Vingegaard: ‘Did not attack to keep Pogacar in yellow’Jonas Vingegaard, the leader of the Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike, is happy for his teammate Simon Yates. “It’s great that Simon won,” he says to Eurosport. “It’s an incredible day for us. I’m also happy with my legs today. It’s been a good day for me too.”
What was noticeable was that Visma-Lease a Bike tried to smoke out Pogacar on the last climbs, which didn’t succeed. Vingegaard crossed the finish line together with Pogacar. “UAE has a very strong team and Pogacar himself also had to do some work. We wanted to put some pressure on them, but they did well.”
“We didn’t attack to keep Tadej in yellow. Of course, a podium ceremony costs some energy every day, but we don’t think about that. We stick to our plan and that was to keep the pressure on UAE.”
Arensman disappointed: ‘I was so close’Thymen Arensman is extremely disappointed with the lost battle with Simon Yates for the stage victory. “Simon did it very cleverly in the corners,” he said to the NOS. “I almost fell in the corners, I had to let them go. I didn’t want to cramp up too much. I was so close and had the legs, but it was this or going down in the corners before. Losing to a Giro winner isn’t bad. I should have known about those corners. It’s a shame, but Simon was very strong.”
Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard cross the finish line 4 minutes and 52 seconds behind stage winner Simon Yates, following the French breakaway rider Lenny Martinez. Because things weren’t going so fast in the last kilometer, Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel kept their losses limited.
Ben Healy is the new wearer of yellow in the Tour de France! He takes over the jersey from Tadej Pogacar.
At the finish line, Ben Healy waits to see if he is the new wearer of the yellow jersey after today. His deficit to Tadej Pogacar before the stage was 3 minutes and 55 seconds. It promises to be exciting.
They are together again: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. The battle for the overall victory seems to be a duel between the two rivals again. Pogacar keeps looking at Vingegaard, who stoically keeps pedaling. Remco Evenepoel is already following at a great distance.
Attack Tadej Pogacar! Attention, attention: the yellow jersey wearer stands on his pedals with a few kilometers to go. Only his rival Jonas Vingegaard can follow him.
Finish – Thymen Arensman comes close, but the Tour debutant has to bow his head to Simon Yates in the battle for the stage victory. He finishes second, a handful of seconds behind the Brit from Visma-Lease a Bike. Still, the Gelderlander deserves a deep bow for his performance today.
200 meters to go – Uproar in the peloton! Remco Evenepoel attacks!
400 meters to go – Simon Yates still has a gear in hand and delivers the final blow to Thymen Arensman, it seems. The difference is getting bigger.
600 meters to go – Thymen Arensman dances on his pedals. The Gelderlander squeezes everything out to get to Simon Yates.
800 meters to go – Simon Yates doesn’t dare to look back. Thymen Arensman is approaching! The difference is less than 15 meters! What a wonderful duel.
1 km to go – Thymen Arensman is approaching Simon Yates! Is there a Dutch sensation coming?
1.7 km to go – Thymen Arensman seems to be giving up more and more ground to leader Simon Yates. What the Dutchman is showing is brilliant, but does he still have a feat of arms in store? The flag of the last kilometer is in sight.
2 km to go – It is a wonderful battle between Simon Yates and Thymen Arensman for the stage win. The Dutchman sees the Brit from Visma-Lease a Bike riding in front of him, but he just doesn’t get closer. The difference is only 4 seconds.
2.5 km to go – What a setback for Thymen Arensman. The Dutchman connects with the two at the front, but then Simon Yates decides to accelerate again. Ben O’Connor hoists the white flag. The battle for the stage win is between Simon Yates and Thymen Arensman.
3 km to go – Ben O’Connor connects with Simon Yates. Thymen Arensman is on the elastic and squeezes himself completely out to get there. The difference is less than 20 meters.
3.5 km to go – Attack by Simon Yates in the leading group! The Brit has been lounging in the back wheel all day and at the foot of the final climb he has flown like a bird. He creates a gap with the rest. Ben O’Connor and Thymen Arensman go in pursuit.
5 km to go – There is a new acceleration from Matteo Jorgenson of the Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike! Again Tadej Pogacar goes to the wheel like a predator. There are still ten riders left in the group with favorites. Kévin Vauquelin has been dropped.
6 km to go – It is a beautiful sight: the five leaders ride downhill through the French countryside in Clermont-Ferrand, with beautiful surroundings on either side. They won’t care about that at the front.
9 km to go – Visma-Lease a Bike takes over the helm in the peloton again from UAE Team Emirates. The group counts exactly nineteen riders. All the big names are there: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Roglic, Lipowitz, Mas, Onley and Vauquelin.
10 km to go – The five leaders, led by Ben Healy, are the first to reach the top of the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, the penultimate climb of the day. The riders will now descend for about 7 kilometers, after which the 3.3 kilometer final climb follows. The lead is 5 minutes and 45 seconds.
11 km to go – Another acceleration from Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike in the peloton. Tadej Pogacar sprints into his wheel like a cheetah. The yellow jersey wearer does not wait for the help of his teammate Adam Yates.
12 km to go – Ben Healy still dictates the pace in the leading group and Thymen Arensman picks up on his wheel. Due to the efforts of the Irishman, who hopes to take over the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar, the lead continues to fluctuate around 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
14 km to go – Quinn Simmons has to pay a price for all his efforts and is completely parked. The leading group continues with five riders: Simon Yates, Ben Healy, Michael Storer, Ben O’Connor and Thymen Arensman.
15.1 km to go – The six leaders, led by Ben Healy, have started the penultimate climb of the day: the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert. It is 5.1 kilometers long and rises an average of 6.3 percent. Will we see the long-awaited spectacle here? Or will the case be decided on the final climb? Half an hour of racing to go!
Thymen Arensman had a difficult time for a while, but he is still nicely in the six-man leading group that is allowed to compete for the stage victory. Can he recover and complete a feat of arms? 16 kilometers and two climbs of the second category to go.
19 km to go – Meanwhile, Ben Healy is riding hard at the front of the leading group to maintain the lead of 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The Irishman from EF Education-EasyPost is virtually in yellow and still has a margin of 1.5 minutes on yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar.
20 km to go – The calm seems to have returned for a moment in the peloton. UAE Team Emirates takes the initiative again from Visma-Lease a Bike. The Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez will now determine the pace.
21 km to go – Sepp Kuss tries to follow the example of Matteo Jorgenson, but Tadej Pogacar’s team consciously lets him go. Kuss sees it shaking his head. The game between UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike has begun.
22 km to go – The game is on! Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike places a scorching acceleration in the peloton and yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar counters directly. The peloton thins out rapidly.
22 km to go – Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike creates a gap with the peloton, but is startled by it himself and drops back again. The Dutch team makes an eager impression in this final.
23 km to go – In the peloton there is finally a stir! The Visma-Lease a Bike of Jonas Vingegaard takes over the helm from the team of Tadej Pogacar and leads the chase. Tiesj Benoot gives it a good jerk.
24 km to go – Quinn Simmons is being calculated by the hard work of Ben Healy in the pursuing group. Due to the high pace of the Irishman, there are only six riders left at the front. Thymen Arensman is still there.
Many French flags are proudly displayed along the course. That is of course always the case during the Tour de France, but on this July 14, the national holiday of France, it is just a little more. Today, the country commemorates the Storming of the Bastille in 1789. This marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
26 km to go – Thymen Arensman connects with the leaders and immediately tries to ride away, but that attack is rather telegraphed. The Dutchman is immediately caught. Then the American road champion Quinn Simmons dares an attempt. He creates a small gap.
27 km to go – The seven leaders are mainly looking at each other, which causes the pace at the front to come to a complete standstill. That is good news for Thymen Arensman, who can join. The question is for how long.
27 km to go – After a number of flat kilometers, the road starts to rise again, towards the absolute final with two climbs of the second category. Thymen Arensman tries to make the connection with the seven-man leading group in the background.
29 km to go – Ai, Thymen Arensman seems to miss the beat. Simon Yates, Quinn Simmons, Michael Storer and Anders Halland Johannessen join the three at the front, but there is no trace of Arensman.
31 km to go – The leaders realize that they are allowed to compete for the stage win today and that has an impact on the difficult cooperation. Ben Healy, Ben O’Connor and Joseph Blackmore try to ride away. They create a small gap.
Thymen Arensman is always there as the chicks in the leading group. Can he bring the Netherlands a second stage victory in this Tour de France, after the success of Mathieu van der Poel last week?
37 km to go – The riders finally get some space to recover, because after a long rising road there is finally a descent. There are only twelve riders left at the front. Thymen Arensman is still there. The lead over the peloton is 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
41 km to go – After winning five mountain sprints, Lenny Martinez gives up on the Col de la Croix Morand. That makes sense, because he is already certain of the polka dot jersey. Ben Healy is the first to reach the top. Quinn Simmons is second behind.
41.5 km to go – The Belgian Victor Campenaerts of Visma-Lease a Bike, wrapped in a pink plaster to promote his breathing, gives it a jerk in the leading group. Does the team with Simon Yates think they can win the stage? The lead is 5 minutes and 25 minutes.
43 km to go – In the peloton, the image has been the same for hours. Tadej Pogacar’s team dictates the pace in the large group, but it’s not going very fast. The Slovenian doesn’t seem to mind if he loses his leader’s jersey to leader Ben Healy today. The latter is virtually in yellow, currently one minute ahead of Pogacar. When will the Visma-Lease a Bike of Jonas Vingegaard take action?
44.7 km to go – There the sixth climb of the day looms for the fifteen leaders: the Col de la Croix Morand. On paper, that is the easiest climb of the day, with a length of 3.5 kilometers and an average gradient of 5.7 percent. The peloton follows at 5 minutes and 10 seconds.
46 km to go – After reaching the top of the Col de Guéry, there is war in the leading group. Several riders try to take the hare path, including the American road champion Quinn Simmons and Ben Healy. None of the fortune seekers get space. What does this mean for the cooperation?
50 km – Lenny Martinez is definitively the new leader in the mountain classification at the end of this stage. The 1.68 meter tall Frenchman is also the first to reach the top on the fifth climb of the day, so he cannot be caught today.
For Martinez it is a great success. He has made the polka dot jersey his great goal this Tour. He wants to win it for his grandfather Mariano Martínez, who won the mountain classification in the Tour de France in 1978.
53 km to go – The fifth climb of the day is approaching, the Col de Guéry. It is 3.4 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 6.7 percent. It is another hefty calf biter for the riders.
What is going through the head of the man in yellow? For the time being, Tadej Pogacar is not showing his cards in this first mountain stage. Will he give his rival Jonas Vingegaard another blow today? Or should he take a hit from the Dane? There is a good chance that the fireworks will only ignite on the 3.3 kilometer final climb.
56 km to go – The lead of the leaders is going fast. That is often bad news for the men at the front, but not today. Within a period of 10 kilometers, the lead has grown by one minute, to 5 minutes. Will the seventeen in front compete for the stage win?
58 km to go – The road is getting steeper and steeper for the leaders and so the back door is slowly opening. The Australian Harry Sweeny can no longer keep up with the pace and has to let go.
60 km to go – The last hour and a half of this stage is approaching. It looks good at the moment for the seventeen-man leading group, because the lead over the peloton has now grown to 4 minutes and 20 seconds. There are still four climbs to go, three of which are of the second category.
Can the escapees, including Thymen Arensman, stay ahead? Or will Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard put on a show?
64 km to go – The lead of the leading group over the peloton is just over 4 minutes. This means that the Irishman Ben Healy is virtually riding in yellow. He is eleventh in the general classification, at 3 minutes and 55 seconds from yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar.
Will the Slovenian loosen the reins, so that he no longer has to complete all the obligations of the podium ceremony? Or will Visma-Lease a Bike and Jonas Vingegaard put a stop to that?
Who is Thymen Arensman?He is the only Dutchman in the leading group: Thymen Arensman. Time for a closer acquaintance, for the people who don’t follow cycling closely.
Arensman has been regarded as a talented climber for years. The 25-year-old rider from Deil in Gelderland already won a stage in the Vuelta a España in 2022 and finished three times in the top ten of a grand tour: twice in the Giro d’Italia and once in the Vuelta a España. He is participating in the Tour de France for the first time this year.
His team INEOS Grenadiers has often seen Arensman as a designated leader, but that did not go well for him. Arensman was often burdened by mental pressure. That also played a role in the past Giro d’Italia, in which he finished in a disappointing 29th place. Now he hopes to take revenge.
79 km to go – This is the current race situation in this first mountain stage in the Tour de France:
Leading group (with Thymen Arensman)
Peloton (with Pogacar and Vingegaard)
82 km to go – The riders have covered half of the almost 4,500 meters of altitude. It will take about 30 kilometers until the fifth climb of the day follows, so this is the moment for the nineteen-man leading group to gain more distance from the peloton. At the moment the lead is 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
86.5 km – It should come as no surprise to the regular followers of this live blog. The Frenchman Lenny Martinez also pushes his bike across the line first at the top of the fourth climb of the day. He is thus increasing his lead in the mountain classification. Martinez has 22 points, 11 points more than the new number two Michael Woods. Mathematically, Martinez can still miss the polka dot jersey, but that chance seems small.
87 km to go – Tadej Pogacar lets his team ride at the front all day, but it is not going hard yet. Due to the accelerations in the leading group, the gap with the leading riders has already increased to 3 minutes and 40 seconds. So far, the lead of the leading group has not been so great today.
89 km – At the foot of the fourth climb of the day, eight more riders join the leading group, which means that eighteen riders are riding at the front. The Côte de Berzet is 3.4 kilometers long and rises an average of 7.4 percent. A real climb for the puncheurs.
Thymen Arensman has had his share of bad luck in recent months, so he is yearning for success in the Tour de France. For the time being, the climber from Deil in Gelderland has things well organized. He is always there as the chickens. What does that promise?
94 km to go – On the third climb of the day, the leading group has fallen apart into pieces. Ten riders are currently riding at the front: Ben Healy and Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco AlUla), Simon Yates and Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step).
96 km to go – A beautiful image, especially for motorsport fans. The riders are currently riding on the Circuit de Charade, which in the distant past was the setting for a Formula 1 race. Which rider will push his bike across the line first today?
98.5 km to go – The Frenchman Lenny Martinez also reaches the top first on the third climb of the day and strengthens his lead in the mountain classification. He now has 17 points, 9 points more than number two Tim Wellens. There are still 22 mountain points to be earned today. It looks good for the Frenchman in the battle for the polka dot jersey.
99 km to go – The adventure of Ben O’Connor has not been for long, because he is being calculated by a group of seven riders, including Thymen Arensman. The Dutchman is showing himself well today. Isn’t he doing too much alone?
100 km to go – In the peloton it remains calm on the third climb of the day. At the moment, the riders are on the slowest schedule. That means that the finish is just before 6:00 PM.
101 km to go – Attack in the leading group! Ben O’Connor, the number two of the Vuelta a España last year, is fed up with the low pace in the leading group and places an attack on the flanks of the Côte de Charade. Nobody can follow him. Is this the beginning of a long solo?
102 km – An image from the helicopter shows that the peloton has thinned out considerably, now that the riders already have 1,500 meters of altitude in their legs today. A rough estimate learns that there are still about 50 riders riding in the large group.
103 km to go – The leaders are going to the third climb of the day at lightning speed, the Côte de Charade. It is 5.1 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 6.8 percent. Also on the top of this climb of the second category, five points can be earned for the mountain classification. Lenny Martinez will surely stir again. Meanwhile, the peloton follows at 1 minute and 45 seconds from the 29-man leading group.
110.5 km – Lenny Martinez also reaches the top first on the second climb of the day and is virtually the new leader in the mountain classification. The Frenchman still had to put in an effort for that, because the Norwegian Anders Halland Johannessen had also set his sights on the points. However, Martinez settled with the Norwegian in the last meters. Is that enough to wear the polka dot jersey soon?
111 km – Tadej Pogacar no longer has to count on his French helper Pavel Sivakov. He also has to let go on the second climb of the day. However, he has no complaints about assistance, with Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens, Adam Yates and Marc Soler in his vicinity. The German hard rider Nils Politt has finished his work for a while and has let himself be dropped.
112 km – The teams in the peloton are riding in battle order on the flanks of the Côte de La Baraque. The team of yellow jersey wearer UAE Team Emirates is riding at the front, followed by Visma-Lease a Bike and then the Soudal Quick-Step of Remco Evenepoel. The ‘Big Three’ is still quiet.
114 km – The pace in the peloton is dropping a bit, which means that Mathieu van der Poel is getting closer and closer to the large group. He already had to let go on the first climb of the day, but is now reported to be only one minute away from the peloton. He will not play a significant role today, after his heroic effort yesterday, but he does not have to fear a too late arrival.
115 km – The leaders have started the second climb of the day: the Côte de La Baraque. It is 4.8 kilometers long and quite steep. On average, the road rises by 7.4 percent.
The dust has settled in this stage, so it’s time for the beautiful pictures from the Massif Central. Here Tadej Pogacar descends in flowing style through the French countryside.
120.6 km – There is no battle in the leading group for the first place at the intermediate sprint. The Norwegian Anders Halland Johannessen does look over his shoulder at the Frenchman Bruno Armirail, after which a small conversation seems to arise between the two. Armirail gives no shojoe and grants the points and the prize money to Johannessen.
123 km – The leaders are rushing towards the only intermediate sprint of the day, in the French town of Durtol. There are 20 points to be earned for the points jersey. Of the 29 leaders, Quinn Simmons is the highest ranked rider in the points classification, but his deficit to Jonathan Milan already seems insurmountable.
126 km – In the peloton, the German hard rider Nils Politt has been riding at the front for his leader Tadej Pogacar for a while. The yellow jersey wearer still has five other helpers left: Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens, Adam Yates, Marc Soler and Pavel Sivakov. The latter has returned to the peloton, after he had to let go on the first climb. The deficit to the leading group is 1 minute and 50 seconds.
128 km – In the eyes of the Australians Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) and Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) it is not going fast enough and so they briefly ride away from the leading group. There is no question of a smooth cooperation at the front.
134 km – Pablo Castrillo joins the leading group with the help of his Spanish teammate Iván Romeo, which now consists of no less than 29 riders. They are divided over the following teams: EF Education-EasyPost (4), Team Jayco AlUla (3), Israel-Premier Tech (3), Visma-Lease a Bike (2), Soudal Quick-Step (2), Tudor (2), Movistar (2), Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team (2), XDS Astana Team (2), Bahrain Victorious (1), INEOS Grenadiers (1), Lidl-Trek (1), Groupama-FDJ (1), Arkéa-B&B Hotels (1), Team TotalEnergies (1) and Uno-X Mobility (1).
135 km – Penalty work for Pablo Castrillo of Movistar. He must also be in the leading group of the team management and bridge a difference of 1 minute. Does he succeed? Or will it be a chase patate?
139 km – A setback for the Dutch followers: Frank van den Broek cannot keep up with the pace in the leading group and drops out. The leading group now consists of 28 riders, of whom Thymen Arensman is the only Dutchman.
However, the Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike of leader Jonas Vingegaard has two riders ahead: Simon Yates and Victor Campenaerts. Tadej Pogacar has not sent any helpers ahead and lets his UAE servants ride at the front of the peloton.
143 km – And there is the next dropout in this Tour de France and that is no small name: Søren Waerenskjold. The Norwegian, who won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier this year, fell yesterday and is now definitively squeezing the brakes. After Jasper Philipsen and Marijn van den Berg, there is another cross over the name of a sprinter.
144 km – Visma Lease-a Bike has its business in excellent order, because Simon Yates joins the leaders together with seven other riders. The leading group now consists of 28 riders. Julian Alaphilippe and Michael Storer are also riding at the front.
It is almost impossible to keep up with all those attacks in the opening phase of this stage in this Tour de France. The necessary spectacle was expected in advance and that is completely coming out. It is, again, a very quick start to this stage.
150 km – For the administration, these are the twenty names in the leading group: Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step), Ben Healy, Neilson Powless and Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Ben O’Connor and Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla), Raúl García Pierna (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Bruno Armirail, Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Simone Velasco (XDS-Astana), Steff Cras (TotalEnergies), Michael Woods, Joe Blackmore and Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-Premier Tech) and Frank van den Broek (Team Picnic PostNL).
152 km – Luke Plapp of Team Jayco AlUla joins the leading group, which means that there are now twenty riders riding at the front. The question is for how long. The peloton is not giving a free pass yet. The gap is only 20 seconds.
153 km – Lenny Martinez reaches the top of the Côte de Loubeyrat first and takes five points for the mountain classification. He now has seven mountain points, one point less than Tim Wellens, the wearer of the polka dot jersey. The Frenchman Bruno Armirail is second behind Martinez.
154 km – It’s a ball in the peloton. Now that a group with no fewer than nineteen riders seems to be getting space, the teams without leaders are still trying to make the crossing. The differences are small.
155 km – A setback for yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar: Pavel Sivakov, an important helper in the high mountains, has to let go from the peloton already. That will boost the morale of Visma-Lease a Bike.