21 victory in Paris to win the final stage of the 2021 Tour de France . The finish straight on the Champs-Élysées was 700 metres in length, 400 metres longer than in previous years, but that did not afford chasers enough real estate to catch Van Aert, who surged to the front of the peloton with under 250 metres remaining and took his third stage win of the three-week Grand Tour.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) finished second, less than a wheel length from the line, to get his third second-place finish at the Tour. Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-QuickStep) finished third, but held on to the green jersey as the overall points classification victor, beating Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) by 56 points.

UAE Team Emirates rode into Paris with Tadej Pogačar wearing the maillot jaune and safely escorted him to the final podium to claim three classifications – overall, mountains and best young rider.

For the first time since 2012, only two riders finished within 10 minutes of the yellow jersey - Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) finished second, 5:20 off the winning mark, and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) placed third, another 1:43 back.

Bahrain Victorious won the team competition by 19 minutes ahead of EF Education-Nippo, and Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) claimed the super-combativity award after an aggressive three weeks of racing.

Stage 21 started in Chatou with a gentle pace set by UAE Team Emirates, sporting new jerseys emblazoned with yellow bands to celebrate Pogačar’s second consecutive Tour win. The final 52km of the stage took place over the eight laps of the Champs Élysées, and while sprinters looked for glory in the stage win, Pogačar and his teammates eased across the finish to celebrate a job well done.

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The build-up

Here at Cyclingnews we've been counting down the days until the 2021 Tour de France, with a series of special features to build up to the Grand Départ on Saturday June 26. 

• Tour de France 2021: The essential race guide
• Tour de France bikes: who's riding what in 2021
• Form ranking: Tour de France 2021 contenders, pre-race
• Philippa York: I struggle to see Chris Froome as a Tour de France road captain
• Tour de France snubs: The 9 most controversial rider non-selections
• Out of Pinot's shadow and into the glare: David Gaudu takes aim at the Tour de France
• Tadej Pogacar: A life-changing moment captured in a photograph
• Analysing Ineos Grenadiers' 2021 Tour de France team
• Analysing Jumbo-Visma's 2021 Tour de France squad
• Tour de France 2021: 5 key stages
• Brandon McNulty: The Tour de France call-up
• Alberto Contador: Blowing the Tour de France apart

The 2021 Tour de France will start in Brest in Brittany , on Saturday, June 26 having originally been scheduled for a Grand Départ in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The opening two stages to Landerneau and Mûr-de-Bretagne will provide a chance for the puncheurs, versatile sprinters and climbers to take the maillot jaune early on before the sprinters get two chances to win as the race heads east across the centre of France.

An early GC showdown will come on stage 5 with the 27.2-kilometre time trial from Changé to Laval Espace Mayenne before the road racing resumes with two stages that take the peloton to the Alps.

Stage 8 to Le Grand Bornard will see the first major climbing of the Tour, with three first-category climbs – including the Col de la Colombière – in the second part of the 150.8-kilometre stage. The following day to the 21-kilometre long summit finish at Tignes is just as tough, revisiting the Critérium du Dauphiné one-two of the Col du Pré and Cormet de Roselend.

Tignes also hosts the first rest day on July 5, ahead of a sprint stage in Valence and stage 11's visit to Mont Ventoux, which will be tackled twice before a descent straight to the finish in Malaucène.

Nîmes and Carcassonne offer up two more sprint chances on the following days before a nailed-on breakaway stage in the hills to Quillan take the peloton to the Pyrenees.

There, stage 15 to Andorra brings with it three first-category tests, including the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the race hits 2,408 metres at Port d'Envalira. A rest day in the microstate. A tough stage to Saint-Gaudens follows but all minds will be on the final two mountain stages.

Stage 17 takes the riders over the Col de Peyresourde and Col de Val Louron-Azet before the HC-rated summit finish at 2,215 metres at the Col du Portet. Stage 18 provides two more HC tests in the Col du Tourmalet and the summit finish at Luz Ardiden, the last chance for climbers to make their mark.

A penultimate sprint stage follows, taking the peloton to Libourne, where stage 20 brings the GC finale in the shape of a 30.8-kilometre time trial to Saint-Emilion. If the Tour hasn't already been decided, then it certainly will be here.

As ever, the grand finale and the crowning of the Tour de France champion comes in Paris on the Champs-Élysées following a 108.4-kilometre ride from Chatou on July 18.

Check out the full details of the 2021 Tour de France route here.

The contenders

Once again, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) will be the main favourites for the title. The two are among the strongest climbers in the peloton and are also world-leading time trialists, which could prove decisive with two tests against the clock lying in wait for the riders.

The pair have enjoyed stellar starts to 2020, with Pogačar taking wins at the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while Roglič took three wins at PAris-Nice and the overall at Itzulia Basque Country.

The main challenge to the Slovenian duo should come from Ineos Grenadiers, who are led by 2018 winner Geraint Thomas and 2019 Giro d'Italia champion Richard Carapaz . The Welshman recently finished third at the Critérium du Dauphiné and looks best placed to challenge in both the mountains and time trials, while Carapaz is arguably the stronger climber.

Movistar's triumvirate will this year be headed up by new signing Miguel Ángel López , alongside Enric Mas and Alejandro Valverde. The Colombian looked in dominant form at the Mont Ventoux Dénivéle Challenge in June and will hope to improve on his sixth place in 2020.

His compatriot Nairo Quintana is a three-time podium finisher at the Tour and once again leads out Arkéa-Samsic. He won the Vuelta Asturias earlier this year but was off form at the Dauphiné.

Another Colombian to watch is EF Education-Nippo's Rigoberto Urán , who finished second in 2017 and has taken two top 10s since. His teammate and countryman Sergio Higuita could end up the team leader this year.

Elsewhere, look out for Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), and Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange). They're all likely to be in the top 10 GC battle, though fighting for the very top spots looks a little tougher.

Finally, the battle for sprint victories and the green jersey looks wide open, with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) facing challenges from Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious), Tim Merlier and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Elia Viviani (Cofidis), Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka Assos), Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), Cees Bol (Team DSM), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), and more.

Bikes and tech

As the world's biggest bike race, the publicity and global reach that the Tour de France achieves is a sponsor's dream. As a result, the Tour de France is always a hotbed of tech, with new releases and custom colourways unveiled almost daily as brands work to capture the attention of onlookers. 

What's more, with the hard-fought battle for the yellow jersey, teams will do everything within their power to eke out marginal gains with innovative inventions and mechanical hacks. Most of the time this comes directly from their contracted sponsors, but occasionally teams will look further afield, breaking contracts in the pursuit of free speed. 

Here are the tech talking points we've seen so far:

• Tour de France bikes : who's riding what in 2021
• Oakley launches 2021 Tour de France collection
• Lapierre launches new Xelius SL ahead of the Tour de France
• Trek-Segafredo bikes given all-new colour schemes ahead of the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia Donne
• Pinarello launches new Dogma F in preparation for the Tour de France
• Michael Matthews gets a custom Bianchi Oltre XR4 for Tour de France
• Why are Jumbo Visma using blue tyres at the Tour de France?
• Ineos Grenadiers switch to sponsor-incorrect Princeton Carbonworks wheels at Tour de France
• Tour de France tech: All the tech and trends from the 2021 race
• Is Canyon's broken Aeroad handlebar now fixed? Van der Poel's Tour de France bike suggests it is
• Tour de France winning bikes : Which brand has won the most Tours in history?
• Julian Alaphilippe's S-Works Tarmac SL7 at the Tour de France
• Radical new sunglasses for Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France
• Tour de France gallery: 40 years of time trial technology
• Mark Cavendish's Tour de France stage-winning S-Works Tarmac SL7
• 10-hour journey delivers sponsor-incorrect wheels for Van der Poel's Tour de France time trial
• Alpecin-Fenix go all-in with sponsor-incorrect tech as Van der Poel fights to keep yellow
• Kasper Asgreen to ride the Specialized Aethos in Tour de France mountain stages
• Tour de France helmets : Who's wearing what?
• Tour de France power analysis: Ben O'Connor's Stage 9 win in Tignes
• Spotted: Jumbo Visma on yet more non-sponsor wheels at the Tour de France

Race history

Pogačar is the reigning champion, having overhauled his Slovenian compatriot Roglič in the final time trial at last year's race. The 21-year-old became the race's second-youngest winner after Firmin Labot back in 1904.

Pogačar broke a Ineos/Sky stranglehold on the race, with the British team having won seven of the previous eight Tours de France with Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins and four-time winner Chris Froome. Vincenzo Nibali, then riding for Astana, was the other man to break the British squad's dominance with a win in 2014.

The Tour wins record is currently held by four men, with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain all on five titles.

2020 was also the year which saw the rare occasion of Sagan getting beaten in the battle for the green jersey. He lost out to Bennett after a race-long battle, but still holds the all-time green jersey rankings with seven wins in nine participations. Erik Zabel's six jerseys lie second, ahead of Sean Kelly's four.

Pogačar is the reigning mountain classification champion, too, having won the yellow, polka dot and white jerseys in 2020. He broke a three-year French stranglehold on the jersey after wins for Romain Bardet, Julian Alaphilippe and Warren Barguil.

Richard Virenque holds the record for polka dot jersey wins at seven, and it won't be beaten anytime soon as Rafał Majka is the only current rider to have won more than one king of the mountains title, with two.

Read on for a list of the riders with the most wins of the Tour de France, the most stage wins, as well as the major jerseys (active riders in bold ).

Most Tour de France wins

• 5 – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain
• 4 –  Chris Froome
• 3 – Phiilippe Thys, Louison Bobet, Greg LeMond
• 2 – Lucien Petit-Breton, Firmin Lambot, Ottavio Bottecchia, Nicolas Frantz, André Leducq, Antonin Magne, Sylvère Maes, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Bernard Thévenet, Laurent Fignon, Alberto Contador
• 1 – Vincenzo Nibali , Geraint Thomas , Egan Bernal , Tadej Pogačar

Most Tour de France stage wins

• 34 – Eddy Merckx
• 30 – Mark Cavendish
• 28 – Bernard Hinault
• 25 – André Leducq
• 22 – André Darrigade
• 20 – Nicolas Frantz
• 19 – François Faber
• 17 – Jean Alavoine
• 16 – Jacques Anquetiil, René Le Grevès, Charles Pélissiier –
• 12 – Peter Sagan
• 11 – André Greipel
• 7 – Chris Froome
• 6 – Vincenzo Nibali

Most Tour de France green jersey wins

• 7 –  Peter Sagan
• 6 – Erik Zabel
• 4 – Sean Kelly
• 3 – Jan Janssen, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Robbie McEwen
• 2 – Stan Ockers, Jean Graczyk, André Darrigade, Laurent Jalabert, Thor Hushovd
• 1 – Mark Cavendish , Michael Matthews , Sam Bennett

Most Tour de France polka dot jersey wins

• 7 – Richard Virenque
• 6 – Federico Bahamontes, Lucien Van Impe
• 3 – Julio Jiménez
• 2 – Felicien Vervaecke, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Imerio Massignan, Eddy Merckx, Luis Herrera, Claudio Chiappucci, Laurent Jalabert, Michael Rasmussen, Rafał Majka
• 1 – Nairo Quintana , Chris Froome , Warren Barguil , Julian Alaphilippe , Romain Bardet , Tadej Pogačar

• Tour de France 2021 map
• Tour de France 2021: The Essential Race Guide
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• Rest Day 1 2021-07-05

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Pogačar wins Tour de France stage 7 to extend lead to 35s

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard finished second. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, reacts after winning the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (Anne-Christine Poujoulat/Pool Photo via AP)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey drinks as he rides in the pack during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

People take pictures of riders in the pack with Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, crosses the finish line ahead of Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, poses at the start of the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Germany’s Lennard Kaemna clims La Super Planche des Belles Fille during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The pack rides between trees during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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LA PLANCHE DES BELLES FILLES, France (AP) — From the moment Tadej Pogačar heard the Tour de France would return to the summit of La Planche des Belles Filles this year, he wanted to win there again.

The Slovenian pulled if off on Friday in a nail-biting finish on the steep gravel slope of the mountain where he took the yellow jersey for the first time in 2020.

Victory in the first summit finish of this year’s Tour extended his lead after taking over the yellow jersey on Thursday.

“It was in my mind already a really, really long time, maybe since the route was already (revealed). It was a big, big goal to win today,” Pogačar said.

Pogačar caught, first, Lennard Kämna, who came agonizingly close to a breakaway win, and then Jonas Vingegaard with one last sprint at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles, a ski resort in the Vosges mountains of eastern France, near the German border. Pogačar had his family watching on and had extra motivation to win to mark the launch of his own cancer research foundation on Friday.

“It was really, really difficult, especially in the end, the last part. When Jonas attacked, he was so strong,” Pogačar said. “I had to push to the finish line.”

He started the 176-kilometer (109-mile) stage with a four-second lead over Neilson Powless and ended it with a 35-second advantage over Vingegaard. “A little bit is always good, but still, we know in cycling no gap is enough,” was the verdict of Pogačar, who praised Danish rider Vingegaard as “probably the best climber in the world” at the moment.

Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, sat third, 1 minute, 10 seconds back, and his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Adam Yates was 8 seconds further behind.

American rider Powless, Aleksandr Vlasov and Daniel Martinez were among the general classification contenders who lost time.

Kämna, who rode to a stunning stage win in the Alps in 2020, was part of a seven-man breakaway heading into the mountains and clung on to the lead solo for almost all of the last three kilometers. He placed fourth behind Pogačar, Vingegaard and Vingegaard’s teammate Primož Roglič, who was racing in pain after dislocating his shoulder when he crashed into a bale of straw on Wednesday.

“The pain after my crash the day before yesterday is no excuse for me and I refuse to give up. I will keep fighting no matter what. The recovery will improve day by day,” he said.

The mountain hits a 24% gradient near the top and the last section is on gravel, making it one of the Tour’s most fearsome climbs. The mountain was the site of Pogačar’s breakout moment on the 2020 Tour, when he took the yellow jersey from fellow Slovenian Roglič on the penultimate stage in a time trial and went on to win the race. Pogačar won the Tour again in 2021.

It’s the second time Pogačar has taken back-to-back stages after victory in stages 17 and 18 in the Pyrenees last year.

Saturday’s eighth stage is a hilly 186-kilometer route from Dole in eastern France to Lausanne in Switzerland.

The race ends on July 24 in Paris.

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

Will the Tour de France be won by the last man standing?

With Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič hitting the deck at Itzulia Basque Country, all three now face battle to get their seasons back on track

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News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here . As ever, email [email protected] - should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.

Juan Ayuso might have stood atop the podium at Itzulia Basque Country as the overall winner last week, but the biggest winner was possibly not the Spaniard, but his UAE Team Emirates teammate Tadej Pogačar .

The 25-year-old wasn’t present in the north of Spain, and so dodged the misfortune and injuries that befell his rivals for the Tour de France . It’s counterintuitive that avoiding racing makes you more of a favourite, but at Itzulia, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) were all impacted to different extents by the horror crash on stage four .

Evenepoel broke his collarbone and shoulder blade, while Roglič escaped serious injury, just receiving a lot of bruises and road rash, but it was Vingegaard who looked the worst off . The Dane remained motionless on the floor for a significant amount of time; it later transpired that he had broken his collarbone, several ribs, and suffered a collapsed lung. His plans for a defence of his Tour crown remain uncertain as a result.

It takes around six to eight weeks to bounce back from broken ribs and collarbone, but it isn’t so much the time away from racing, as the time away from training which could cause more concerns for three of the favourites for the Tour. In a video message, Evenepoel said his “long term goals”, ie the Tour, would not be impacted, but hard earned training gains could well be lost through the layoff.

Vingegaard was described as getting “a little bit better every day” by Richard Plugge, his team boss, at the weekend, but it will take a couple of weeks for the true extent of his injuries and the impact of them to be realised. 

On Tuesday, Visma-Lease a Bike reported that he had had a successful operation on his collarbone. However: "He will now spend the next few weeks recovering. It is not yet clear how long this will take. He is doing well and expresses his gratitude to everyone for their kind words over the past few days."

Pogačar then, the fourth member of this quad of Tour de France favourites, is the one who moves into the virtual lead, three months out from the race actually taking place. Of course, he has to race the Giro d’Italia in between now and then, in which anything could happen, but if he stays upright, it might be swinging towards the Slovenian. Perhaps, though, this is the year for someone out of the blue to win, the first surprise winner in years. Nothing can be predicted.

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Bike racing is often decided as much by fortune as by design. This is nothing new. How often have we been excited about a potential Tour for the ages, only for something to come up? The expectation is often better than the reality. That could well be the case with the 2024 Tour de France, which has been shaped already.

Visma-Lease a Bike, especially, cannot catch a break at the moment. The dominant squad of 2023 lost Wout van Aert to a crash ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and now have Vingegaard out of action for an unclear amount of time.

Away from the impact on the Tour, the crash was a reminder that something needs to be done to lessen the outcome of these racing incidents. As well as Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglič’s injuries, Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) suffered a cervical and two thoracic spine vertebral body fractures, while Steff Cras (TotalEnergies) also came away with a collapsed lung, broken ribs and a two fractured vertebrae. These kinds of injuries should not be normal.

Gino Mäder’s crash and subsequent death last June forced the UCI to create the SafeR project, which looked to study crashes and other parts of races to make them less dangerous. Because, as Vuelta stage winner Nicholas Roche said after the Itzulia crash , “it's not normal that riders should risk their life”.

Crashes are a part of cycling, and crashes mean injuries. However, they shouldn’t be life threatening, or so regular. Riders will not slow down, organisers will not want to be constrained in their route choices, and the money isn’t there to put crash protection on every descent. Action is needed. The lottery cannot go on.

This piece is part of  The Leadout , the offering of newsletters from  Cycling Weekly  and  Cyclingnews.  To get this in your inbox,  subscribe here .

If you want to get in touch with Adam, email [email protected] .

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Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

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Chris Froome: Another Tour de France stage win would be an 'amazing' way to end glittering career

Published 10/04/2024 at 10:20 GMT

Chris Froome was once the dominant force at the Tour de France, but after suffering serious injuries in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2019, his objectives have changed. Now 38, Froome has spoken about wanting to ride until he is 40 and also his hope to win another stage at the Tour de France. He has also given his thoughts on the "very impressive" Tadej Pogacar.

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Jonas Vingegaard has collapsed lung, Tour de France defense in doubt

• Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain -- Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard remained hospitalized in Spain a day after he broke his collarbone and several ribs in a bad crash with other top riders during the Tour of Basque Country.

The Danish rider's Visma-Lease A Bike team said Friday that further tests revealed the Vingegaard also suffered a collapsed lung and a pulmonary contusion. The team said that cycling's leading star was "stable and had a good night" but remains in a hospital in the northern Spanish city of Vitoria.

The accident comes less than three months before the start of the Tour on June 29 when Vingegaard is scheduled to to again face off against top rival Tadej Pogačar. That highly anticipated rematch is now in doubt.

Vingegaard was hardly moving as he was put in an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after the crash occurred on Thursday with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) left in the race's fourth stage.

The pileup also took out cycling stars Primoz Roglič and Remco Evenepoel.

Evenepoel, considered one of the favorites for the road race at the Paris Games, broke a collarbone and his right shoulder blade and was set to undergo surgery when he returns to Belgium on Friday, his Soudal Quick-Step team said.

The accident happened as riders were making what looked to be a conventional right-hand turn going downhill when one rider's front tire appeared to slip out and send other cyclists off the road. There were some large rocks and trees in the area, though it wasn't clear if any of the riders hit them. There was also a concrete drainage ditch place on the edge of the curve.

Roglic, a three-time Spanish Vuelta winner, emerged with just scratches but he did have to abandon the race he was leading.

Vingegaard was trying to defend the title he won last year at the six-day Tour of Basque Country.

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Van der Poel wins Tour of Flanders for third time

W orld road race champion Mathieu van der Poel produced a stunning long-range attack to win the Tour of Flanders for a record-equalling third time.

The Dutchman accelerated away from his rivals on the cobbles with 45km to go to became only the seventh rider to complete the hat-trick of victories.

The 29-year-old also became the first person to make the podium of the Monument in five consecutive seasons.

Along with wins in 2020 and 2022, Van der Poel was second in 2021 and 2023.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider used all his experience to navigate the 270km route in Belgium, made even more difficult by damp conditions, as he finished more than a minute ahead of the chasing pack.

Italian Luca Mozzato claimed second following a thrilling finish for the remaining podium places while German Nils Politt was given third after Australian Michael Matthews was demoted following an irregular sprint.

• Philipsen wins fastest Milan-San Remo

But there was no questioning Van der Poel's dominance in what was the second of the spring's Monuments - five classic one-day races that also include Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia.

He benefited from the absence of local favourite Wout van Aert , who was ruled out through injury, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar did not take part in the race as he is focusing on a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double this season.

Van der Poel will now be favourite for the Paris-Roubaix, which takes place next Sunday.