The jersey distribution is unchanged after today:
Alaphilippe thought he won the fifteenth stage
Julian Alaphilippe’s team boss has confirmed that the Frenchman thought he had won the fifteenth stage of the Tour. Van Aert was seemingly a little more aware of the situation. About 8 seconds before Alaphilippe, Victor Campenaerts crossed the line for second place. According to the Frenchman’s team leader, the communication faltered again.
The average speed of the fifteenth stage was almost 44 kilometers per hour.
That smile won’t be wiped off Tim Wellens’ face for the time being.
A big smile from yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar as he crosses the line with the peloton. The Slovenian obviously already knows that teammate Tim Wellens has just won.
Tim Wellens is overjoyed after completing the trilogy of stage wins in Grand Tours. “Everyone wants to ride a Tour de France, and not many people win in the Tour de France. Very special,” the Belgian says in the flash interview.
The peloton has also arrived. We see broad smiles on the faces of the men from UAE Team Emirates, Wellens’ team.
Wellens’ win, and Campenaerts’ second place, is the first Belgian 1-2 since the thirteenth stage of 2024. Then Jasper Philipsen won in the mass sprint from number two Wout van Aert.
Second place is indeed for Campenaerts, Alaphilippe wins the sprint for third place.
Tim Wellens wins the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France!
He completes his trilogy of stage wins in the Vuelta, Giro, and Tour. In the background, Victor Campenaerts seems to be riding to second place.
800 meters left – Tim Wellens is still enjoying his last meters. He clenches his fist at the camera, the finish is in sight!
3.3 km left – Wout van Aert, along with Iván Romeo, is getting close to the group with Campenaerts and Rodriguez.
Quinn Simmons can’t believe it… He tried to break away several times today, but the American couldn’t follow when Tim Wellens accelerated.
5.9 km left – Even on the flat, Wellens is still extending his lead over his immediate pursuers. The difference is almost 2 minutes.
Tim Wellens is going to win the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France. It almost can’t be otherwise.
10 km left – From now on, it will be mostly flat for Wellens! The Belgian has a lead of 1 minute and 40 seconds.
13 km left – Every water bottle that Tim Wellens is handed is completely emptied over his head. We are flirting with 30 degrees again in the South of France.
16 km left – And Quinn Simmons is now taking off. There is some tempo in the chasing group, but it seems too late for an attack on Wellens. In this group, they seem to be fighting for second place now.
17 km left – Now an acceleration from Victor Campenaerts! But Wellens seems to have already flown away. The Belgian has a lead of 1 minute and 25 seconds with 17 kilometers to go.
18 km left – The chasing group seems more concerned with second place than with first place. The difference is again 1 minute and 30 seconds.
23 km left – Wellens is told that the lead is now 1 minute and 15 seconds. That must feel good for the Belgian.
Top-10 riders with the most prize money in the Tour so far:
Tim Wellens, just before he accelerated. Wellens became Belgian road champion exactly three weeks ago. Today he is well on his way to his first Tour stage victory ever.
28 km left – Wellens’ lead reaches 1 minute! He seems to be seriously pulling it off today, what an effort from the Belgian.
31 km left – 50 seconds is the difference now. It’s downhill until about 10 kilometers from the end, then it’s flat to the finish.
35 km left – Wellens is unleashed! The Belgian wants to complete his trilogy today, after already winning stages in the Giro and the Vuelta. He has a lead of 30 seconds, with 35 kilometers to go.
38 km left – Van der Poel has now been caught by the peloton, which is 6 minutes behind Tim Wellens.
40 km left – Simmons, Campenaerts, Vlasov, Storer, and Barguil are about 20 seconds behind Wellens. The Belgian champion has added a few more seconds.
42 km left – Is Wellens seriously going to try it, with 42 kilometers to go? He is 10 seconds ahead of his first pursuers.
43 km left – Tim Wellens with a serious acceleration at the front! Simmons is chasing, Campenaerts seems unable to keep up with the pace.
44 km left – We now have a leading group of eight riders: Wellens, Campenaerts, Rodríguez, Vlasov, Simmons, Storer, Barguil, and Lutsenko.
46 km left – Van der Poel has also been dropped from the chasing group. He is already at a deficit of more than 5 minutes. The Dutchman will probably not play a significant role in this stage anymore.
50 km left – The current state of affairs:
52 km left – Michael Storer is the first to reach the top of the Pas du Sant, but the climbing isn’t over yet. The hardest part is over, though.
53 km left – Simmons and Storer are still accompanied by Campenaerts and Wellens. The group with Van der Poel, among others, is now far behind the lead of the race. It doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for the Dutchman today.
55 km left – Quinn Simmons and Michael Storer are trying to break away together from the leading group. Will the two succeed in getting rid of the rest?
56 km left – The leading group has started on the Pas du Sant (3 kilometers at 9.2 percent). Let’s see what’s going to happen here…
57 km left – We are almost at the last and toughest climb of the day! The Pas du Sant (3 kilometers at 9.2 percent). After this climb, it will still go up a bit now and then, but not as hard as here. This is the place where you can make the difference.
58 km left – The group with Eenkhoorn and Van den Broek has been caught again by the group with Van der Poel.
60 km left – Eenkhoorn, Van den Broek, Laurance, Nys, Madouas, and O’Connor are dangling between the leading group and the group with Van der Poel.
61 km left – The acceleration of Eenkhoorn and Van den Broek, among others, ensures that the entire chasing group is only 25 seconds behind the leading group. Leknessund, meanwhile, is connecting with the head of the race.
63 km left – A number of riders are now also trying to break away from the group with Van der Poel. Eenkhoorn and Van den Broek, among others, are involved. The group is breaking up a bit, but the riders are not completely gone yet.
67 km left – Frank van den Broek is also in the chasing group with Mathieu van der Poel and Pascal Eenkhoorn. Three Dutchmen in the chase, then. They are following at 50 seconds now.
69 km left – The group with green jersey wearer Jonathan Milan and polka dot jersey wearer Lenny Martinez is now already 9 minutes behind the lead of the race.
77 km left – The difference between the chasing group with Van der Poel and the leading group has become a bit smaller again. The men at the front now have 30 seconds, if the group with Van der Poel works well together, a merger is certainly achievable.
81 km left – The riders are over the top of the Côte de Sorèze (6.3 kilometers at 5.7 percent). Time to take stock… The current state of affairs:
83 km left – Bike change Jonas Vingegaard! The Dane drops back to the team car for a moment, it is not clear what was wrong with the bike.
In the chasing group with Van der Poel is also Oscar Onley, number four in the general classification. He is now a bit ahead of the group with, among others, number three Lipowitz. Should the new leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe be worried?
85 km left – The six current men in the leading group: Wellens, Campenaerts, Powless, Mohoric, Simmons, and Storer.
86 km left – It is a group of about twenty pursuers on the Côte de Sorèze (6.3 kilometers at 5.7 percent), and there are more riders on their way from the peloton. Van der Poel is still stepping on the pedals again to limit the damage. The difference between his group and the head of the race is 45 seconds.
87 km left – Where is Van der Poel? The Dutchman loses sight of the leading group. Kaden Groves seems to be dropping back to support the Dutchman. But they are already at a deficit of 40 seconds.
88 km left – But the leading group is really breaking into pieces in the meantime! Among others, we don’t see Van der Poel sitting in front for a while.
88 km left – And we have already arrived at the second climb of the day. The Côte de Sorèze (6.3 kilometers at 5.7 percent) is also of the third category.
92 km left – Simmons, Stuyven, and Storer have reached the leading group, where Russo can no longer keep up with the pace in the front. So we now have a leading group of seventeen riders. Together they have a lead of about 30 seconds on the peloton.
94 km left – Simmons, Stuyven, and Storer are almost at the leading group. But the peloton is also following at only 20 seconds.
96 km left – Quinn Simmons is now stepping on the pedals again. He is rapidly reducing the difference between the peloton and the leading group to 20 seconds.
97 km left – The leading group has started the first categorized climb of the category. The Côte de Saint-Ferréol (1.7 kilometers at 6.2 percent) is of the third category.
Mathieu van der Poel only achieved 99 of his 210 points in the points classification at an intermediate sprint. The remaining 111 points were earned by the Dutchman through results at the finish line. Today there are another 50 points up for grabs for the rider who comes in first.
104 km left – Axel Laurance tried to cross over to the group with Van der Poel, but has now been caught again by the peloton. The large group has been taking it a bit easier since the intermediate sprint, mainly because Lidl-Trek no longer needs green jersey wearer Milan. The difference is now 1 minute with the group in front.
Virtual top-10 points classification:
106 km left – The victims of the break in the peloton are only now crossing the line of the intermediate sprint. They are riding at a deficit of 2 minutes and 15 seconds from the group with Van der Poel.
108 km left – Jonathan Milan is ready for the rest day, it seems. The Italian is again having difficulty keeping up with the high pace in the peloton.
109 km left – It is now important that Van der Poel and co. keep rotating well, because the peloton is already approaching at 30 seconds.
109 km left – The points are simply for Mathieu van der Poel, who thus gains 20 points on his Italian competitor.
110 km left – Van der Poel steps on the pedals for a moment, in the run-up to the intermediate sprint. Are they just letting him win? Or is someone else getting involved in the fight?
114 km left – Intermediate sprint in 5 kilometers! If Mathieu van der Poel wins here, he will gain a lot on Jonathan Milan. The difference is currently 61 points, but this could be 41 points in a few minutes.
The echelons from a few minutes ago well in the picture!
115 km left – Break in the peloton largely undone! Most riders are reconnecting with the peloton. Polka dot jersey wearer Martinez is not there yet.
116 km left – The leading group is riding forward at an average of 52 kilometers per hour. Unprecedented, and yet they still only have a lead of 50 seconds over the large group with Tadej Pogacar.
118 km – Also three (!) riders from Visma-Lease a Bike are victims of the break in the peloton: Benoot, Kuss and Yates are in the group with the green jersey and the polka dot jersey.
122 km – Big names that have missed the boat, including Jonathan Milan. The green jersey wearer really doesn’t seem to be going to sprint for the points today. Favorable for Van der Poel in the battle for the green!
123 km – Echelon alarm! Unbelievable, what a start to this stage. The peloton breaks into pieces again, due to strong wind from the side.
125 km – Oh well, why not? Thymen Arensman, the winner of yesterday’s grueling mountain stage, puts himself at the head of the peloton. He is trying to drive the large group a little closer to Van der Poel.
126 km – The group with Vingegaard, Martinez and Lipowitz has now reconnected with the peloton. Together they ride about 40 seconds behind the group with Van der Poel. Lidl-Trek puts itself at the head again, hoping to bring Jonathan Milan forward for the intermediate sprint.
130 km – For the time being, there is no sign of Mathieu van der Poel’s cold! The Dutchman is doing a lot of head turns in the flight that he himself has shaped.
131 km – Among others, Jonas Abrahamsen and Biniam Girmay are trying to make the crossing to the fifteen-man group in front.
132 km – The group with green jersey wearer Milan, white jersey wearer Lipowitz, polka dot jersey wearer Martinez and Vingegaard now only has a distance of 10 seconds on the group with the yellow jersey. They seem to be coming together again quickly.
134 km – We have a leading group of fifteen riders, time to list the names: Wellens, Campenaerts, Van Aert, Eenkhoorn, Powless, Mohoric, Russo, Groves, Van der Poel, Vercher, Andresen, Lutsenko, Stewart, De Lie and Drizners. Together they have a lead of about 25 seconds on the peloton.
The battle for the final victory in the general classification is no longer super exciting. But the stages are definitely not disappointing this year.
138 km – Milan is caught by the group with Vingegaard and Lipowitz, and is dangling directly at the tail. Is something wrong with the Italian?
138 km – Victor Campenaerts is also with the group of about ten men, just like Neilson Powless who tried it before.
139 km – Van der Poel also has teammate Kaden Groves with him. Exactly as planned, as he announced in advance.
139 km – Van der Poel and co. are not getting a lot of space from the peloton yet, because several riders in the large group are still trying to make the jump. The current state of affairs:
140 km – Milan has not only missed the boat, he is suddenly also riding behind the group with yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar. What happened there?
141 km – Van der Poel and his fellow escapees quickly have a gap of 15 seconds. Jonathan Milan has missed the boat! That means that Van der Poel, if the flight holds, can easily gain 20 points on the green jersey wearer in the points classification. Then he has to win that sprint of course.
142 km – Attack Van der Poel! He is trying again. The Dutchman clearly wants to get rid of the group of thirty riders in front. Mohoric, among others, is on his wheel, a number of other riders are also trying to make the crossing.
143 km – But there are enough riders who do not want to wait for the group with Vingegaard and Lipowitz. Among others, Matej Mohoric starts the demarrage.
145 km – Striking situation. A group of thirty riders now has a gap on the rest of the peloton. Yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar, among others, is there, but he is trying to slow down the pace out of consideration for his competitors. Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz were just involved in a crash. On the team radio we hear that he is being asked to slow down the pace.
146 km – Attack Van der Poel! Yes! It is a serious attack from the Dutchman, who is trying to start a flight.
147 km – Van der Poel reports to the front of the peloton, which means that Neilson Powless is catching up. Green jersey wearer Jonathan Milan is of course on the wheel of the Dutchman. He doesn’t want to lose sight of Van der Poel at least until the intermediate sprint.
149 km – The group with white jersey wearer Lipowitz is now riding more than 1 minute behind the peloton.
152 km – Crash! Ouch, an early crash. Among others, the number three in the general classification, Lipowitz, goes against the asphalt. Julian Alaphilippe is also there. It seems that they can continue for the time being.
The lonely Powless in the picture. In the background we see, among others, Tobias Foss from INEOS Grenadiers, he is trying to drive towards it.
160 km – For the time being, Powless is still riding alone at the front. The American has collected a lead of 35 seconds. It is clever, but he will really need reinforcement if he wants to keep this up for longer.
163 km – Neilson Powless takes off from the peloton. But who will make the crossing to the American from EF Education? He won’t make it on his own.
Départ réel! We are loose in France! Who is getting involved in the battle for the early flight?
Crowds at the start, just before the start of the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France.
One of the surprises of the Tour de France so far: Oscar Onley (right). The Scotsman from Team Picnic-PostNL is only 22 years old and is currently fourth in the general classification. He already has a deficit of 9 minutes and 18 seconds compared to yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar. But he is only 1 minute and 25 seconds behind number three in the classification, Florian Lipowitz. The battle for third place is completely open after Remco Evenepoel’s abandonment yesterday. Kévin Vauquelin and Primoz Roglic are also still doing well.
Départ fictif! We have left for the neutralization of the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France! At 13:30 the battle for the early flight will break loose again in France.
Do we also see a small battle in the general classification today? In yesterday’s tough mountain stage, Jonas Vingegaard tried to ride away from Pogacar, but his Slovenian competitor remained effortlessly on his wheel. Perhaps there are still opportunities for Vingegaard on the Pas du Sant (3 kilometers at 9.2 percent). But the greatest opportunities seem to lie in the Alps next week.