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Jonas Vingegaard Wins Tour de France, Completing His Sudden Ascent to Top

Vingegaard, 25, won cycling’s most prestigious race on his second attempt, setting up a new rivalry with the two-time champion he dethroned, Tadej Pogacar.

By Juliet Macur

PARIS — Head down and legs churning, Jonas Vingegaard crossed the finish line of the penultimate stage of the Tour de France on Saturday and cupped his hand over his mouth, as if to stifle a gasp. He had done what he had come to do, and his astonishing accomplishment was sinking in.

In only his second Tour de France, and only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Vingegaard, a 25-year-old Danish rider, had sealed his victory in cycling’s most prestigious race.

His victory became official on Sunday, when the race concluded with its traditional celebratory ride into Paris. But the Tour had been effectively over for days, and when Vingegaard finished second in Saturday’s time trial to his Jumbo-Visma teammate, Wout van Aert of Belgium, his effort on the 25-mile course was enough to leave him with such a large lead in the overall standings — 3 minutes 34 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer — that the final stage brought almost no drama at all.

Vingegaard steered clear of danger on the final laps in Paris, crossing — safely — alongside his teammates well behind the peloton. His winning time was 79 hours 33 minutes 20 seconds.

“We made a plan and we followed it 100 percent,” he said on the podium afterward . “And thanks to everyone in the team, behind the team. It has been really incredible journey for us and now we finally did it.”

After about three full weeks of the Tour, Vingegaard, as he had on Saturday, immediately sought out his partner and toddler daughter in the area past the finish line and gave them a long, sweaty hug.

While Vingegaard had pedaled up and down all the endless hills and unforgiving mountains, and across all the flat roads past fields of flowers and farms, he had wanted to win for them. During every day of searing heat that at times rose above 100 degrees, melting pavement and sidelining some riders with heat exhaustion, he said, he had steeled himself for them.

And, in the end, Vingegaard, who grew up in a small fishing town in northern Denmark, won what was arguably one of the most grueling Tours in history.

Tadej Pogacar, the Slovene rider looking for his third straight Tour win, finished second overall, 2:43 behind Vingegaard, after fighting Vingegaard for the lead until the race’s final days. Geraint Thomas of Britain, the 2018 Tour winner, was third, 7:22 off the pace. Every other rider was at least 13 minutes behind Vingegaard.

“I think the battle between me and Jonas was really something special,” Pogacar, 23, said Saturday, acknowledging the eventual outcome. He offered Sunday’s only hint of a surprise: a late sprint into the lead on Sunday’s final lap, though he was immediately reeled back into the lead group.

“It’s going to be an interesting couple of years ahead for us,” Pogacar said of his nascent rivalry with Vingegaard. “He’s stepped up from last year, he’s taken control of things from the beginning, and he’s proved he’s a strong rider.”

Going into this Tour, Pogacar most likely expected Vingegaard to be his greatest rival after Vingegaard’s improbable second-place finish last year.

In 2021, Jumbo-Visma’s top rider, Primoz Roglic, had dropped out of the Tour after a crash and Vingegaard took it upon himself to show what he could do . His performance was breathtaking — and unexpected. On the daunting Mont Ventoux, he left Pogacar behind to record one of the fastest times ever for that legendary climb.

Vingegaard’s entire career has been nothing short of a fairy tale played out on two wheels and on fast forward.

Six months before joining Jumbo-Visma in 2019, he was working part-time in a Danish factory where he gutted, cleaned and packed fish into ice-filled boxes. Before that, he worked at a fish auction. He credits those days of waking at 4 a.m. and all that hard manual labor in the shivering cold with helping him get to where he is now, at the top of the cycling world.

His Jumbo-Visma team, especially van Aert, was at his side all the way.

Van Aert had his own remarkable race, spending every day of the Tour except the first in the green jersey, which is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points for stage finishes and in midrace sprint sections. But his biggest achievement over the past three weeks might have been his support of Vingegaard.

Van Aert was there for Vingegaard when his teammate needed him the most on the grueling Hautacam climb that turned out to be the deciding stage in the overall competition. He took off on a breakaway and mercilessly dictated a fast pace, challenging the notion, at 6-foot-3, that light, smaller riders like Vingegaard and Pogacar are naturally the best climbers.

Pogacar, who was battling Vingegaard for the overall lead, couldn’t keep up. As Vingegaard and van Aert kept climbing, Pogacar faded, looking like a car with a sputtering engine as the Jumbo-Visma teammates powered ahead.

The Jumbo-Visma team had won six of the Tour’s 20 stages entering Sunday’s finale. After Saturday’s stage, though, Vingegaard faced questions about his fairy-tale career. One reporter asked him about his rapid rise in the sport, and about how he could have finished 22nd in the 2019 Danish national time trial and then go on to nearly win Saturday’s time trial after three weeks of the Tour.

If Vingegaard was familiar at all with Tour history, or Danish racing history, it was possible that he expected the question. The only other Dane to win the Tour was Bjarne Riis in 1996, and a decade later Riis admitted that he had doped to win the race. Many past winners, though none recently, have either been caught doping or have admitted to doing so.

No, Vingegaard said, he did not go fast because he had doped. It happened because he and his team improved his aerodynamics by toiling in the wind tunnel and adjusting his body position and bike.

“We’re totally clean,” he said in his news conference, broadening his denial to include his entire team. “Every one of us. I can say that to every one of you. No one of us is taking anything illegal.”

High-altitude training camps and attention to detail — in food, in equipment, in preparation — were behind Jumbo-Visma’s rise, he said. “That’s why you have to trust,” he said.

Vingegaard appears to take sportsmanship seriously. On one descent during Stage 18, Pogacar crashed on a section of gravel as he and Vingegaard zoomed down a hill nearly side by side. But instead of taking advantage of Pogacar’s fall, Vingegaard waited for him down the road, allowing his rival to catch up .

After coming back together, Pogacar reached out in an expression of gratitude and the two clenched hands in a moment that will be replayed for years as an example of the good side of sports.

But only one of them was invited to climb atop the podium in Paris and celebrate on the Champs-Élysées. Only one got to pose for photos and family memories that will last a lifetime. And only one will be celebrated in his home country this summer as the king of cycling.

A series of ceremonies honoring Vingegaard already has been scheduled in Copenhagen, the city that hosted the start of this year’s Tour — the kickoff to Vingegaard’s ride to victory.

Who Won the 2022 Tour de France?

Your stage-by-stage guide to the winners of the 2022 Tour.

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Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) won the yellow jersey as the overall winner of the 2022 Tour de France. The 25-year-old outlasted two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) of Slovenia to win his first Tour. Pogačar finished second, 2:43 back of Vingegaard, and Great Britain's Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) was third, 7:22 behind the lead, to round out the podium for the Tour's General Classification.

Here’s a look at how every stage of the 2022 Tour unfolded.

Stage 21 - Jasper Philipsen

Who Won the Tour?

Surrounded by his teammates, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) finished safely behind the peloton at the end of Stage 21 in Paris to win the 2022 Tour de France. The Dane won the Tour by 3:34 over Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who started the race as the two-time defending champion, and 8:13 over Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), who won the Tour in 2018 and finished second in 2019.

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the field sprint on the Champs-Élysées to take the final stage, defeating the Netherlands’ Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) and Norway’s Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) to win his second stage in this year’s Tour.

But the real story was Vingegaard, the 25-year-old from a fishing town in northern Denmark who is only the second rider from his nation to win the Tour de France. He rode an almost perfect race, only losing little bits of time to Pogačar on Stage 1, a rainy individual time trial in Copenhagen, Stage 5, a road stage over the cobbles of northern France, and on Stages 7, 8, and 9, when the Slovenian scored time bonuses at the end of each stage.

But Vingegaard was clearly just biding his time for the Alps, content to let Pogačar make big efforts for only a handful of seconds. And when it mattered most–on the steep slopes of the Col du Granon at the end of Stage 11–Pogačar was unable to respond when Vingegaard attacked to win the stage and take the yellow jersey that’s awarded each day to the rider who leads the Tour’s General Classification.

Pogačar vowed to keep fighting, and he kept his word. But Vingegaard responded quickly to each new assault, never faltering as the riders battled intense heat through the Massif Central. In the end it came down the Pyrenees, where Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates, each depleted due to the loss of key teammates, traded blows in the mountains. Again Vingeggard waited, following each of Pogačar’s accelerations with ease.

He delivered the coup de grace at the end of Stage 18 on the climb to Hautacam, the Tour’s last summit finish. Pulling away from Pogačar with about 4km left to climb, Vingegaard won the stage to put the Tour out of reach before Saturday’s time trial. Not leaving anything to chance, he still finished second in the race against the clock on Stage 20, confirming once and for all that the strongest rider won the 2022 Tour de France.

Pogačar isn’t going home empty-handed: in addition to finishing second overall, the 23-year-old won the white jersey as the Tour’s Best Young Rider and three stages during the Tour’s first week. But more importantly, he learned valuable lessons about how to better gauge his efforts during a Grand Tour. Pogačar remains the best all-around rider in the world, and with a little more tactical nous–and perhaps a bit more humility–he might get even better.

Who Really Won the Tour?

While INEOS-Grenadiers finished the Tour atop the Team’s Classification, Jumbo-Visma was the best team in the 2022 Tour de France.

In addition to winning the yellow jersey, Vingegaard also won the polka dot jersey as the winner of the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. His teammate, Belgium’s Wout van Aert, won the green jersey as the winner of the Tour’s Points Classification and was also named the Tour’s Most Aggressive Rider. Along the way the team won six stages: three with van Aert, two with Vingegaard, and one with France’s Cristophe Laporte.

Perhaps even more impressive was the manner in which the team defended Vingegaard’s lead in the Pyrenees during the Tour’s third week. The team lost Slovenia’s Primož Roglič and the Netherlands’ Steven Kruijswijk on Stage 15, with Roglič not taking the start and Kruijswijk crashing out on the road to Carcassonne. Two of the team’s strongest climbers, some wondered if this would spell the end of the team’s dominance, but led by van Aert and American Sepp Kuss, the team had all the firepower it needed to defend and then extend Vingegaard’s lead.

Is it the best overall performance by a team in Tour history? It might be–at least in the modern era. In 2012 Team Sky went 1-2 with Britons Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome and took six stage wins. In 1984 Renault-Elf riders finished first- and third-overall (France’s Laurent Fignon and American Greg Lemond) and won an incredible ten stages. Lemond also won the white jersey as the Tour’s Best Young Rider.

But Jumbo-Visma is not a team that cares how it stacks-up against other teams in history–all that matters is that it finally won the Tour de France after several years of near-misses and heartbreak. As fans we’re all in for a treat in the coming years, as Vingegaard and Pogačar are both young and show no signs of letting up any time soon.

Stage 20 Winner - Wout van Aert

Who's Winning The Tour?

Jumbo has absolutely dominated this Tour, with six stage wins from three different riders and taking home three of the four jersey classifications. Much of that is due to van Aert, who was also awarded the race’s “Super Combativity” prize for being the most aggressive rider throughout the race.

A generational talent, van Aert is nearly unmatched in the sport for his versatility; perhaps only Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock—reigning World Cyclocross Champion, Olympic MTB Champion, and Alpe d’Huez stage winner at this year’s Tour—has the same breadth of ability. The Belgian has now won nine Tour de France stages in four years, including time trials, field sprints, breakaways, uphill finishes, and mountain stages. He will also win his first green jersey, setting a record for the highest point total in that competition.

Who’s Really Winning the Tour?

Vingegaard, meanwhile, has cemented his rise to the top of the sport with a convincing Tour win that likely unseats Primož Roglič as Jumbo’s top GC rider. While Roglič has a deeper resumé of results, he’s been hit by bad luck in the Tour and at 32 is seven years older than Vingegaard.

At this year’s Tour, Vingegaard never seemed rattled by Pogačar’s aggressive racing to build an early lead, instead coolly waiting for the second half of the race where the long climbs suited his abilities. He withstood every challenge thrown at him, even when isolated in the Pyrenees on Stage 17 and almost crashing on the descent of the Col de Spandelles on Stage 18. As the strongest rider (this Tour, anyway) on the strongest team in the sport, Vingegaard put a decisive stop to Pogačar’s Tour-winning streak and showed that the foreseeable future of the Tour will be a massive fight between two of the sport’s best young racers, and maybe more.

Stage 19 Winner - Christophe Laporte

Who Winning The Tour?

In normal circumstances, Jumbo’s designated sprinter is Wout van Aert, winner of two stages this Tour, and who is mathematically assured to win the green jersey and score the highest points total ever in the competition. But on Stage 19, it was Laporte, who joined Jumbo in the offseason, who got the leadership nod and delivered the results.

An early breakaway of five was caught well before the finish, which soon triggered a dangerous move from three riders with just over 30km to go. So van Aert put in a powerful dig at the front in the final kilometers to help bring the group almost to the catch and then pulled off. Not long after, Laporte sprung his own perfectly timed move out of the pack, crossing the distance to the leaders and catching the others by surprise. On the slight rise to the finish and with leadouts in disarray behind, Laporte had plenty of room to hold off the chase and celebrate crossing the line.

Well, Jumbo. Entering the Tour, the Dutch powerhouse team was by broad consensus the strongest in the race. And even after losing two key riders to injury, they haven’t disappointed. Laporte’s victory is the fifth stage they’ve won this Tour, by three different riders, and they have excellent chances in the two remaining stages as well. They also will win three jerseys in Paris: van Aert’s green, plus Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow, and the polka-dot jersey for best climber, which Vingegaard also now leads after yesterday’s stage win.

The team is riding with huge confidence, as Laporte’s win shows. The 29-year-old Frenchman is a talented sprinter and Classics rider, but in his first year on Jumbo he’s showed a new level, highlighted by today's career-best moment. In eight previous seasons on Cofidis, his only other pro team, Laporte won 21 races, but it took his switch to Jumbo to get his first victories in WorldTour-level races. That’s a point that’s probably not lost on Cofidis, which is working a 14-year (and counting) dry streak since its last Tour stage win.

Stage 18 Winner - Jonas Vingegaard

Who’s Winning the Tour?

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) won Stage 18, the final summit finish of the 2022 Tour de France, to extend his lead at the top of the Tour’s General Classification. With the help of his Belgian teammate Wout van Aert, Vingegaard dropped Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 4.4km from the top of the climb to Hautacam. Van Aert pulled-off a few hundred meters later, leaving Vingegaard alone to take the stage–and barring catastrophe, the Tour.

Vingegaard won Stage 18 by 1:04 over Pogačar, extending his GC advantage to 3:26 over the Slovenian. Van Aert, wearing the green jersey as the leader of the Tour’s Points Classification, finished third on the stage, pumping his fist as he crossed the finish line.

Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) finished fourth on the day, losing more time to Vingegaard and Pogačar, but cementing his hold on the Tour’s final podium spot, a whopping 8:00 behind Vingegaard, but more importantly 3:05 ahead France’s David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) who moved up to fourth overall by finishing fifth on Stage 18.

With three days left in the 2022 Tour de France, Vingegaard looks assured of standing on the top step of the podium in Paris. Barring a crash, a mechanical, or a terrible ride in Saturday’s 40km individual time trial, the Dane’s lead is too much for Pogačar to overcome. Pogačar and Thomas look certain to stand next to Vingegaard on the Tour’s final podium. Thomas is one the Tour’s better time trialists, and there’s little chance of Gaudu overtaking him.

By winning the Tour’s final summit finish atop the Hors Categorie climb to Hautacam, Vingegaard also took the lead in the Tour’s King of Mountains competition. He won’t get a chance to wear the polka dot jersey as the leader of the classification, but with only three Category 4 climbs left in the race, he’s assured of taking the prize.

In the end, Stage 18 capped a legendary team performance for Jumbo-Visma, who looks set to go home with the yellow, green, and polka dot jerseys and at least four stage wins. And with two more stages expected to end in sprints and a long time trial on Saturday–all of which suit van Aert–the team’s tally could increase.

Stage 17 Winner - Tadej Pogacar

Two days in the Pyrenees down, one to go: Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) once again held on to the yellow jersey as the overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France after finishing second on Stage 17 in Peyragudes. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the stage, outsprinting Vingegaard to win his third stage of this year’s Tour. Pogačar’s teammate, the United States’ Brendan McNulty, finished third after doing much of the work in the latter parts of the stage.

Pogačar trimmed four seconds from Vingegaard’s lead thanks to the 10-second time bonus he earned for winning the stage. (Vingegaard took six seconds of his own by finishing second.) The Dane now leads the Slovenian by 2:18 on the Tour’s General Classification. Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) lost time to both riders, but remains third overall, 4:56 behind Vingegaard.

Once again Vingegaard and Pogačar proved to be the two best riders in the 2022 Tour de France. Despite winning the stage, the long-range attacks that we expected from Pogačar never materialized. This has been the fastest Tour in history (so far), and given the intense heat the riders have faced and the tenacity with which Pogačar has raced since the Tour started almost three weeks ago, we suspect he’s simply running out of gas he needs to make large gains on Vingegaard.

Even after losing Poland’s Rafa Majka to a thigh injury before the start of the stage, leaving him with only three teammates, Pogačar’s team was the strongest on Stage 17, with McNulty setting a pace that dropped everyone but Vingegaard. With one more day in the Pyrenees with three categorized climbs including two “Beyond” Category ascents, Pogačar will need a similar performance from the American if he’s to have any chance of gaining more time on Vingegaard.

Thomas looks firmly entrenched in third. Despite losing time to Vingegaard and Pogačar on Stage 17, he gained time on everyone behind him. He now sits 2:57 ahead of Colombia’s Nairo Quintana (Arkéa–Samsic), and with a long individual time trial on Saturday, he should have no problems defending his place on the podium.

So tomorrow, all eyes will be–again–on the Tour’s top-2 riders, with one day left for Vingegaard to solidify his lead before the time trial, and one day left for Pogačar to get close enough to give himself a chance of winning a third consecutive Tour de France.

Stage 16 Winner - Hugo Houle

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) survived the first of three days in the Pyrenees to hold on to the yellow jersey as the overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France. The 25-year-old finished safely in a small group of GC contenders and their teammates in Foix at the end of Stage 16, maintaining his 2:22 advantage over Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the two-time defending champion. After getting gapped on the final climb of the stage, Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) managed to rejoin the group of favorites on the long road down to the finish. He remains third overall, 2:43 behind Vingegaard on the Tour’s General Classification.

It was a bigger day for Canada and Israel-Premier-Tech, though as Canadian Hugo Houle won the stage and his teammate and compatriot, Michael Woods, finished third. A career domestique who usually spends his time sacrificing his own chances for the sake of other riders, Houle crossed the line pointing to the sky in honor of his brother Pierrik, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2012 while out for a run. Houle’s win is only the second Tour de France stage win for a Canadian in Tour history. Steve Bauer, Houle’s team director, won the nation’s first stage back 1988.

As expected, Pogačar started his assault on Vingegaard’s yellow jersey with a series of attacks on the day’s penultimate climb, the Category 1 Port de Lers. Accelerating multiple times on both the climb and the descent after the summit, the Slovenian was matched each time by Vingegaard, gaining no time on the yellow jersey. By the time the riders reached the day’s final climb, the Category 1 Mur de Péguère, Pogačar seemed happy to let others set the pace, resigned to the fact that Vingegaard wasn’t budging–at least not today.The stage a tactical battle between the Tour’s three best teams as Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates, and INEOS Grenadiers all sent riders on the attack early in the hopes that their team leaders would have an extra support rider for the long descent from the top of the final climb to the finish in Foix at the end of the stage. The plan worked well as Vingegaard had Belgium’s Wout van Aert (along with American Sepp Kuss, who stayed with Vingegaard over the final climb), Pogačar had American Brendan McNulty, and Thomas had Colombia’s Dani Martinez waiting to help. France’s Romain Bardet (Team DSM) was the day’s biggest loser. The former podium finisher entered the day fourth overall, but lost over 3:36 on the stage to fall to ninth, 6:37 behind Vingegaard. The Tour’s best Frenchman is now David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) who moved up to fifth overall (4:24 behind the leader) with another strong ride. And last but not least, there’s Colombia’s Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) who was the only rider able to hang with Vingegaard, Pogačar, and Kuss to the top of the Mur de Péguère. Currently fourth at 4:15, a podium finish might be a stretch given the fact that there’s a long individual time trial on Saturday. But a top-5 finish would be a fine result for the 32-year-old–especially if he’s somehow able to combine it with a mountain stage win on one of the next two stages. With Vingegaard and Pogačar locked in at the top of the GC, Quintana might be given a little bit of breathing room to go for the win on one the upcoming summit finishes.

Stage 15 Winner - Jasper Philipsen

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) survived a long, hot day in the saddle to retain the yellow jersey as the overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France. The 25-year-old finished safely with the leading group at the Stage 15 finish in Carcassonne, but the day also saw the departure of two of his most important teammates. Heading into the second Rest Day, the top-3 riders on the Tour’s General Classification remain unchanged with Vingegaard leading Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) by 2:22 and Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) by 2:43.

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the stage in Carcassonne, outsprinting Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Denmark’s Mads Pedersen to take the first Tour de France stage win of his career.

Despite defending Vingegaard’s lead for another day and van Aert’s second-place finish, Stage 15 was a day to forget for Jumbo-Visma. It began with the announcement that Slovenia’s Primož Roglič would not be starting the stage. The 32-year-old began the Tour as one of the favorites to win the race overall, but he crashed hard on the cobbled Stage 5, separating his shoulder and losing several minutes to the other GC contenders. With his own GC chances gone, he became a super-domestique on behalf of Vingegaard, and played a large role in helping his Danish teammate take the yellow jersey on Stage 11 in the Alps. But this morning he abandoned the race to begin recovering from the injuries he sustained, a calculated risk with three days in the Pyrenees still to come.

As if to emphasize that gamble, a crash with about 67km to go brought down the Netherlands’ Steven Kruijswijk, who was forced to abandon the race with a suspected broken collarbone. Another top climber for Jumbo-Visma, Kruijswijk was 13th overall at the start of the stage and his good form was likely one of the reasons why the team felt comfortable letting Roglič head home.

And then the unthinkable almost happened: as Kruijswijk was being lifted into an ambulance, another crash brought down Vingegaard and Belgium’s Tiesj Benoot, one of the team’s top all-rounders. The yellow jersey was quickly able to rejoin the peloton, but Benoot struggled behind, obviously hurting from the fall.

The loss of Roglič and Kruijswijk will be felt most in the Pyrenees, leaving the United States’ Sepp Kuss as Vingegaard’s best domestique in the mountains. Yes, Kuss is one of the best climbers in the peloton and is probably better than anyone else’s top mountain domestique, but losing Roglič and Kruijswijk decimates the team’s depth. And if Benoot’s injuries worsen during the Rest Day and he’s unable to start Stage 16, Jumbo-Visma will have only four riders left to protect the yellow jersey. That’s not good–especially with Pogačar clearly recovered from his bad day on Stage 11 and eager to throw everything he’s got at Vingegaard.

Stage 14 Winner - Michael Matthews

Australia’s Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) took a fantastic stage win, the fourth of his career. Riding with determination after several near-misses so far in this year’s Tour, the 31-year-old joined the day’s big breakaway, initiated the winning move in the stage’s final hour, dropped his two breakaway companions on the tough final climb, and was caught and gapped by Italy’s Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) midway up the ascent. But the Australian kept himself in contention, catching and then passing Bettiol while cresting the summit to win the stage—almost five years to the day after taking his last Tour de France stage victory. Bettiol finished second, and France’s Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was third.

With the Pyrenees looming, the battle to win the 2022 Tour de France has been reduced to just two contenders, with Pogačar attacking and Vingegaard having no trouble following the Slovenian’s acceleration on the Côte de la Croix Neuve at the end of Stage 14. Behind them, the rest of the Tour’s general classification contenders all lost time.

But while the time gaps between Pogačar-Vingegaard and the other contenders weren’t huge on the finish line in Mende, it’s clear that everyone else is racing for third–a boon to Vingegaard as Pogačar will likely find few allies willing to risk a possible podium place by attacking the yellow jersey in the final week.

Even better for Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma is the fact that Pogačar and his team continue to make questionable decisions. The Slovenian launched a 200-meter sprint at the end of the stage–for no good reason–and the team put Spain’s Marc Soler in the day’s big breakaway, which might have made sense had the team not already lost two riders to COVID-19. If Pogačar is to win a third Tour de France, he’s going to need all the help he can get from his teammates, and allowing Soler to waste energy on a day like this might be something they later regret.

Stage 13 Winner - Mads Pedersen

Former world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) put on a display of perfectly executed tactics as he won a three-way sprint from the remains of the day’s breakaway, to take victory in Stage 13 of the Tour de France.

Pedersen narrowly missed out on stage win chances back in the Tour’s start in his native Denmark. But he made up for that disappointment on a transitional stage out of the Alps, taking his first-ever Tour victory out of a day-long breakaway. Pedersen specializes in hard days in bad weather, and while that usually means cold, wet conditions like his 2019 World Championship title, he proved equally as capable in withering heat.

Pedersen joined a seven-rider breakaway that finally established itself after 50km of hard racing. With world-class time trialists Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) in the mix, the pack—led by sprint teams Lotto-Soudal and Alpecin-Deceuninck—kept a tight leash on the gap. American Tour debutants Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) and Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) also joined.

But a heavy crash by Lotto sprinter Caleb Ewan at around 75km to go disrupted the chase severely. Ewan, clearly hurt, briefly regained the main field but soon dropped back again, and his team pulled off the front. BikeExchange-Jayco took up the hunt, but without allies they were unable to make much of a dent in the gap given the raw horsepower driving the break. With the break’s survival all but assured, Pedersen attacked on a grinding false flat with 13km to go, dropping everyone but Bahrain-Victorious’s Fred Wright and Hugo Houle of Israel-Premier Tech, then positioned himself perfectly to outsprint them at the finish.

For yellow jersey wearer Jonas Vingegaard, today was a day to stay out of the wind and out of trouble. He had little issue accomplishing that, capably protected by his powerhouse Jumbo-Visma team. The day was not expected to offer difficulties for him and generally didn’t. But a brief split in the peloton with around 40km to go hinted at risks to come in the next two days.

Saturday’s Stage 14 is another lumpy one, through the Massif Centrale with an uphill finish in Mende on the short but steep Cote de Croix Neuve. Sunday’s stage has the risk of crosswinds, and both should be uncomfortably hot. Vingegaard will simply be looking to get through both without mishaps and try to recover as well as he can ahead of the Pyrenees.

Stage 12 Winner - Tom Pidcock

A day after taking the yellow jersey, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) remained atop the General Classification of the 2022 Tour de France after finishing sixth on Stage 12 atop the legendary climb of Alpe d’Huez. The Dane had little trouble following the attacks of Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the two-time defending Tour champion who lost the yellow jersey as the Tour’s overall leader on Stage 11. The Slovenian made three hard accelerations on the upper half of the climb, all of which were easily covered by Vingegaard.

Thanks to his efforts, Pogačar moved up to second overall at 2:22, overtaking France’s Romain Bardet (Team DSM) on the final climb to gain a spot on GC. Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) jumped over the Frenchman into third at 2:26. Bardet recovered enough to stay within sight of the podium; he now sits fourth overall at 2:35.

The stage went to Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers), the third-youngest rider in this year’s Tour. Winner of the mountain bike race at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer, the Briton used his superior descending skills to bridge up to the breakaway earlier in the stage, putting himself in contention for the victory. South Africa’s Louis Meintjes (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux) finished second, and Great Britain’s Chris Froome (Israel-PremierTech), himself a 4-time winner of the Tour, finished third.

We learned two things on Stage 12: Pogačar has recovered from his jour sans on Stage 11 and has no intention of going down without a fight; and Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma team are up to the challenge of defending the yellow jersey. Pogačar pulled no punches when attacking on Alpe d’Huez, but Vingegaard immediately responded, riding tempo behind the Slovenian, almost daring him to blow himself up in a fruitless effort to dislodge the yellow jersey.

Pogačar’s final attack came as the riders approached the finish line, a questionable choice considering there were no time bonuses to be gained. Thomas even shook his head as he crossed the line, perhaps also wondering why Pogačar made such an effort to gain nothing on his rivals. Many have suggested that Pogačar’s relentless attacks during the Tour’s first week left him exposed on Stage 11. If true, his sprint at the end of Stage 12 perhaps indicates that he still has a few lessons to learn. Regardless, we’re in for a treat as the Tour continues. Vingegaard’s lead is large, but Pogačar is the most dangerous rider in the peloton. The Tour is far from over.

Stage 11 Winner - Jonas Vingegaard

Vingegaard’s team set the race on its ear midway through the 151.7km stage, when Primož Roglič accelerated out of the group of contenders and blew up the pack on the long, double ascent of the Col du Telegraphe and Col du Galibier. Pogačar followed along with some of the other top riders, but was isolated from his team, which has been reduced by COVID positives. The two favorites traded attacks but neither could get clear of the other, and small groups eventually reformed on the Galibier and on the descent to the final climb.

On the seldom-used Granon, which hasn’t been a Tour climb in 36 years, Vingegaard’s team strength of five against two for Pogačar’s UAE-Team Emirates squad was quickly reduced, but it didn’t seem to bother the Danish rider. After attacks by Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) and Romain Bardet (DSM), Vingegaard countered and quickly gained a significant gap on Pogačar (who didn’t really try to follow), then pressed his advantage to overtake all other riders on the road and take a convincing stage win.

Who's Really Winning The Tour?

Jumbo brought their full team strength today and was rewarded with the stage win and race lead for Vingegaard. And what a lead: after entering the day :39 down to Pogačar, he’s now 2:16 clear of Bardet in second, and 2:22 ahead of Pogačar. Jumbo has the strongest team in the race and is now well-positioned to defend Vingegaard’s lead.

For Pogačar’s part, the two-time defending Tour champion struggled on the final climb. Under attack and without teammates, he was visibly uncomfortable, rocking back and forth on the bike with his jersey fully unzipped. Whether it was the effort of responding to Jumbo’s aggression, the heat, the lack of teammates due to COVID, or his own as-yet unseen battle with the virus, Pogačar was in distress in a way that he has never been at the Tour or almost any other race. The next few days will tell us a lot about whether today was just a crack on a wickedly hard day, the start of a bigger fade, or rooted in some other cause.

Stage 10 Winner - Magnus Cort

A medium mountain stage that took a circuitous route past, but not over, some of the most feared climbs in the Alps, Stage 10 was always ripe for a breakaway. It took an hour for the move to get established, with repeated attacks, catches, and counterattacks. A first-hour average speed of 48.4 kilometers per hour decimated the field and briefly left yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar without many of his teammates around him.

The eventually successful breakaway had 25 riders from a whopping 18 of the 22 teams in the race. With such broad representation, the chase lacked enthusiasm and the gap grew to seven minutes, then nine after a brief on-road stop due to climate protesters blocking the race route. With Bora-Hansgrohe’s Lennard Kämna in the move, that put Pogačar’s yellow jersey up for grabs. On the final climb, the break splintered under the pressure of repeated attacks and counters. It briefly re-formed on the finishing ramp of the Megeve Altiport runway, where Cort’s bike throw got him the stage win by just centimeters, from BikeExchange-Jayco’s Nick Schultz.

Yellow jersey Pogačar had no real personal difficulty defending his race lead on the long but relatively gentle climb to the Megeve Altiport. But his grip on the top spot in the standings is looking a bit more tenuous. A second teammate, George Bennett, was forced out of the race with a positive COVID diagnosis, and a third, Rafal Majka, is reportedly positive but allowed to stay in the race for now because he has a low viral load. But UAE is already down to six riders, and if Majka—who has been Pogačar’s best teammate in the mountains—gets worse and has to drop out or even simply can't do his usual workload, that will put major pressure on the remaining riders in the team.

At the same time, challengers like Jumbo-Visma and Ineos Grenadiers are still at full strength. And Jumbo did a savvy move in the final kilometers to lift the pace just enough to ensure Pogačar kept yellow over Kämna. That forces UAE to continue defending the race lead. What’s more, Jumbo and Ineos each have two riders high on the overall standings, which presents a possible strategy of sending someone like Primož Roglič up the road to force Pogačar’s team to chase. If that effort isolates Pogačar, he is vulnerable to attacks that he will have to respond to personally. While the two-time defending champion has looked sharp and aggressive in the race’s first 10 days, it’s worth noting that his 39-second lead over his nearest real challenger, Jumbo’s Jonas Vingegaard, is far less than at this point in last year’s Tour, when he had a five-minute advantage.

Stage 9 Winner - Bob Jungels

Who Is Winning The Tour?

Four years ago, Jungels was a rising star in the sport. A talented time trialist, the 25-year-old had shown his abilities in everything from cobbled classics to the Ardennes, capped by his 2018 win of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, one of the most prestigious one-day races in the sport. But his career was instead sidetracked in a slow fade due to what was diagnosed in 2021 as iliac arterial endofibrosis, a narrowing of pelvic arteries that causes pain and power loss during hard exercise. Surgery forced him to miss last year’s Tour and the Olympics, but appears to have fixed the problem.

His stage win here—along with that LBL win the highlight of his career—is his first victory since 2019 outside Luxembourg’s national championships. It also salvages some of what has so far been a rough Tour for his Ag2r team, which has seen yellow jersey contender Ben O’Connor’s GC hopes go up in smoke the past few days with his own health issues, plus the COVID-forced withdrawal of Geoffrey Bouchard yesterday morning.

Five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault, nicknamed “the Badger” for his tenacious, gritty racing style, has a motto for yellow jersey contenders: no gifts. It’s one that Pogačar appears to take to heart. On a day where the current race leader could have simply rolled across the line with his rivals, he was instead aggressive, punching out in the final few hundred meters even though no stage win or time bonuses were on the line.

Whether surprised or just exhausted after a hard week of racing, most of the rest of the diminished group of contenders didn’t immediately respond, save one rider: Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard, who is rapidly emerging as the lone candidate with any credible shot of denying Pogačar a third straight Tour victory. Vingegaard fought hard to claw back to Pogačar’s wheel at the finish line. The rest of the group conceded another three seconds to Pogačar’s steadily growing lead. One rider—Ineos Grenadiers’ Dani Martinez—fell out of contention entirely after being dropped on the final climb. He gave up 16 minutes and dropped 20 places on the overall classification. Another hopeful, Cofidis’ Guillaume Martin, was ruled out at the start with COVID-19, the third rider to be sidelined by the virus once the race started. Monday is a rest day in Morzine, where the race will test every rider. More forced withdrawals are likely.

Stage 8 Winner - Wout van Aert

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) remained the overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France after finishing third on Stage 8 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Thanks to the 4-second time bonus he earned with his third-place finish, Pogačar extended his lead on the Tour’s General Classification to 39 seconds over Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and 1:14 over Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers). Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) outsprinted Australia’s Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) to win the stage, his second victory in this year’s Tour.

At one point it looked as if Pogačar was about to take his third victory in a row, as the Slovenian covered every surge on the climb to the finish line, his team firmly in control of the race. In effect, his team’s efforts handed the race to van Aert by setting such a high pace that no one could accelerate away before the inevitable small group sprint. With one stage left before the Rest Day, Pogačar is firmly in control of the race, and with a longer, Category 1 climb to the finish line at the end of Stage 9, the 23-year-old could extend his lead some more.

Van Aert was the day’s biggest winner, as the Belgian essentially put the green jersey away with his second stage win. He now leads the Netherlands’ Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) by 75 points on the Tour’s Points Classification, and few chances for the sprinters remaining in this year’s Tour, should have little trouble defending the jersey all the way to Paris. The Belgian’s large lead also means that he can now focus his energy on supporting Vingegaard’s efforts to try and upset Pogačar at the top of the Tour’s General Classification, a tall order that will take a coordinated team effort to pull off.

Stage 7 Winner - Tadej Pogacar

The Tour’s first true summit finish always leads to a clarification on who’s got the legs and who doesn’t, and the steep gravel ramps of the Super Planche des Belles Filles held true to that rule. When Pogačar’s last teammate, Rafal Majka, swung off the front with just a kilometer to go, the opportunity was ripe for an attack on an isolated yellow jersey. Instead, it was Pogačar himself who jumped, quickly going clear with a handful of challengers including the Jumbo duo of Vingegaard and Primož Roglič and Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates.

As other riders—DSM’s Romain Bardet, David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ, and Movistar’s Enric Mas—slipped off the front, it was Vingegaard who made the attack in the last 200 meters that finally overhauled lone breakaway survivor Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe). Vingegaard briefly got a gap on Pogačar, but the two-time Tour winner dug deep and put in his own massive acceleration to come past Vingegaard just before the finish line. Roglič led the others across the line, 12 seconds behind.

Just as in 2021, it’s looking like a two-rider race for the overall, and it’s the same pair: Pogačar and Vingegaard. Roglič looked surprisingly strong for a guy who separated his shoulder two days ago, but Vingegaard has been the only rider in the peloton capable of even briefly challenging Pogačar the last year or so.

Pogačar, for his part, seems entirely capable of withstanding that challenge. While his team performed decently today, what’s been clear the first week of the Tour is that Pogačar is not only capable, but confident, riding on his own. His calculated aggression at the finish today speaks to a deep reserve of mental strength; briefly gapped, he could have told himself a few seconds weren't worth the effort. But in hauling Vingegaard back and going past him for the win, he sent an unmistakable message: there are no cracks here. Vingegaard is the only rider within a minute of Pogačar on overall time, and with Roglič well back in 13th place, almost three minutes down, if Jumbo wants to win the Tour it’s going to require Roglič to take a secondary role in service of the team that he normally leads.

Stage 6 Winner - Tadej Pogacar

Pogačar was always going to be the most-marked rider at the Tour, but he seemed entirely untroubled by that focus as he struck out for a stage win and the overall lead. A day-long breakaway by yellow jersey Wout van Aert was caught with 11km to go, but having the race leader out front meant the pace was infernally high: Pogačar’s average speed for the four-and-a-half hour stage was an astonishing 49.4kph: more than 5kph higher than the fastest expected time.

The fatigue from the pace showed in the final kilometers: a touch of wheels on a straight section of road just inside 10km to go brought down a handful of riders and caused a split in the pack that delayed Vlasov. Then, the two final climbs whittled the lead group to under 40 riders, then 30, and finally just 14. Surprisingly, it was Jumbo-Visma’s Primož Roglič—suffering a separated shoulder from a crash yesterday—who started the sprint, but Pogačar quickly countered and no one could match his speed. He’ll enter Friday’s seventh stage as overall leader by four seconds over EF Education First-Easypost's Neilson Powless, and a likely repeat stage winner.

Stage 5 Winner - Simon Clarke

Clarke missed the day’s breakaway but bridged across and held tough over 11 sectors of rough cobbled roads to take a photo-finish sprint victory over Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty). The 35-year-old Australian has been a pro since 2006, with 11 seasons on the WorldTour. And he’s twice won stages of the Vuelta Espańa. But his improbable win here—he’s a climber, not a cobbled Classics specialist—is the jewel in his long career.

Van Aert managed to stay in yellow despite any number of challenges. An early crash left him looking uncharacteristically hesitant on the first sections of cobbles, well back in the pack. But when disaster befell his Jumbo-Visma team in the form of mechanicals and crashes, van Aert sprung into action, putting his formidable TT skills to work pacing teammate Jonas Vingegaard. As a result of his efforts, he managed to stay in yellow, but his lead shrank to 13 seconds.

Who’s Really Winning The Tour?

Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) looked as unruffled and at ease as one can be while bouncing over cobbled roads at 50 kilometers an hour. Pogačar was attentive and at the front all day, and usually had at least one or two teammates nearby. He had no crashes and no mechanicals of note. When Trek-Segafredo’s Jasper Stuyven struck out in late pursuit of the breakaway, it was Pogačar—and only Pogačar—who managed to match the pace. The pair never made the catch, but finished 14 seconds clear of the furious, van Aert-led chase. Although Pogačar drops one spot on GC to fourth, he put time into every one of his competitors. The Ineos Grenadiers trio of Geraint Thomas, Dani Martinez, and Adam Yates stemmed most of the damage, as did Bora’s Aleksandr Vlasov. All came home in the van Aert/Vingegaard group close behind Pogačar.

By contrast, Jumbo had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day saved only by van Aert’s heroic pulls. Co-leader Vingegaard had a panicked series of bike changes after a flat and looked to lose serious time until van Aert steadied the chase. Ultimately, he lost just 14 seconds and sits seventh overall, 21 seconds behind Pogaçar. Far less fortunate was teammate Primož Roglič, caught in a senseless crash on the pavement caused by an errant haybale in a roundabout. Roglič quickly dropped off the pace and, despite help from teammates, conceded over two minutes to Pogačar. He’s now way back in 44th overall. Ag2r’s Ben O’Connor had an even worse day, shipping almost three and a half minutes to Pogačar, while Bahrain-Victorious’ Jack Haig dropped out.

Stage 4 Winner - Wout van Aert

It had been a bittersweet overall lead until now for van Aert, who took the yellow jersey on time bonuses, but had finished second on three straight stages. The Belgian superstar left nothing to chance on Stage 4. After a relatively quiet stage, his Jumbo-Visma team laid down a blistering pace leading into the day’s final climb, the short and not-particularly steep Côte du Cap Blanc-Nez, at 10.8km to go. Van Aert's average speed over the final 20km was a time-trial like 52.2kph.

The pack seemed unprepared for such a strong, team-wide move, and a small group briefly went clear with van Aert, teammate Jonas Vingegaard, and Ineos Grenadiers’s Adam Yates. The bulk of the pack came back together shortly over the summit, but van Aert took advantage of the chaos to keep the tempo high, and the expert time-trialist quickly got a gap of almost 30 seconds on a demoralized, disorganized chase. By steadily accruing time bonuses, van Aert has stretched his lead out to 25 seconds over second place. And with the next two stages—Wednesday’s cobbled affair and Thursday’s punchy uphill finish in Longwy—suiting his talents, he could add to both his lead and career stage win totals.

Jumbo’s attack showed the team’s aggression and discipline, as the move was almost perfectly executed and caught not just van Aert's rival sprinters, but many GC hopefuls, by surprise. Although the race came back together before the finish, what was maybe most notable was that Vingegaard was part of the small first group over the climb, while teammate and co-leader Primož Roglič wasn’t.

Maybe Roglič (correctly) bet the race would come back together and it wasn’t a wise use of strength. But after he seemed slightly less fit on climbs than Vingegaard at June’s Criterium du Dauphiné, the fact that he wasn’t present at a crucial moment will do little to settle the debate about which rider is the team’s best shot at yellow. Elsewhere, Ineos was clearly the most watchful of the GC teams, with Yates, Geraint Thomas, and Dani Martinez attentive at the front. There’s a lot of race left in the Tour but we may look back on today’s events as a predictor of what was to come.

Stage 3 Winner - Dylan Groenewegen

Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) remained the new overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France after finishing second on Stage 3 in Sønderborg. The 27-year-old actually extended his lead by earning a 6-second time bonus on the finish line. The Netherland’s Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) won the stage, his first Tour stage win since 2019.

The Tour now takes a day off to travel back to France, with van Aert leading the Tour’s General Classification by 7 seconds over Belgium’s Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and 14 seconds over Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). The next three stages suit the Belgian’s talents, so there’s a good chance that he’ll hold the Tour’s yellow jersey for a few more days.

Who’s really winning the Tour?

A relatively peaceful stage was interrupted by a large crash with about 10km to-go, emphasizing how important it is to stay as close to the front as possible at the end of these early stages.

Luckily, most of the Tour’s GC contenders managed to avoid losing time, with the exception of Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost), who was held up by a crash for the second day in row and this time was unable to rejoin the leaders. The 35-year-old lost 39 seconds by the finish, a tough blow to his chances of scoring a high finish in Paris.

Stage 2 Winner - Fabio Jakobsen

Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) is the new overall leader of the 2022 Tour de France. The 27-year-old finished on Stage 2 in Nyborg and earned a 6-second time bonus for his efforts, enough to take the yellow jersey from his compatriot Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), who entered the day in yellow after winning Stage 1. Van Aert will start Sunday’s Stage 3 with a 1-second lead over Lampaert, and an 8-second lead over Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

But all was not lost for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl as Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen won the stage. Riding his first Tour de France, the 25-year-old rewarded the faith his team displayed by bringing him to the Tour over Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish, who won four stages last year and remains one win away from becoming the winningest rider in Tour history. (He currently shares the honor with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.)

A lot of bullets were dodged on Stage 2 as the strong winds that were expected to blow apart the race had little impact, most likely because the Great Belt Bridge was so wide that the peloton could spread itself across the road, offering shelter to everyone who needed it.

There were crashes, though. EF Education-EasyPost’s Rigoberto Urán went down just before the peloton turned onto the Great Belt Bridge, but thanks to a little help from his teammates, the Colombian was able to rejoin the peloton. Lampaert was brought down by a crash as well, but the peloton seemed to slow a bit, perhaps out of deference to the Belgian’s yellow crash.

A larger crash cut-off about two thirds of the peloton as it raced toward the finish line, but it happened inside the final 3km, which meant no one lost time on the Tour’s General Classification. That’s why Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who finished the stage almost three minutes after Jakobsen, still sits third overall.

So in the end, while the yellow jersey changed hands, the race to win the Tour was unaffected. And considering how crazy the opening stages of the Tour de France can be, that’s a win for everyone.

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Former fish market worker seals stunning Tour de France victory

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France on Sunday, ending the reign of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar after a gruelling three weeks and 3,350km of relentless struggle.

The 25-year-old former fish-market worker claimed his first Tour de France title, a year after his breakout performance when he came second to Pogacar.

“This victory is huge for me, it’s incredible,” said Vingegaard as he stood on top of the podium on a sun-kissed Champs Elysees.

“There are so many people I want to thank but I don’t know where to start,” he added, reserving particular praise for organisers who started the race in his native Denmark.

Vingegaard also hailed teammate Wout van Aert as “phenomenal” and “the best rider in the world”, as he was flanked by second-placed Pogacar and 2018 champion Geraint Thomas, who was third.

“We had a plan and we followed it to the letter, all my teammates outdid themselves,” added the champion.

Vingegaard was born in December 1996 and raised in Hillerslev, a fishing village of just 370 inhabitants, in a completely flat landscape on the shores of the North Sea.

He joined Colo-Quick, a continental Tour team, at 19 and worked in a fish business in the mornings before training.

“I had to get up early, but it gave me something to do, and I wasn’t sure if I would become a professional cyclist,” Vingegaard said.

Packed ranks of Danes in front of the podium began to chant his name as he thanked “the two girls in my life”, a reference to his partner and daughter.

“Without them, I couldn’t have done this.”

Runner-up Pogacar won three stages along the way and also took the white jersey for best under-25 rider for a third straight year.

He was thanked by Vingegaard for this “formidable battle”.

“The white jersey wasn’t really what I was after, but I’m happy with how I raced and am proud to be second,” said Pogacar.

“We all dream when we are children of one day being on the Tour de France, of becoming a professional cyclist.

“The simple fact of participating in the Tour is incredible, especially when you come from a country like Slovenia. So to finish second is still exceptional.” Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen won the dash for the line on the cobbled Champs Elysees to take the iconic final stage victory, his second of this Tour, turning the page on his embarrassment at mistakenly celebrating on stage four, when he had in fact finished second.

“This is the nicest win for any sprinter, it buries the end of the Tour, this one counts,” said Philipsen.

Jumbo-Visma produced a brilliant collective effort with six stage wins, the green sprint jersey and the red combativity jersey for van Aert and the polka dot mountains jersey for Vingegaard as well as the overall title and yellow jersey.

After a relentless struggle over peaks and plains in a crushing heatwave, Vingegaard assured his win on Saturday’s time-trial having taken the lead in the Alps and extended it in the Pyrenees.

Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion, was third after the veteran raced largely at his own pace, silencing doubters who thought that at 36, the affable Welshman was past his best.

– Struggle for supremacy –

The 21st stage was a largely ceremonial run as Vingegaard and others sipped champagne while rolling past sights of Paris including the Jardin du Luxembourg, through Saint Michel and past the Louvre before a sprint over eight laps of the Champs Elysees.

The Jumbo team had celebrated Saturday at their stopover in Limoges but the triumph came after a long, collective effort that nearly fell flat at the last minute.

Vingegaard survived the “heart attack” of a near fall on Saturday’s individual time-trial to virtually wrap up the Tour.

The two main protagonists had fought each other from start to finish, with Vingegaard dethroning Slovenian Pogacar with a pair of soaring performances in the high mountains.

Pogacar made all the early running with his lone wolf attacking mentality, gradually clawing his way into top spot on stage six with an air of invincibility.

But the stars aligned against Pogacar when he lost teammates to Covid and injury. He is also a man known to dislike intense heat and temperatures hit 40 degrees during the final week of the race.

Vingegaard took the yellow jersey from Pogacar on stage 11 and while the UAE man refused stubbornly to give up, he lost further ground on stage 18.

Their epic struggle was highlighted by a moment of sportsmanship when Pogacar fell at high speed and Vingegaard waited for him to catch up, the pair clasping hands briefly in a memorable image from one of the best modern editions of the Tour.

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Tour de France 2022: Tom Pidcock wins stage 12 on Alpe d’Huez – as it happened

The 22-year-old become the youngest ever winner of the queen stage of Le Tour as a revived Chris Froome came in third

• 14 Jul 2022 Tom Pidcock wins the 12th stage on Alpe D'Huez
• 14 Jul 2022 Pidcock goes off the front
• 14 Jul 2022 They arrive at Alpe d'Huez
• 14 Jul 2022 Pogacar's team manager leaves Tour after Covid positive
• 14 Jul 2022 Pidcock, Froome into lead breakaway
• 14 Jul 2022 And away we go!
• 14 Jul 2022 Preamble

GC after stage 12

• 1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 46hrs 28mins 46secs
• 2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
• 3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
• 4. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM) +2mins 35secs
• 5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 44secs
• 6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) +3mins 58secs
• 7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +4mins 07secs
• 8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +7mins 39secs
• 9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 32secs
• 10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +10mins 06secs

Stage 12 result

• 1. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) 4hrs 55mins 24secs
• 2. Louis Meintjes (Rsa/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +48secs
• 3. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +2mins 06secs
• 4. Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-EasyPost) +2mins 29secs
• 5. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 23secs
• 6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
• 7. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers)
• 8. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 26secs
• 9. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
• 10. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +3mins 32secs

Here’s our snap report, with Jeremy Whittle’s full piece to follow later.

Tom Pidcock speaks on the occasion of his maiden victory.

It’s not bad that, is it? I guess it’s made my Tour de France. If I get dropped every other day, now I don’t care. My first Tour? Not bad, is it? I lost enough time, I guess Jumbo didn’t want to risk it. I guess it worked out perfectly. That was one of any best experiences in cycling. That was unreal, when you are slaloming through people’s fists and flags. It was brilliant getting across with [Chris Froome]. He’s a legend and I just beat him up Alpe D’Huez. But he’s still Chris Froome, ain’t he?

Behind them, Powless comes home for fourth as the GC contenders arrive soon after, with a slight rejig to the overall GC. Pogacar leads the group home, with Vingegaard on his tail. The yellow jersey looks strong, Pogacar unable to land a blow, while Geraint Thomas looks in his best form since winning on l’Alpe in 2018. This time, another Briton is celebrating and looks near to tears.

🏆🇬🇧 @tompidcock wins in @alpedhuez ! 🏆🇬🇧 @tompidcock s’impose à @alpedhuez ! #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/CF6EkrgoSb — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2022

Tom Pidcock wins the 12th stage on Alpe D'Huez

A heroic ride, one where the foundations were laid by his daredevil descending and his climbing ability. That was executed to perfection. Meintjes comes in second, Froome rolling in third, after his own heroic ride. It’s been great to have the old man back on the grandest stage.

1km to go: Pogacar must make his move now or never, though Vingegaard covers up nicely, sticking to his back wheel. Thomas is again dropped. Pogacar and Vingegaard share a joke as they are caught up by Thomas once more.

1.5km to go: Sepp Kuss comes back up, and will lead Vingegaard up the hill, as Pidcock is on course to become the youngest ever winner on Alpe D’Huez at 22. He’s stayed well clear of Meintjes, and Froome is 90 seconds and more back as Pidcock comes to the gentler gradient, soon enough he will be able to almost enjoy his ride into Tour history.

2.5km to go: Here goes Pogacar! He goes on the attack, trying his best to crack Vingegaard, who stays on his wheel, as Thomas drops off the back, as does Roglic, with 4km to go for the main GC contenders. The top two are soon caught by Thomas, the podium in motion together.

3km to go: Pidcock has over 30 seconds on Meintjes, Froome well over a minute back. Pidcock exhales, in clear pain but staying determined. Roglic leads Vingegaard into the seething mass of supporters. Adam Yates has gone off the back now, though this has been a red-letter day for Team Ineos.

4km to go: Pidcock has this in his grasp, his first major win in his first Grand Tour will be L’Alpe D’Huez. Back in the pack, it looks as if Jumbo-Visma are attempting to crack Pogacar with Roglic leading them up. Sweet revenge for 2020? Perhaps so. Romain Bardet, second on GC, is in imminent danger of cracking, too. And he’s gone off the back. The GC, for the second day, will be smashed into splinters. Geraint Thomas remains in touch, sitting off the back of Pogacar, with Vingegaard up ahead of the two behind him in the virtual standings.

5km to go: Quintana has dropped off the back, and David Gaudu, who began the day in seventh, is also being spat out. There’s a bad omen for Bastille Day, with les Francais nowhere to be seen in the reckoning for stage or GC.

6km to go: We await a move by Pogacar. He needs to do something, and surely cannot wait until the Pyrenees to make his move. He may not have any teammates by then. The gap meanwhile from Pidcock to Meintjes opens up yet more to 18 seconds, Froome dropping ever further back as the roadside fills with tifosi.

7km to go: In the peloton, Vlasov has gone off the back, as has Thibaut Pinot, and Bob Jungels. Pidcock seems to have opened up the gap on Meintjes who is being closed down by Froome. It’s a lead of 11 seconds on Meintjes and 21 seconds on Froome.

8km to go: Meintjes looks to have the measure of Pidcock, who may have gone too early, and back in the field, Van Aert is done, and signals that his race is over, handing his bottle over to Roglic.

9km to go: The peloton continues to follow Wout van Aert up the mountain, as Pogacar waters himself down. Meintjes and Froome have been making headway on Pidcock, who hasn’t yet broken the chain, though has cracked Powless and Ciccone, whose race looks run bar having to climb the remaining 9km.

Pidcock goes off the front

10km to go: Powless gets back on, there will be plenty of oscillations within this group in the time still to go. It’s been steady, and so steady that Froome feels comfortable in going off the front. Pidcock is up there too, looking strong, and he’s by far the highest on GC, starting the day ten minutes back and in form. He goes off, and tries to crack the rest, Ciccone dropping off the back, Meintjes and Froome the closest to him but already some way back. This is one hell of a move from the Yorkshireman. He has the others in trouble, there is distance between them.

11km to go: Powless goes out the back of the leaders, and Froome looks in trouble too, but he manages to get back on the wheel. We’ve seen him do that before, but those were different days. Pogacar meanwhile is seeking to make his move, and pushing to the front. He has Marc Soler and Rafał Majka for company, his UAE teammates.

12km to go: There’s time to play with, and the first click is ridden in cagey style. Nobody is taking it up just yet, the crowd is not yet as thick as it will be up the mountain. Ciccone is the rider who is giving off the signs of someone trying to psyche out his opponents. Back in the pack, discussions are taking place, Van Aert ever the road captain, is leading them as he is second man down as Tiesj Benoot leads the peloton to the foot of the climb, and then drops back to let Van Aert take it up. The leaders pass the Dutch and Welsh corners.

They arrive at Alpe d'Huez

13.8km to go: Here we go, the steep ramps and hairpins, and the hammer goes down immediately among the final five. For the opening moments, they hunt in packs. Tom Pidcock meanwhile manages to lob his bottle into a bin and hit the target. A sign?

14km to go: The calm before the storm, and what can Chris Froome produce? It’s been the best ride of his time since his dreadful accident in practising before the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, where he broke numerous bones including his pelvis, femur and four ribs. Ahead of him, the climb approaches of queen stage, the mountains towering into the skyline. And Pogacar seems in chipper mode, talking to the camera. “It’s kinda hot, eh?” He performed similar antics yesterday and bonked himself in oblivion. Jumbo-Visma know he is not a rider for the heat, and seem to be riding him into trouble.

Here comes Bourg d’Oisans, the end of the rest of the stage, and the beginning of the end. Six minutes is the lead of the breakaway of the first climb up here in four years.

20km to go: The gap is six minutes or so, Jumbo-Visma having waited for Tiesj Benoot to rejoin their effort and to lead them along, giving Van Aert a rest, and Sepp Kuss, too. The peloton is now a small band of men and among them, Tadej Pogacar has been putting ice down his back but sits comfortably enough in seventh in the pack. The town of Bourg d’Oisans and the start of the final climb fast approaches. Nelson Oliveira, a former member of the breakaway, drops back into the field.

25km to go: The final 14km, l’Alpe D’Huez, approaches fast, and ahead of that, speeding past un lac, some water bottles are taken on. Each of the final five are taking their turn on the front before they all enter their own private hell, though accompanied by a bunch of screaming spectators and those wallies who runs alongside for selfies and in wacky costumes.

Jan Bruck gets in touch: “thanks, Strava, for the suggestion!. Living in Berlin, which is as flat as a pancake, it’s impossible to emulate the enormous effort which the professional cyclists are making when they ride uphill. However, living on the top fourth floor of an apartment block without a lift, I do at least get some idea of how exhausted they must feel when they get to the top.”

Sounds good for the waistline, Jan. Stairs generally are.

30km to go: It’s not all descent, there’s also a four-hairpin climb the field have to negotiate in the mountain pass. There’s really no respite. Up ahead of the peloton, Meintjes is struggling to live with Pidcock’s fearlessness, dropping into fifth in the leading pack. Pidcock looks back, and Froome looked to have lost his chain, as he descends at speed. He is showing admirable fortitude in chasing at such speed. They are going 100 km/h and over, with Pidcock is doing most of the over.

36km to go: There was something of a wobble as Pidcock and Ciccone (any relation to Madonna?) came close to running their racing lines into each other. Their speed down the hill had opened the gap back to five minutes. The shrewdies say they need four minutes - and good legs - to stay away and win up L’Alpe.

40km to go: Pidcock and Powless drive the breakaway along with their descending skills, as the moment of truth arrives soon enough. Reminder of the final five: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

How long can they stay together? Expect them to be split as soon as the climb begins. Pidcock though, in ripping round those bends, braking at the latest possible moment, is clattering down the Oisans valley.

45km to go: So begins the descent, Van Aert leading the main field down, Pogacar has two teammates for company ahead of the climb that could remake - or break - his Tour. Vingegaard has plenty of company as they fly down the valley. There’s the odd plateau and dip to climb back out of.

50km to go: L’Alpe D’Huez approaches at the bottom of the valley. It takes the average amateur 30 minutes more than the average pro, say Strava.

Van Aert is asked to do Jumbo-Visma’s final pull up the Col, as they seek to crack Pogacar, and the peloton takes 13 seconds off the breakaway in the kilometre Van Aert pulled them along for.

The final ascent of tomorrow’s stage will be up the legendary Alpe d'Huez and its 21 hairpin turns. To get a sense for those incredible efforts, we're challenging you to climb the same amount of elevation. Saddle up and join the challenge: https://t.co/ljmWSiutaT pic.twitter.com/B4J6ePS4aR — Strava (@Strava) July 14, 2022

54km to go: With Jumbo-Visma looking so strong, and Tadej Pogacar having lost Brandon McNulty as a UAE teammate, it seems they are going to attempt to deliver a killer blow to follow up yesterday’s crack-up. Nathan Van Hooydonck is leading Jumbo’s jet up the hill. And that have dropped big climbers like Warren Barguill and Pierre Latour, the peloton down to 35 seconds. This is where the guts of the race may lie. Van Hooydonck peels off, having done his turn, as the gap to the front drops to five minutes and they go over the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer, Tom Pidcock looking to fly down the hill after Ciccone takes the mountain points, Powless taking second.

57km to go: Christophe Laporte is the first Jumbo-Visma rider to drop off the front, having led his team at the front of the peloton for the last 40km or so. He’s done a fine job. Up the front. Louis Meintjes, perhaps the best climber there, takes up the strain. Then Froome has a go on the front. As the field goes past these ski villages, plenty are dropping back in the field to the safety in numbers of the grupetto. The Jumbo-Visma pace is whittling down the field.

60km to go: Jumbo-Visma seem to be allowing the break to stay away. The gap is 6’ 30” as they enter the steepest part of the Col de la Croix de Fer, and then comes another long, long descent. The nine men are staying away, though Pidcock, going off the front attempt to draw the sting from them, and splits the group. Oliveira, Goosens, Perez and Schonberger look to have gone. Make that five, and that includes Chris Froome.

65km to go: The calculations are being done for the breakaway, and it seems likely that seven minutes should be enough to stay away at L’Alpe, and with Tom Pidcock descending, the Oisans Valley may be be just the place for him to keep the gap at that distance. Much to play for amid the breakaway group, on the back of which Froome sits, though he almost comes a cropper when a director’s car gets a bit too close for comfort. The gap drops down by about 30 seconds, which isn’t a good portent for the group’s survival. At the side of the road, a sign for Laurent Jalabert: “Allez Jaja.”

Jalabert, the disgraced dauphin of French cycling, the last winner of a Grand Tour in winning the Vuelta in 1995, now works as a commentator on French TV. This week, he’s been embracing more controversy in criticising the eco-protestors who disrupted the race earlier this week. ““Perfect that they didn’t appear on screen,” said Jaja. That didn’t go down well with those who recalled his leading role in the protests that followed the Festina Affair.

72km to go: Froome tips a bottle of water over his head. The word is that it may reach 36 degrees on the road today, and they are having to work so hard on this long, long climb. Still, the gap is at seven minutes. The pace of the peloton is 15 km/h. Pidcock and Ciccone at the front are putting the pressure on, and Froome is out of the saddle. looking ungainly. He always looked ungainly at his height so that may be no guide.

75km to go: The peloton is beginning to shell riders out the back, and a grupetto is forming. The breakaway group has seven minutes on the peloton, who are being led along by Christophe Laporte with Wout van Aert covering up the yellow jersey of Jonas Vingegaard.

Pogacar's team manager leaves Tour after Covid positive

83km to go: This climb up the Col de la Croix de Fer is almost 30km long, and contains some very steep sections.

Col de la Croix de Fer: 28,5 km@5,2%. Needless to say this is a long-ass climb. The climbing record is held by Quintana and Valverde: 1 hour 7 min 53 sec in 2015. Normally, Jumbo-Visma should set a high pace and already drop some of the UAE guys. #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/4JmOOFd84x — Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 14, 2022

Meanwhile, problems mount for the UAE team. To follow the Covid outbreak has struck Pogacar’s team, the manager has now been forced to abandon, following Vegard Stake Laengen and George Bennett pulling out while Rafal Majka, who couldn’t rescue Pogacar on Wednesday, able to ride as he isn’t considered contagious.

UAE team manager, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, has left the Tour following a positive covid test. #TDF2022 — ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 14, 2022

85km to go: A slowdown as fuel is taken on, something Pogacar forgot to do enough of yesterday. The peloton seem happy enough for a group containing Pidcock to stay away, though we are not yet halfway, and after this saunter through the Maurienne valley the riders will soon enough reach the bottom of Col de la Croix de Fer. Amid the leadership group, Powless and Ciccone seem to be having words. Here comes the climb, which will soon enough shut them up.

90km to go: Pidcock has Powless on the limit, his technique far superior. The gap becomes huge, the Leeds lad reading the camber of the road expertly. It looks terrifying. And he has opened up over a four-minute gap on the peloton, who seem to be idling down in the style of Gladys Emmanuel when they are probably at a speed that would make your hair curl. Powless, at the bottom, joins up with Pidcock, who takes something of a breather. It’s at 4’ 56” as they head to a feeding station, riding into a headwind, as the breakaway group joins back together, Froome’s familiar hunched riding style is unavoidable.

Dan, from Moston, messages in: “Don’t forget to mention Pidcock’s off road palmares.”

With pleasure, per the Huddersfield Examiner:

In 2017, Pidcock joined the Telenet–Fidea Lions team, winning his first British National Under-23 cyclo-cross championships title in Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland, a year later. In 2018, he joined the new British cyclo-cross team TP Racing, and during the season that followed, he won the under-23 cyclo-cross World Cup, the under-23 Superprestige, the under-23 European Championship, and the under-23 World Championship - as well as the senior British National Championship.

Pidcock, Froome into lead breakaway

100km to go: Pidcock and Froome are soon enough on the tail of the breakaway group of Perez, Ciccone, Meintjes and Powless. Oliveira, Goossens and Schönberger, and then comes a descent, where Froome continues to slipstream as the downhill ride to the bottom of the valley resumes, the Col du Télegraph. Pidcock gets there first, Froome taking longer to get on the tail but managing it eventually. This would be some feat if he manages to pull off a famous win on a stage he has never conquered though worn yellow up l’Alpe. Nelson Powless clearly fears the Brit duo, and pings off the front at breakneck speed. He’s in good form this year, and may have the legs on Froome but not Pidcock, who catches him up, and they speed along together, even catching out a local vulture by surprise with their pace.

110km to go: Dave Langlois gets in touch: “ Poor old Tadej’s team is so weak in nearly every sense. The lack of clear instructions yesterday was bewildering. As soon as Pogacar was isolated with JV team pulling the 1-2 trick, surely they should have told him to let Roglic go, playing with the gap, and cover only the Dane. To try to cover both was insane and suicidal. He deserves a much better team.”

Jumbo-Visma will surely try something similar today. They are in control, and the rest seem happy enough with that.

120km to go: Pidcock has flown by Froome, too, old v new. Froome isn’t a bad descender, or came to be a decent one, when thinking of the Giro d’Italia breakaway he mounted to win that race in 2018. Pidcock, clearly fearless, is spinning away from everyone, gaining 40 seconds on the peloton, and showing off his cyclo-cross skills. Pidcock flying along like he is taking on Snake Pass. Froome, to be fair, catches up, and his bravery, considering how smashed up he got in 2019, is admirable. He is slipstreaming expertly.

125km to go: The long descent to Saint-Michel de Maurienne begins, and Tom Pidcock is showing off his skills in flying down the mountain, taking 20 seconds on the pack.

130km to go: Chris Froome, you say? He’s set off in front of the peloton, and fancies doing something. They let him go, as he is some way down the GC. Perez makes it to the summit of the Galibier, of which the riders will not be sad to see the last of for another year. He goes clear 22 seconds of the rest. The bunch go over the top, and there’s signs that a couple of UAE teammates of Pogacar were struggling, and that’s bad news for him. Jumbo-Visma seem to have the race under control. It’s been pretty calm out there.

135km to go: Meintjes has dropped Zimmerman, and joins Ciccone as the chase builds up. Jumbo-Visma are sending their climbers up the road, including Sepp Kuss and Primoz Roglic, and in the same group there’s Tom Pidcock and a few others in this third group. Plans are afoot, though it’s not quite clear what they might be. Van Aert leads the main field, as per usual, Jumbo-Visma in formation, and Thibaut Pinot’s hopes of staging a break are shut down for now. Anthony Perez, of Cofidis, a Frenchman, goes off at the front of the break. It’s Bastille Day, and he probably wants la famille to see him in action. He builds up a lead of 18 seconds, so quite a dig.

140km to go: Giulio Ciccone, the Trek-Segafredo rider, sets off after that leading group, who have opened up a bit more of an advantage but at 1’ 28” is not much. Ciccone has 46’ to make up. There’s still 8km to climb, so let’s see how it shakes out. It looks hot, that summer rain long forgotten. Louis Meintjes and Georg Zimmermann from Intermarche are chasing down, too, and that would make a trio within that group, as Kobe Goossens is up there.

145km to go: Up the Galibier they continue, where they spent much of Wednesday climbing up. The organisers have shown little mercy. Those three flat days in Denmark feel like a long time ago. The leading group’s advantage, once around two minutes, starts to drop rapidly. It’s a fearsome climb but the peloton, starting to split off at the back, is motoring along, with Van Aert leading them, and Vingegaard covered up but occasionally getting out of the saddle.

152km to go: Guy Hornsby gets in touch: “What a day it was yesterday. That last 5km blew the race apart. It was a perfect tactical day for Jumbo and a dismal one for an already depleted UAE. As for Pog, you have to think others will feel they can attack him now. But Pogacar is also such a strong rider he’ll surely have something to come. There’s a really good analysis on the Cycling Podcast saying Pog was tactically a bit naive, such as chasing Roglic when there’s no need and also perhaps putting in attacks at the end of stages but was it worth it?

“But it’s ok, just Alpe D’Huez today. This could get very messy. Or it could turn on its head. Days like yesterday really leave things so exciting.”

It’s hotting up, and there’s a chase of the leaders from a small group but Wout van Aert makes his way to pick up the minor points on offer from an intermediate sprint that otherwise has little to do with the rest of the standings. Kobe Goossens took first position ahead of Oliveira, and Van Aert gains seventh by blazing away from the peloton to collect seventh.

The lineup in the breakaway: La composition de l'échappée : 🇫🇷 @LouvelMatis 🇦🇹 @schoeni1994 🇺🇸 @NPowless 🇫🇷 @PerezAnthony1 🇧🇪 @KobeGoossens 🇵🇹 @Nelsoliveira89 #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/AOsuERYD3T — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2022

155km to go: An early prang, suggesting that they are going at quite a lick. Yves Lampaert is one of those involved, as is Steven Kruijswijk. Nothing too heavy, but some running repairs are required. Powless stays up front, and a group joins him: Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Kobe Goossens (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert), Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Sebastian Schonberger (B&B Hotels-KTM).

160km to go: The first checkpoint of the day will be Le Monêtier-les-Bains , where today’s intermediate sprint takes place, only 11km or so into the stage, reason being that the rest of it is uphill and down dale.

And away we go!

The stage begins with a steep climb, and as Christian Prudhomme waves them away, Warren Barguill makes an early show before Nelson Powless goes off on his own. And makes instant headway, the American. Those in the peloton won’t be thanking him for these early efforts. Chris Froome looks to be up the front of the pack. Remember him?

As they near the départ réel in Briancon , a reminder of just how up and down the stage will be. There’s a bit of rain around, something we could do with in London.

🇫🇷 @LeTour - #12 🏔 21 virages de légende ! #PronoDuJour ❓: Les sprinters pourront marquer des points au pied du 1er col. Qui raflera la mise avant de rejoindre le grupetto ? Citez ce tweet pour jouer et tentez de gagner un Maillot Vert dédicacé. #SKODAWeLoveCycling #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/GPoIQlrB3y — ŠKODA WeLoveCycling France (@WeLoveCyclingFR) July 14, 2022

Richard Moore, in Étape , wrote the following on this famous win for the Colombian.

Herrera remains understated, modest and humble; on the other hand Hector Urrego, who commented on his victory at l’Alpe d’Huez, not so much. He can recall it as though it happened yesterday. Talking about it now inspires the same passion and emotions. He slips into the present tense as he recalls Lucho’s great victory, as though reliving it: ‘In the last three kilometres, Herrera goes solo. Is not possible in the world of cycling, but is true! Herrera goes to the victory with the Colombian flag on his jersey! Millions in Colombia and around the world see the birth of a new champion from Colombia, South America. We’re happy! We’re the best in this moment!’

At Lord's, but paying homage to Lucho Herrera who won on L'Alpe D'Huez in 1984 @JohnBrewin_ . Café de Colombia were not just the most exciting team in cycling then, they were the most exciting team in sport. pic.twitter.com/FL2J7g6idR — Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 14, 2022

Pogacar, who not long before he cracked was mugging for the camera and miming the eating of his food supplies, said the following at the finish line:

Maybe I was under-fuelled today or I just had a bad day. Everyone always has a bad day [sometimes]. I felt good until the final climb but it’s far from finished, the Tour. I got attacked by Jumbo-Visma. They played it well today [and] tactically they did a really good job. In the last climb it was difficult, but we will see tomorrow. I want revenge. The Tour is not over.

What did Bernard Hinault do the next day after he lost the yellow jersey to Greg Lemond in 1986? He went on the attack on a stage up to Alpe D’Huez, and tried to take the time back. He ended up with Lemond for company as they went over the summit together in one of the famous images of Le Tour.

Todays @LeTour climb up the 21 hairpins ALPE D'HUEZ will always be remembered by @LeMondFans in this iconic image by @grahamwatson10 of the 1986 battle between @GregLemond and Hinault #slayingthebadger #cycling pic.twitter.com/jU8N4PR5xB — Splace_Sports (@Splace_Sports) July 14, 2022

Already busy at the summit finish, according to Nico Roche.

Busy on the Alpe D ‘Huez pic.twitter.com/65G6Wpt3iC — nicholas roche (@nicholasroche) July 14, 2022

From 2015, an interactive guide to riding up Alpe d’Huez.

Jeremy Whittle was there to witness history on Wednesday.

“I was a bit surprised that the time gaps were this big,” Vingegaard said after winning the stage. “On the other hand, it was also a super-hot stage. We attacked on the Télégraphe and again on the Galibier, so we really had a plan to make the race hard today. I think the harder it is, the bigger the gaps will be at the end, and I think that was in my advantage.” But the 25-year-old Dane said that when he attacked he didn’t know Pogacar was struggling. “No, but I took the chance. I didn’t know if he was suffering, but they told me on the radio that it was steeper at five kilometres to go, and I was thinking: ‘Either they make it hard, or I try to attack.’ So that’s what I did.”

Wednesday was one of those days that will live on in Tour lore. The late, great Richard Moore wrote a brilliant book on key stages in Le Tour – Étape – in 2014, and were Richard able to pen a follow-up, then surely the cracking of Tadej Pogacar on the Col du Granon would have been included. The same climb once cracked Bernard Hinault, after all, though that was at the end of his career, with five Tours already in the bag, rather than the two Pogacar has collected. He is 23, but the sight of him at the summit yesterday was one of agony, at the effort involved and the probable loss of the Tour to Jonas Vingegaard.

To follow? Only Alpe d’Huez , the most famous summit finish in cycling. It is 13.9km long, bridging 1118 vertical metres with an average gradient of 8% and to win the stage is to join one of the sport’s immortals, those sweeping yet tight hairpin bends, the roads full of tifosi going absolutely bananas. The last winner here was Geraint Thomas in 2018, when he ended up winning the whole Tour. So, four long years since the race visited l’Alpe, and Thomas, in fine form this year, may be in with a chance of being a double winner. Only Gianni Bugno, Marco Pantani, Peter Hinnen and Hennie Cooper have managed that. This is the 70th anniversary of Le Tour’s first visit here, when the winner was Fausto Coppi.

For Pogacar, a chance for instant redemption. For Vingegaard, the chance to cement his status.

From William Fotheringham’s pre-Tour guide:

Cruelly, the organisers make the riders go back up the Galibier the way they came over less than 24 hours earlier, before crossing the Croix de Fer to tackle L’Alpe D’Huez for the first time since 2018. That year’s winner, Geraint Thomas, looks to be back to his best form; today, the chances are the victor will come from an early break, and given it’s Bastille Day all France will be rooting for Pinot or Romain Bardet.

GC standings

• 1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 41hrs 29mins 59secs
• 2. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM +2mins 16secs
• 3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
• 4. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
• 5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) +2mins 37secs
• 6. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 06secs
• 7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +3mins 13secs
• 8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +7mins 23secs
• 9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz/Astana) +8mins 07secs
• 10. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 29secs
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Tour de France 2022 stage 21 LIVE: Jonas Vingegaard celebrates title on Champs-Elysees after Jasper Philipsen wins sprint finish

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Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark won his first Tour de France title on Sunday as Jasper Philipsen claimed Stage 21, his second of the race, to conclude the 109th edition of the race.

The Dane came out on top of a thrilling three-week duel, edging two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar , who played one last card on the Champs-Elysees, leading out the peloton before the sprint finish when Philipsen, of Alpecin-Deceuninck, pipped Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff to the iconic sprint finish. The 25-year-old Vingegaard became the first Danish rider to win cycling’s biggest race since Bjarne Riis in 1996. He finished 3 minutes, 34 seconds ahead of second-place Pogacar. Vingegaard, who was runner-up to Pogacar last year, built his success in the mountains.

Vingegaard crossed the line arm-in-arm with his Jumbo-Visma team-mates to confirm the victory he effectively sealed in Saturday’s time trial. Britain’s Geraint Thomas , of Ineos, took a memorable third place, his third podium finish in his Tour de France career.

The day started with Lorena Wiebes putting on the first yellow jersey of the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, beating Marianne Vos in a sprint finish to conclude a historic opening stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Wiebes said: “I’m really happy that I was finally able to race on the Champs-Elysees. As expected it was a hard race. It feels really special to ride here in Paris and even more special to wear the yellow jersey. I was fine with the pressure because I directly put the most pressure on myself.”

Tour de France 2022: Stage 21

‘We are totally clean’: Jonas Vingegaard defends Jumbo-Visma dominance

‘It changes everything’: Why the Tour de France Femmes is a historic moment for women’s cycling

Lorena Wiebes (DSM) wins Stage 1 of Tour de France Femmes 2022

Wiebes reacts to ‘chaotic’ sprint finish to win Stage 1

Jasper Philipsen wins Stage 21 after sprint finish

‘It’s a childhood dream come true’: Philipsen reacts to Stage 21 win

Jonas Vingegaard reacts to winning Tour de France

19:16 , Jack Rathborn

“It’s just incredible, I finally won the Tour, nothing can go wrong anymore.

“I’m sitting with my daughter. It’s just incredible. It’s just incredible, it’s the biggest cycling race of the year, the biggest one you can win. Now I’ve done it, nobody can take this away from me.

“I always had the feeling I could fight for the win. In the end, when I started believing, I always believed, but now I started to think, ‘something would need to go wrong to not win’, that was after Hautacam.

“That was incredible [the Danish fans], so many saw me ride in the Yellow Jersey, I appreciate it so much. Every Dane here, cheering for me for three weeks, it means everything to me.

“Tuesday I go to Holland to celebrate, Wednesday in Copenhagen, Thursday in my town, Friday I am on the couch for one week.

“Of course I’m happy for my victory, I want to celebrate, relax, but also I want more.”

Tour de France 2022: Bradley Wiggins on Tadej Pogacar

19:05 , Jack Rathborn

“The sportsmanship he has show,” Bradley Wiggins tells Eurosport.

“The smile, but underneath there’s a burning desire. I think he’ll be a force to be reckoned with over the next few years.”

Tour de France 2022

19:04 , Jack Rathborn

“It was kind of funny, it was funny because I said 2km before, here we go, the attack,” Pogacar jokes.

“I went to the roundabout but thne I was then finished.”

Tour de France 2022: Jasper Philipsen reacts to Stage 21 win

18:55 , Jack Rathborn

“I cannot believe, it's a childhood dream come true, it will take a while to realise, I'm super proud of the team,” says Stage 21 winner Jasper Philipsen.

“To finish the tour like this, it’s the cherry on the cake.

“It went ideal for me, I was in a great position. I could stay in this wheel and do my final sprint when I wanted. Super happy and proud to win in this beautiful Champs-Elysees.

“We had disappointment earlier in the tour, it didn’t go the way we wanted. But to win in style, it’s just unbelievable.”

18:53 , Jack Rathborn

“One of our best ever cyclists now, the guy is incredible, such grace,” says Bradley Wiggins to Eurosport.

“The changing of the guard from old Team Sky to Ineos, it’s been a joy.”

Tour de France 2022: Jasper Philipsen wins Stage 21

18:46 , Jack Rathborn

Now just 600m left, it’s a big push. Jasper Philipsen has too much power, the Belgian wins Stage 21 by about three bike lengths, brilliant.

Van Aert, did not contest this stage, instead soaking up the occasion and coming over with his teammates, led by the race’s winner Vingegaard of course.

Some jostling between Kristoff and Ewan, with the former confirming the latter is not happy with him, but he maintains he took the fair line.

A sixth stage win for Belgium, by the way, that is the most by any nation this year.

18:44 , Jack Rathborn

We hit 1km remaining!

Fred Wright going for a long one, phenomenal stuff.

18:42 , Jack Rathborn

Now 3km to go. Ganna and Pogacar leading out still.

Ewan looks primed. A big move from Philipsen too, he’s further up. Maybe the best position of the lot?

18:40 , Jack Rathborn

Pogacar! Drama, he leads out, 5km remain.

Sensational, he couldn’t, could he? After the disappointment of not retaining the Yellow Jersey, he’s messing with the aspirations of the sprinters.

18:39 , Jack Rathborn

Thomas and Ganna break away, this is fun!

18:38 , Jack Rathborn

Now just 7km remain, tongues out in the breakaway, they will join with the peloton soon.

The bell sounds! Strap in, this should be good.

18:35 , Jack Rathborn

The gap is closing fast and almost completely closed.

Now 9km remain, the breakaway look back, the peloton is coming.

It’s now just Schlachmann and Rutsch; Duchesne dropped off.

18:34 , Jack Rathborn

The breakaway is just three now, the gap is just eight seconds. 10.5km remain.

Rutsch, Duchesne and Schlachmann remain, Le Gac has dropped off.

18:30 , Jack Rathborn

Van Aert in the middle of the peleton, but the other sprinters right at the front, the top 20-30 or so.

The gap is 10 seconds. Now only 13km remain.

Two laps to go! The bell is coming...

18:28 , Jack Rathborn

Van Aert, Jakobsen, Philipsen, Groenewegen and Ewan; they’re all there!

This could be a really explosive finish to a memorable Tour.

That group up top is Rutsch, Le Gac, Duchesne and Schlachmann.

18:24 , Jack Rathborn

Jakobsen, a real favourite to win here, is well placed. His Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team move up.

Owain Doull has been dropped off the breakaway, which is down to four riders.

Jumbo-Visma not working at all, perhaps Van Aert isn’t in the running today? Has he had enough glory perhaps for one Tour.

Now 19km remain.

18:21 , Jack Rathborn

Edvald Boasson Hagen with a technical issue, a big blow and an impact on UCI ProTeam Team TotalEnergies teammate Peter Sagan.

The gap is down to 13 seconds, having briefly moved up to 22 seconds.

Now just 21.4km remaining.

18:17 , Jack Rathborn

The gap nudges up to 22 seconds. Kron is leading the peloton, they’re all working really hard now.

Lotto Soudal, BikeExchange and QuickStep at the front of the chase.

The sprinters’ teams look to still have their full allocation in the race, which is bad news for the breakaway group.

18:15 , Jack Rathborn

We have a 13-second gap now to the peloton.

Now just 26km remain. Groupama-FDJ duo Olivier le Gac and Antoine Duchesne make a move to join Maximilian Schachmann, Owain Doull and Jonas Rutsch.

Not the smoothest roads for the riders, tremors going through their forearms.

18:09 , Jack Rathborn

The breakaway group is ballooning, which has dragged them back to the peloton.

Now onto the downhill section back to Place de la Concorde.

Back to a three-man breakaway. Schachmann, Doull and Rutsch are at the front.

18:06 , Jack Rathborn

Movistar’s Jorgenson is now in the breakaway, with Tratnik, Burgaudeau, Dewulf, Bissegger and Martinez. Seven seconds still, a slim advantage.

Five laps and 34km remain.

18:03 , Jack Rathborn

Bissegger gets the 20 points then.

Still a five-man group and seven seconds ahead of the peloton.

Martinez (Ineos) looking good, Movistar sending one more to join the group.

Mattia Cattaneo with a small issue, sorts it out and the mechanical issue won’t prevent him from completing the stage and Tour.

17:59 , Jack Rathborn

Tratnik, Burgaudeau, Dewulf, Bissegger and Martinez in the intemediate sprint.

Van Aert has long-since wrapped up the Green Jersey of course.

The Belgian is right at the back of the peloton.

17:56 , Jack Rathborn

Tratnik and Burgaudeau join Dewulf and Bissegger, they have seven seconds lead to the peloton.

Ineos trying to send somebody up? Ganna might benefit from such a move?

Now we move to an eight-second gap with 41km remaining.

17:54 , Jack Rathborn

Stefan Bissegger makes a move!

The breakaway is just a few seconds and can’t break away from the main group, Dewulf joins him.

TotalEnergies try to send another rider up to join them, interesting tactical trend emerging. A last hurrah for a French team to gain some headlines?

17:53 , Jack Rathborn

The French Air Force produce a wonderful tricolour above the riders in Paris.

17:49 , Jack Rathborn

AG2R-Citroen’s Benoit Cosnefroy is up there now.

The gaps are emerging, this might not be easy to reign in and control.

The group turns into five.

17:45 , Jack Rathborn

Through the Place de la Concorde, now we race. It’s on!

So many Danish flags, the riders curve around the Arc de Triomphe, sensational views.

Now on the downhill, the head of the course pick up speeds of 61kmph.

Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Victorious) attacks, shortly after Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost) had a foray.

17:43 , Jack Rathborn

Bradley Wiggins on Eurosport: “I say it every year, that corner in 1993, I stood there, 10 years ago I took Mark Cavendish across here, a dream of mine.

“Who’ll get the victory? Look how narrow it is.

“This is my last Brad on a Bike, see you next year, au revoir.”

17:41 , Jack Rathborn

The riders are winding through Paris and the roar from the fans is sensational to hear.

A big Danish contingent to cheer on Vingegaard, who looks very comfortable in yellow, soaking in the biggest moment of his career.

55km left, we’re nearly at the Arc de Triomphe.

17:37 , Jack Rathborn

Tremendous atmosphere on the streets of Paris, we’re now in the centre of the city.

Less than 60km remaining, it’s being wound up nicely now.

17:31 , Jack Rathborn

A lot of rumours swirling about moves in the cycling world.

Jumbo Visma looking into signing Attila Valter, according to reports in Belgium. While discussion on the Eurosport broadcast centres around Primoz Roglic leaving for Ineos.

The Slovenian will want to challenge for the Tour again, but with Vingegaard now the main man for Jumbo Visma, could he be tempted away?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 21 - Tadej Pogacar discusses 2022 race

17:26 , Jack Rathborn

Tadej Pogacar on his Tour: “I can be really happy with this Tour, we wanted to win, but second and three stage wins, we can be proud of this.

“I’m looking for more challenges. Stage wins are always incredible in the Tour. It’s something I cannot describe. For me, that’s why it’s so beautiful.”

17:20 , Jack Rathborn

Simon Geschke gets the point! The German narrows the gap to Jonas Vingegaard.

It was just 1km with some sections up to 13 per cent, but Geschke is afforded the opportunity to ride clear, a nice touch.

17:15 , Jack Rathborn

There’s one point up for grabs here, although it won’t make a different to the KOM standings.

🇫🇷 @DavidGaudu , from team leader to bottle collector. 🇫🇷 @DavidGaudu , se mue en porteur d'eau pour cette dernière étape. #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/PK21XAi4tN — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2022

17:10 , Jack Rathborn

Ok, we’re now inside 80km, time for the real racing?

The last picturesque views taken in by the riders at a leisurely Sunday ride pace, the Palace of Versailles looking splendid in these sunny conditions.

17:05 , Jack Rathborn

Philippe Gilbert enjoying the limelight at the front, soaking in every last moment of his final Tour.

Vingegaard with his first sip of champagne then. A few glasses toasted through the window of a support car. Wonderful moment for any Tour winner.

“They’ve been the team of the Tour,” says Wiggins. “Wout is the best all-round cyclist in the world now, replacing Sagan.

“This is what the end of the Tour is about. The winning team having the procession before the Champs Elysees. It’s been a joy to watch. they now have a job to do for the rest of the day.

“It’ll be fast and frantic on the Champs Elysees.”

16:52 , Jack Rathborn

Geraint Thomas: “I’ve done some of my best numbers. At the same time, my best previous in 2018 I had more. It’s hard to go off that.

“I’m in top shape. Happy to have got here as well. The group of guys we’ve got. We all get on really well, the atmosphere on the bus, it’s just been good.

“It was a Subway, somebody forgot to put the food on the bus. Had a few cookies and a foot long. Can’t fault it.”

That hit the spot 🤣 Pre-Paris fuel with the boys 👌 pic.twitter.com/7JlfzyFktb — Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) July 24, 2022

16:48 , Jack Rathborn

The calm before the storm, but don’t expect Jonas Vingegaard’s mood to change.

The Yellow Jersey holder has a nice conversation with American Neilson Powless, of EF Education-EasyPost.

A nice touch from Jumbo Visma, who pay tribute to the riders who didn’t make it this far, numbers held up for former GC contender Primoz Roglic, as well as Steven Kruijswijk and Nathan Van Hooydonck.

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Lorena Wiebes holds her child while celebrating becoming overall leader with Yellow Jersey

16:38 , Jack Rathborn

16:33 , Jack Rathborn

Bradley Wiggins on Eurosport: “It’s a procession until the Champs-Élysées, it’s hard for the riders, the mood has changed from a festive one to concentration.

“It’s difficult to go from 20kmph to 50-60kmph. Vingegaard, the new superstar of cycling.

“Him and Pogacar, Jumbo-Visma are the most complete team in the world. Even the guys who didn’t make the Tour. UAE have to rebuild their team this winter.

“Quite boring sitting here, When we get to the Champs-Élysées, it’ll be a spectacle. Oh, there’s Rigoberto Uran having a wee, that’s the highlight at the moment.”

16:30 , Jack Rathborn

We can expect the racing to kick off with about 80km to go, will anybody go early?

We have 100km to go and Luke Rowe and Bauke Mollema enjoying their places at the front of the pack.

16:17 , Jack Rathborn

The riders make their way through the Foret Domaniale de Meudon.

Beautiful scenes and a very jovial mood at the front of the peloton.

To underline the relaxed nature of this pace, Luke Rowe is able to hop off and apply some sunscreen to his legs.

16:12 , Jack Rathborn

It’s a gentle start, as you might expect as we close in on the final 100km of this stage.

Phillippe Gilbert is at the front of the procession alongside Van Aert.

It’s a gorgeous day on the streets of Paris, the fans are out to welcome the riders at every corner.

16:03 , Jack Rathborn

15:55 , Jack Rathborn

Michael Woods tested positive for Covid this morning. A brutal blow after coming this far.

Vingegaard on Van Aert: “Wout has been the strongest rider in this race, to have him by my side has been incredible.”

Van Aert: “We destroyed everybody on the two hardested stages, I’ll remember that forever. Our team spirit, we enjoyed every day, every minute. It was a lot of stress. It was special to experience.”

15:48 , Jack Rathborn

Bit of fun and games between Van Aert and Pogacar, with Vingegaard close by.

The riders attack each other with the peloton way behind.

All three in good spirits.

15:46 , Jack Rathborn

Peter Sagan has already swapped out his bike, a late change in pursuit of a Tour-defining win?

Here are some of the contenders for the win today:

Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl)

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal)

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)

Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco)

Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Alberto Dainese (Team DSM)

Tour de France 2022: Jasper Philipsen on Stage 21

15:33 , Jack Rathborn

We’re moments away from the neutralised start...

Jasper Philipsen: “I think everybody survived well, we all made it to Paris. We can make it a nice royal sprint.

“It has to be a sprint, we can’t [go for a long one], the tourist finish to celebrate the end of the tour.”

Tour de France 2022: Could traditional final stage truce for Yellow Jersey change in future?

15:29 , Jack Rathborn

Eurosport pundit Adam Blythe: “It’s a gentleman’s agreement, we might see it change.

“I still think if he [Pogacar] was a second behind, he might have a little play?

“I’m all for it. But yes, it’s a sprinter’s day.”

Tom Pidcock reflects on maiden Tour de France

15:22 , Jack Rathborn

“It’s more going through it, learning, writing stuff down. Every little thing makes a difference,” Tom Pidcock said.

“When I joined the team, they said I should write stuff down as I learn and here every day I’ve been writing everything down. So, I’ve got a pretty good idea for next year, a pretty good routine and everything.”

15:14 , Jack Rathborn

OK, so attention turns to Stage 21 in the men’s Tour de France.

Glory for Vingegaard, but who will win one of the most prestigious stages in all of cycling?

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Kasia Niewiadoma reacts to Stage 1

15:00 , Jack Rathborn

Kasia Niewiadoma on Stage 1: “It was surprisingly easy, I expected it to be hard. Nice to open the legs out.

“There was nothing crazy happening. I expected a chaotic race, fighting for positions, but it seemed relaxed, maybe due to quite wide roads.

“The last lap was all about fighting for position to get to the front, but I feel like a lot of things for GC riders, everybody is looking forward to this. You have to be conscious of the other riders.

“My teammate got punctured one and a half laps to go. A bit of a panic. It was a little preparation for Paris-Roubaix.

“I just want to stay safe in these stages. I’m happy everybody stayed relatively up without injuries.”

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Pfeiffer Georgi reacts to Lorena Wiebes win

14:54 , Jack Rathborn

After Wiebes pipped Vos, third went to Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx).

Pfeiffer Georgi on the team win: “It’s pretty special. The final sprint was crazy, I had to do a bit of moving up.

“It was pretty hard. We always come in with a perfect plan, but today was hectic, you have to adapt. The girls did a good job to cover the moves.

“It’s 800m from the corner, it’s a long way, Lorena is in position, so she can win.

“Today is a monumental day, she doesn’t show it feeling the pressure. Karaoke on the bus.

“Good vibes before the start, she doesn’t show the nerves. It’s a monumental day but we tried to treat it like any other bike race.”

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Lorena Wiebes reacts to Stage 1 win

14:43 , Jack Rathborn

“It was a chaotic sprint. I was quite relaxed before the start, we did everything as normal.

“Of course there were nerves towards the final. It’s amazing, I’m really, really happy with this.

“The whole team deserves this. We’re ready for the next one.

“It was really close, luckily I could accelerate one more time and hold it to the finish line.”

Tour de France Femmes 2022

14:41 , Jack Rathborn

Vos on Wiebes: “She had a deserved win.”

Tour de France Femmes 2022: Lorena Wiebes (DSM) wins Stage 1 and becomes first leader

14:36 , Jack Rathborn

It’s Lorena Wiebes who takes it, that was a drag race to the line.

Vos pipped, incredible finish!

Huge win for Wiebes, she took the outside line and then matched Vos on a long sprint home, superb.

There are tears as she celebrates on the Champs-Élysées. Magic.

14:34 , Jack Rathborn

Biannic and Vos primed, Henderson leads out...

Norsgaard could go long.

Marianne Vos is well primed and Gladys Verhulst has been caught.

Just 2km to go.

The final lead-out, drama coming!

14:32 , Jack Rathborn

14:29 , Jack Rathborn

Gladys Verhulst still just ahead of the peloton, less than 5k to go now...

Only 13 seconds ahead, this could be a fun finish.

14:18 , Jack Rathborn

There’s a battle for each jersey in the first stage here.

Three riders battling for the Polka Dot jersey; Marta Lach, Femke Markus, and Anne Dorthe Ysland.

Two points on offer for the first place and one for the next one through.

Meanwhile, Gladys Verhulst is 20 seconds clear.

Tour de France 2022: Geraint Thomas’ gilet makes its way to Paris

14:13 , Jack Rathborn

What a Tour for Geraint Thomas, a sensational ride with smart tactics throughout.

A podium finish later today is his reward.

And don’t forget the gilet, it’ll take its prideful place in Paris.

If you want a piece of history, you can buy a raffle ticket for it here with the proceeds going towards the Geraint Thomas Cyling Trust.

Against all the odds I’m assured the gilet is making it to Paris 🤞🤣 Thanks to the crew @gcntweet for doing the final leg and to everyone who’s got it round France. It’s kept me amused on the massage table every night 👌 #wheresGsgilet pic.twitter.com/8V76l9d7u7 — Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) July 24, 2022

14:07 , Jack Rathborn

14:00 , Jack Rathborn

Meanwhile in the women’s race, there are 32km to go.

Pauline Allin has a 12 second advantage, if she can negotiate the next 5km, it’s then the second intermediate sprint.

Henrietta Christie is now keeping her company.

🇫🇷 #TDFF Move over boys! 😋 It’s our time now. 🧨 pic.twitter.com/kZK7IRGLK8 — Team Jumbo-Visma Women (@JumboVismaWomen) July 24, 2022

Tour de France 2022: Stage 21 odds

13:50 , Jack Rathborn

Jasper Philipsen 9/4

Fabio Jakobsen 7/2

Wout van Aert 7/2

Dylan Groenewegen 5/1

Caleb Ewan 8/1

Mads Pedersen 10/1

Alberto Dainese 25/1

Peter Sagan 28/1

Christophe Laporte 33/1

Jasper Stuyven 50/1

What it feels like to ride up a Tour de France mountain

13:30 , Jack Rathborn

lpe d’Huez is brutal. No, it’s not the longest climb in the world, nor is it the steepest, but it is relentless. It is 14.4km long and 1100m high and has an average gradient (or steepness) of around 7.9 per cent – a flat road being 0 per cent.

‘We are totally clean, every one of us’: Jonas Vingegaard defends Jumbo-Visma dominance at Tour de France

13:15 , Jack Rathborn

Jonas Vingegaard maintains every member of Jumbo-Visma is “totally clean” and nobody is “taking anything illegal” after clinching the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France .

The Dane’s victory caps a dominant race for the Dutch team, who have picked off six stage victories, including three for Wout van Aert , who triumphed in Saturday’s Stage 20 time-trial to Rocamadour .

Vingegaard, who has two wins, while Christophe Laporte also has a stage victory, was asked following the Stage 20 whether Jumbo-Visma should be trusted, a question posed to each Tour winner since the Lance Armstrong scandal, which has contributed to much of cycling’s murky past.

And despite no implication or evidence of any wrongdoing, from either Vingegaard or his team, the rider answered candidly, explaining the team set-up and training philosophy.

Annemiek van Vleuten eager to make mark at inaugural Tour de France Femmes

13:00 , Jack Rathborn

Race favourite Annemiek van Vleuten has declared herself “ready” for Sunday’s start of inaugural edition of the Tour de France Femmes .

The former world champion will be one of 144 riders who will race down the Champs-Elysees when this long-awaited ‘proper’ women’s edition of the Tour gets under way.

The 82km sprint around Paris will be merely an hors d’oeuvres for the eight-day race, which will cover 1,029km on its way to a climax on La Super des Planche des Belles Filles on July 31.

Van Vleuten, the 2019 world champion who is in her penultimate season at the age of 39, goes into the race full of confidence after securing her third Giro Donne crown earlier this month.

How Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma broke Tadej Pogacar’s stranglehold on the Tour de France

12:45 , Jack Rathborn

One of the beauties of the Tour de France is the myriad ways in which it can be won. Sometimes a rider bullies from start to finish, like Bernard Hinault , who intimidated rivals with his presence and crushed them at every opportunity en route to Paris in 1981. Time-trial specialists mark rivals on the climbs and hurt them on the clock, as Miguel Indurain did so emphatically in 1992, and again in 1994. Chris Froome used Team Sky’s stranglehold on the peloton to suffocate his opponents, while Tadej Pogacar ’s back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021 displayed his individual, unpredictable brilliance.

Jonas Vingegaard is the latest man to win the Tour, and for all his unerring strength and resilience across these past three weeks, the race was won in a decisive hour in the Alps, when Jumbo-Visma’s team tactics isolated and outwitted Pogacar and stripped the yellow jersey from his back.

Head to head, there has not been much to choose between the two leading protagonists of this year’s compelling story. Both are capable time-triallists, both strong climbers, both clearly able to handle the unique pressures that come with leading a team in a grand tour. Pogacar had a slight burst of flat speed that helped him edge stages seven and 17, and the punchier legs that saw him surge to victory on stage 6, back when it seemed his race to lose. Vingegaard had the edge in the highest mountains, where he never cracked despite Pogacar’s best efforts.

How Jonas Vingegaard broke Tadej Pogacar’s stranglehold on the Tour de France

12:30 , Jack Rathborn

After years of failed attempts and half-hearted gimmicks, women’s cycling will finally have a Tour de France worthy of the name when it begins in Paris on Sunday. The brand new Tour de France Femmes is the most lucrative ever women’s cycling race, bursting with talent on a varied and challenging eight-stage parcours built to entertain, and organiser ASO has perhaps finally planted the seeds of a race which will grow and blossom for many summers to come.

There have been several different incarnations of a women’s Tour de France stretching back to 1955. The race peaked during the 1980s but faded away, and when it returned under the guise of the one-day La Course in 2014, thanks to sustained pressure and campaigning, it always felt like a token gesture, an afterthought tacked on to the men’s race. ASO’s claim that it was unfeasible to have both a men’s and women’s Tour only ever seemed like an excuse.

Now the Tour de France Femmes stands alone as a multiple stage race in its own right, with the resources and the momentum to flourish. Virtual cycling giant Zwift is the lead sponsor, signing a four-year deal and helping fund a prize pot of more than £200,000, with around £40,000 for the winner. More significant is that TV coverage of the race will be wide-reaching, even if it is a shame ITV will not be showing the action free-to-air as it has done for the men’s edition. UK fans can watch via Eurosport, Discovery+ or Global Cycling Network.

Why the inaugural Tour de France Femmes ‘changes everything’

Tour de France 2022 stage 21 preview: Route map and profile of Paris finale

12:21 , Jack Rathborn

The 2022 Tour de France comes to a close on Sunday with a 116km jaunt to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

The traditional stage 21 truce means Jonas Vingegaard will get to enjoy the procession to the French capital alongside his Jumbo-Visma teammates at the end of a long, hard month, and modern tradition dictates the winning team drink champagne as they ride.

They may well have sore heads from Saturday’s celebrations after sealing the yellow jersey in style, earning a one-two on the stage 20 individual time trial with the green jersey of Wout van Aert pipping teammate Vingegaard to the victory.

It has been a sensational Tour for both riders and Van Aert will try to pick up his fourth stage win of the race when the pack arrive on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday afternoon for what is typically a bunch sprint.

The superstar Belgian may be the favourite for this one but he will face competition from those sprinters who struggled through the Alps and Pyrenees to get to this point, all desperate to win the prestigious Paris stage. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal), Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin) and Dylan Groenewegen (BikeEchange) are among those who will hope to challenge.

Geraint Thomas will ride to Paris to confirm the third podium position of his Tour de France career, the dethroned Tadej Pogacar will win the young rider’s white jersey, and Vingegaard will collect the polka dot jersey to go along with yellow, after his efforts in the Pyrenees saw him rise to the top of the King of the Mountains classification.

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Tour de France 2022: Results

Top 10 Tour de France 2022 1. Jonas Vingegaard 2. Tadej Pogacar + 2.43 3. Geraint Thomas + 7.22 4. David Gaudu + 13.39 5. Aleksandr Vlasov + 15.46 6. Romain Bardet + 19.11 7. Louis Meintjes + 18.44 8. Alexey Lutsenko + 22.56 9. Adam Yates + 24.52 10. Valentin Madouas + 35.59

Please click on the links in underneath scheme for race results and reports.

Tour de France 2022 – results

More about the tour de france, tour de france 2022: philipsen wins on champs-élysées, vingegaard seals gc triumph.

Tour de France 2022: Van Aert wins ITT, Vingegaard seals GC win

Tour de France 2022: Laporte powers to glory, Vingegaard still in yellow

Tour de France 2022: Yellow jersey Vingegaard wins in Hautacam

Tour de France 2022: Pogacar outsprints yellow jersey Vingegaard

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Race information

• Date: 24 July 2022
• Start time: 16:45
• Avg. speed winner: 38.85 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 115.6 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.GT.A.Stage - TM2022
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• ProfileScore: 13
• Vert. meters: 748
• Departure: Paris La Défense
• Arrival: Paris (Champs-Élysées)
• Race ranking: 1
• Startlist quality score: 1551
• Won how: Sprint of large group
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Tom Pidcock takes maiden Tour de France victory

Mountain bike Olympic champion Tom Pidcock took his first Tour de France victory at the age of 22 as he became the second Briton to win at L’Alpe d’Huez, four years after Geraint Thomas on the last visit of the race to the ski resort of the Oisans. He arrived solo to the top before South Africa’s Louis Meintjes while Chris Froome rounded out the podium on his big return to the front scene of the Tour de France. Pidcock becomes the youngest winner at L’Alpe d’Huez before Lucho Herrera who was 23 when he scored the first ever Tour de France stage victory for Colombia. Jonas Vingegaard retained the Maillot Jaune despite two strong attacks by Tadej Pogacar.

ANTHONY PEREZ ALONE AT COL DU GALIBIER

159 riders started stage 12 in Briançon at 13.18. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) was the first attacker of the day. He was joined by Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Matîs Louvel (Arkéa-Samsic) and Sebastian Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM) at km 6. Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) and Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) came across as Perez rode away solo 5km before the summit of the Galibier. The Frenchman crested in first position, two minutes before the peloton from which Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) had gone clear.

CHRIS FROOME IN THE BREAKAWAY In the downhill, Perez was joined by Ciccone, Meintjes and Powless after 40km of racing. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadier) joined Froome in the downhill in the chase of the escapees. The British duo caught up with the seven leaders, Louvel having dropped down, at km 60. The nine escapees were timed 6’55’’ ahead when the peloton led by five Jumbo-Visma riders started climbing to col de la Croix-de-Fer at half way into the 165km long stage. 5.5km before the summit, Pidcock shook up the front group, then reduced to five: Froome, Powless, Pidcock, Meintjes and Ciccone. The latter passed the line of the hors-category KOM in first position and 4’15’’ before the peloton.

PIDCOCK BY HIMSELF IN THE LAST 7.5KM Pidcock’s accelerations in the downhill gave the leading quintet an advantage of 6’05’’ at the bottom of the 13.8-km long final ascent to L’Alpe d’Huez. Powless was the first rider to lose contact ater 2km of climbing. Pidcock attacked with 10.5km to go. He sped up again 7.5km from the top to drop Meintjes off. It was the definite move to claim the stage victory even though his advantage only grew slowly to 40 seconds. Froome’s bravery was rewarded with his first top 3 in a Tour de France stage since 2018. Caught by the GC favourites at the very end, Ciccone missed out on the polka dot jersey that remained on the shoulders of Simon Geschke.

TWO VAIN ATTACKS BY POGACAR 4.5km before the end, Pogacar attacked from the yellow jersey group reduced to five riders. As Vingegaard managed to follow him, the Slovenian stopped pacing. He went on the attack a second time with just over 2km remaining but it was the same outcome. Pogacar showed on the finishing line that he’s the best sprinter of the two but Vingegaard defended himself in style, proving on his first day in the yellow jersey that he’s a well-deserved leader of the Tour de France.

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Tour de france stage 21: race against the clock to decide final podium, tour organizers are hoping for another drama like lemond vs fignon to conclude race..

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 .

Stage 21 — Sunday, July 21 Monaco to Nice Distance: 33.7km (21 miles) Profile: Time trial

Stage 21: Could there be another LeMond vs Fignon-type drama to end the Tour?

Tour organizers are taking a big gamble with this concluder, which is the first final day time trial since 1989. Longtime fans of the sport will remember an epic duel on that occasion between Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond, with the American stunning many with the-then fastest time trial ever ridden. That earned him a Tour win which many had assumed was heading to his French rival.

35 years later riders will once again settle things against the clock, with a testing TT to decide the final yellow jersey plus the top 10 overall.

Following a start in Monaco they will ascend to the summit of La Turbie, a climb of 8km which averages 5.8 percent. It is a hallmark of Paris-Nice, as is the Col d’Eze, which for many years in the 1980s served as the location for the final day time trial.

That climb is just 1.6km after the descent off La Turbie but averages 8.1 percent, a sting in the legs after three long weeks in the saddle.

From there the riders will power over the final 17km of the course, with a descent and then flat roads speeding them into Nice and to the end of the race.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “Everyone remembers the last occasion the Tour finished with a time trial, when Greg LeMond stripped the yellow jersey from the shoulders of Laurent Fignon on the Champs-Élysées in 1989, by just eight seconds.

“Thirty-five years on, we can but dream of a similar duel, involving two or three riders, an authentic athletic confrontation whose outcome would determine the final podium of the 111th edition, and the first to finish far from its familiar Parisian setting, the ultimate finale destined for Place Masséna, just a few pedal strokes from the Promenade des Anglais.”

Tour of Romandie win is career-best title for Carlos Rodriguez through rain-slicked final stage

VERNIER, Switzerland — Carlos Rodriguez protected his yellow jersey through a rain-soaked final stage Sunday to win the six-day Tour of Romandie for the biggest race victory of his career.

Four previous winners in the French-speaking region of Switzerland went on to win that season’s Tour de France, including Chris Froome in 2013. Rodriguez placed fifth in cycling’s marquee event last year and won a stage.

Rodriguez started Sunday’s flat stage that looped round the suburbs of Geneva — won in a sprint finish by Dorian Godon — with a seven-second lead he took by placing third in a mountain stage Saturday.

The 23-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider kept that winning margin over runner-up Aleksandr Vlasov, the 2022 Romandie winner. Third-placed Florian Lipowitz was third, trailing Rodriquez by nine seconds.

Godon sealed his second stage win this week, edging Simone Consonni with Dion Smith third.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Giro d'Italia 2024: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live

The Giro d’Italia 2024 is about to kick off the Grand Tour season in men’s road cycling .

On Saturday 4 May, Venaria Reale will host the opening stage of the 107 th edition of the Corsa Rosa that will see its conclusion three weeks later in Rome on Sunday 26 May.

All eyes will be on the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar , who aims to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro-Tour double.

Reigning champion and Olympic time trial gold medallist, Primoz Roglic , will not be defending his crown, as he has got his eyes set on the Tour de France.

The 2024 edition of the Italian Grand Tour features gruelling mountain stages in the Alps, gravel roads in Tuscany and more than 70 kilometres of time trial. The winner will lift the prestigious Trofeo Senza Fine (Endless Trophy) and wear the coveted Maglia Rosa in the Italian capital.

This year's race will cover a total of 3400.8 kilometres , making it the shortest edition in 45 years.

Find everything you need to know about the Giro d’Italia 2024 below, including the riders to look out for and how to watch the event live.

• Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Tadej Pogacar powers to second victory
• Jambaljamts Sainbayar: From braving Ulaanbaatar's freezing roads to making history for Mongolian cycling

Who are the riders to watch at the Giro d’Italia 2024?

Pink jersey (general classification).

There is one overwhelming favourite for the Giro d’Italia 2024, and that is Tadej Pogacar .

Fresh off his second Liège–Bastogne–Liège title in impressive fashion, the two-time Tour de France winner is arriving to Italy in top shape.

Pogacar started his season by conquering the gravel roads of Strade Bianche , riding 81 kilometres solo to claim victory in Siena.

At Volta a Catalunya , the Slovenian swept four out of seven stages, securing the overall victory and sending a clear message to his rivals at the Giro about who the man to beat is.

Geraint Thomas suffered heartbreak at last year’s Giro d’italia, narrowly missing out on the overall victory by just 14 seconds.

The 2018 Tour de France champion was leading the race going into the penultimate stage, only to relinquish the pink jersey to Primoz Roglic after the Slovenian's formidable performance in the individual time trial.

The INEOS Grenadiers leader has some unfinished business with the Corsa Rosa and will try to pose a challenge to Pogacar.

Among the outsiders is Australia's Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R), who finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France.

This year, the 28-year-old has consistently finished within the top five in week-long stage races. At the Giro d'Italia warm-up race, the Tour of the Alps, he was the runner-up behind the former Maglia Rosa wearer Juan Pedro Lopez , who also will be lining up at the start line in Venaria Reale.

French veteran Romain Bardet recently said that he is at his best level in years and is convinced he can challenge for the podium.

A second place at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège behind Pogacar was a boost of morale for the 33-year-old, who has not been on a Grand Tour podium since 2018, when he finished third at the Tour de France.

Daniel Martínez will lead the BORA - hansgrohe team. The Colombian climber is no longer in the shadow of INEOS stars Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal , following his move to the German team ahead of this season.

In 2021, Martínez was a strong domestique for compatriot Bernal and helped him secure the overall victory. He also achieved his best overall result in a Grand Tour by finishing in the top five that year. With the absence of teammate Roglic, it is up to Martínez to secure a top result.

“The Killer Bees” Team Visma|Lease a Bike made history in 2023, becoming the first team to claim all three Grand Tours in a single year. Although a repetition of the historic achievement looks difficult, the Dutch team have put their faith in 21-year-old prodigy Cian Uijtdebroeks .

The Belgian has been under the wings of reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard at the O Gran Camiño and Tirreno-Adriatico. Now he faces the ultimate test as Grand Tour captain.

Cyclamen jersey (points classification)

This year’s course is more sprinter-friendly than usual, featuring eight expected mass sprint finishes. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek will aim to defend the maglia ciclamino (mauve jersey for the points classification) that he secured last year.

However, he will face a fierce competition for the mauve jersey as several of the world's top sprinters will travel to Italy.

Soudal Quick-Step will fully support Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France, giving Tim Merlier the opportunity to pursue success at the Giro.

The Belgian has been one of the fastest sprinters during the first part of the season, winning three stages at the UAE Tour, the Nokere Koerse, and the sprinters’ classic Scheldeprijs.

Another challenge will come from Australian Kaden Groves . In 2023, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider added stage wins at both the Giro and the Vuelta a España, where he also left with the green jersey.

Biniam Girmay will be back on Italian soil, where he outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel in the Giro two years ago to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. The Eritrean looks to be close to his form from 2022.

Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij will finally get his Grand Tour debut. The 22-year-old beat Mads Pedersen twice to claim two stage wins at the Paris-Nice in March and is one of the most promising sprinters in the peloton.

Five-time Vuelta a España stage winner Fabio Jakobsen is set to race his first Giro and can complete the set of Grand Tour wins, having already secured a stage victory at the Tour de France in 2022.

Will Filippo Ganna sprint for stage wins again? The Italian time trial specialist was fighting in the bunch sprints at last year’s Vuelta a España and showed a new side of his talent.

Despite not having shone in the last couple of years, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria are both multiple Grand Tour stage winners and they have the power to be competitive in the bunch sprints.

Blue jersey (mountains classification)

Unlike in the Tour de France, the winner of the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia is usually not the same as the winner of the general classification.

Thibaut Pinot , who has since retired, clinched the blue jersey in the previous edition while finishing fifth overall.

However, the breakaway riders often view for the mountains classification.

A potential contender is Simon Geschke of Cofidis. The German rider was close to seal the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France in 2022, but ultimately Jonas Vingegaard ended up with both the yellow and polka dot jersey.

Other names to watch are Britain's Simon Carr , who just won a stage and the mountains classification at the Tour of the Alps, and Dutchman Koen Bouwman , who is aiming for his second blue jersey after claiming it in 2022.

Key stages of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Five stages are singled out by cycling experts as the most decisive for the Giro d'Italia 2024.

The first one arrives already on stage two , which is the earliest summit finish in 35 years. It is a true climbing test, which takes the peloton to Santuario di Oropa (6.2% over 11.8km) and will give an early indication of who will be the main general classification contenders.

A 40.6-kilometre time trial awaits the peloton on stage seven . The course is technical and the uphill finish should shake up the top ten. Some will see it as an oppornunity to gain time, while others will try to limit their losses.

Stage 15 is the queen stage of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. Containing 5,200 metres of elevation gain over 220 kilometres, it is a brutal day in the mountains. Hopefully, snowfall will not affect this blockbuster Alpine stage.

The riders get a rest day following the queen stage, but already on stage 16 , climbing legs will be tested again. It includes the Passo dello Stelvio , the Cima Coppi of this year’s race. At an elevation of 2,757 metres it is the second highest pass in the Alps.

The lack of oxygen at high altitude will make the peloton suffer. With over 100 kilometres remaining from the summit of Stelvio, the favourites who might fall behind still have the chance to catch up before the final ascents to Passo Pinei and Monte Pana.

Stage 20 , the penultimate stage before the procession around the streets of Rome, promises a decisive battle in the mountains for the final general classification. Two gruelling ascents of Monte Grappa - 18.2 kilometres at 8.1% - will determine who earns the right to wear the pink jersey in Rome and hoist the Endless Trophy .

Day-by-day route of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Saturday 4 May, stage 1: Venaria Reale-Torino, medium mountains, 140 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 5 May, stage 2: San Francesco al Campo–Santuario di Oropa (Biella), medium mountains, 161 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 6 May, stage 3: Novara-Fossano, hilly, 166 km ⭐⭐

Tuesday 7 May, stage 4: Acqui Terme-Andora, hilly, 190 km ⭐⭐

Wednesday 8 May, stage 5: Genova-Lucca, medium mountains,178 km ⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 9 May, stage 6: Viareggio-Rapolano Terme, medium mountains, 180 km ⭐⭐

Friday 10 May, stage 7: Foligno-Perugia, individual time trial, 40,6 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 11 May, stage 8: Spoleto-Prati di Tivo, high mountains,152 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 12 May, stage 9: Avezzano-Napoli, medium mountains, 214 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 13 May: Rest day

Tuesday 14 May, stage 10: Pompei-Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva), medium mountains, 142 km ⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 15 May, stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore-Francavilla al Mare, hilly, 207 km ⭐⭐

Thursday 16 May, stage 12: Martinsicuro-Fano, medium mountains, 193 km ⭐⭐⭐

Friday 17 May, stage 13: Riccione-Cento, flat, 179 km ⭐

Saturday 18 May, stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere-Desenzano del Garda, individual time trial, 31,2 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 19 May, stage 15: Manerba del Garda-Livigno (Mottolino), high mountains, 222 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday 20 May: Rest day

Tuesday 21 May, stage 16: Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena (Monte Pana), high mountains, 202 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 22 May, stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena-Passo Brocon, high mountains, 159 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 23 May, stage 18: Fiera di Primiero-Padova, hilly, 171 km ⭐⭐

Friday 24 May, stage 19: Mortegliano-Cima Sappada, medium mountains, 157 km ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 25 May, stage 20: Alpago-Bassano del Grappa, high mountains, 181 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 26 May, stage 21: Roma-Roma, flat, 122 km ⭐

How to watch the Giro d’Italia 2024

The Giro d'Italia 2024 will be shown live around the world. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Albania - Eurosport
• Andorra - Eurosport
• Austria - Eurosport
• Belarus - Eurosport
• Belgium - VRT/RTBF.be/RTL Belgium/VTM Medialaan/Eurosport
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Eurosport
• Bulgaria- Eurosport
• Croatia - Eurosport
• Cyprus - Eurosport
• Czechia - Eurosport
• Denmark - Eurosport
• Estonia - Eurosport
• Finland - Eurosport
• France - La Chaine L’Equipe
• Georgia - Eurosport
• Germany - Eurosport
• Greece - Eurosport
• Hungary - Eurosport
• Iceland - Eurosport
• Ireland - Eurosport
• Israel - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Italy - Rai/Eurosport
• Latvia - Eurosport
• Liechtenstein - Eurosport
• Lithuania - Eurosport
• Luxembourg - Eurosport
• Malta - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Moldova - Eurosport
• Montenegro - Eurosport
• Netherlands - NOS/Eurosport
• North Macedonia - Eurosport
• Norway - Eurosport
• Poland - Eurosport
• Portugal - Eurosport
• Principality of Monaco - Eurosport
• Romania - Eurosport
• San Marino - Rai/Eurosport
• Serbia - Eurosport
• Slovakia - Eurosport
• Slovenia - Planet TV/Eurosport
• Spain - EITB/Eurosport
• Sweden - Eurosport
• Switzerland - SRG SSR/Eurosport
• Ukarine - Eurosport
• United Kingdom - Eurosport
• Vatican City - Rai/Eurosport
• Wales - S4C

North and Central America

• Canada - FloSports
• Dominican Republic - Eurosport
• United States - MAX USA/BeIN Sport

South America

• Argentina - + Claro/DirecTV
• Bolivia - + Claro/DirecTV
• Brazil - + Claro/DirecTV
• Chile - + Claro/DirecTV
• Colombia - + Claro/DirecTV/Caracol TV
• Ecuador - + Claro/DirecTV
• Guyana - DirecTV/Eurosport
• Paraguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Peru - + Claro/DirecTV
• Suriname - + Claro/DirecTV
• The Caribbean - DirecTV
• Uruguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Venezuela - + Claro/DirecTV
• Afghanistan - Eurosport
• Armenia - Eurosport
• Azerbaijan - Eurosport
• Bahrain - STARZPLAY
• Bangladesh - Eurosport
• Bhutan - Eurosport
• Cambodia - Eurosport
• People’s Republic of China - Zhibo.tv
• India - Eurosport
• Indonesia - Eurosport
• Iran - STARZPLAY
• Iraq - STARZPLAY
• Japan - J Sports
• Jordan - STARZPLAY
• Kazakhstan - Eurosport
• Kuwait - STARZPLAY
• Kyrgyzstan - Eurosport
• Lebanon - STARZPLAY
• Malaysia - Eurosport
• Maldives - Eurosport
• Mongolia - Eurosport
• Myanmar - Eurosport
• Nepal - Eurosport
• Oman - STARZPLAY
• Pakistan - Eurosport
• Philippines - Eurosport
• Qatar - STARZPLAY
• Russia - Eurosport
• Saudi Arabia - STARZPLAY
• Singapore - Eurosport
• Republic of Korea - Eurosport
• Sri Lanka - Eurosport
• Syria - STARZPLAY
• Chinese Taipei - Eurosport
• Türkiye - Eurosport
• United Arab Emirates - STARZPLAY
• Yemen - STARZPLAY
• Australia - SBS/Eurosport
• Papua New Guinea - Eurosport
• Algeria - STARZPLAY
• Djibouti - STARZPLAY
• Egypt - STARZPLAY
• Libya - STARZPLAY
• Morocco - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• South Africa - Supersport
• Tunisia - STARZPLAY

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Tour of Romandie win is career-best title for Carlos Rodriguez through rain-slicked final stage

The winner of the Tour de Romandie, Carlos Rodriguez, right, from Spain of team Ineos Grenadier, celebrates on the podium after the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

The winner of the Tour de Romandie, Carlos Rodriguez, right, from Spain of team Ineos Grenadier, crosses the finish line of the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

The winner of the stage, Dorian Godon from France of team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, crosses the finish line to win the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

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VERNIER, Switzerland (AP) — Carlos Rodriguez protected his yellow jersey through a rain-soaked final stage Sunday to win the six-day Tour of Romandie for the biggest race victory of his career.

Four previous winners in the French-speaking region of Switzerland went on to win that season’s Tour de France, including Chris Froome in 2013. Rodriguez placed fifth in cycling’s marquee event last year and won a stage.

Rodriguez started Sunday’s flat stage that looped round the suburbs of Geneva — won in a sprint finish by Dorian Godon — with a seven-second lead he took by placing third in a mountain stage Saturday.

The 23-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider kept that winning margin over runner-up Aleksandr Vlasov, the 2022 Romandie winner. Third-placed Florian Lipowitz was third, trailing Rodriquez by nine seconds.

Godon sealed his second stage win this week, edging Simone Consonni with Dion Smith third.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports