Category: Cycling

Kim Le Court became the first African rider to win a TdF Femmes stage thanks to a clinical sprint finish in Guéret

152km to go: “We’ll have to see how the day will go,” said the race leader Marianne Vos before today’s stage. “It’s the longest stage and there is more climbing in the final. Every rider, the whole bunch wants to be in the breakaway today. So it’s going to be an especially tough start.”

Regarding the points classification battle with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) –the green-jersey wearer Wiebes leads Vos by 40pts – she said: “Lorena has a good advantage, and as we said up front, that’s not the main target. With Lorena as competition you know that’s going to be hard.”

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• Wiebes holds off Marianne Vos to triumph in Poitiers

• Demi Vollering continues after Monday’s heavy crash

Lorena Wiebes stormed to her second consecutive stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes on Tuesday, winning the fourth leg after denying Marianne Vos in a sprint finish at Poitiers.

Dutch rider Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) made her move around 250m from the line on a short uphill finish, with compatriot and overall leader Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) unable to overhaul her. Ireland’s Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) was third across the line in the bunch sprint.

Jeremy Whittle’s full report will follow

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The green jersey leader Lorena Wiebes proved too strong for the second day running on a classic sprinters’ stage

110km to go: There are lots of attacks, lots of riders looking to get in the break. But they’ve all been shut down.

115km to go: The peloton, 145 in number, is all together.

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Dave Brailsford was hailed as a ‘not-so-secret-weapon’ on his return to the Tour de France but an investigation into a staff member has overshadowed the team’s modest successes

As Tadej Pojacar stood on the Champs-Élysées podium, celebrating his fourth victory in the Tour de France, the man who led British cyclists to multiple yellow jerseys and numerous Olympic gold medals had already flown home to Monaco.

Not that long ago, a Dave Brailsford-led success in the Tour de France was almost routine. From 2012 to 2019 when riders from Team Sky, and later Ineos, won seven titles in eight years, Brailsford was at the heart of it all.

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After 21 stages and 3,338km, this year’s Tour came to an end in Paris. Here are our favourite images from the last three weeks

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If ever a cyclist was suited to the intensity of the modern, made-for-TV format of the Tour, it is Tadej Pogacar

Fourth Tour wins are, I once wrote, “more for the record books than the heart … the penultimate step to cycling greatness, [they] often do little to warm the soul at the time”. The past three weeks suggests that nothing has changed. It’s far from the four stages of grief, but you could argue that a first Tour victory is met with surprise and delight, a second admiration, the third respect, the fourth resignation.

As Tadej Pogacar’s fourth Tour win approached with the inevitability of a steamroller this week the chief cycling writer at l’Equipe, Alex Roos, grumbled about the Slovene’s lack of joie de vivre. “For the last few days, his sulks, his grumbles, his bad mood have blurred and eaten away at the ambience of the end of this Tour, because how can you get enthusiastic if the Yellow Jersey himself gives the impression of being bored and going through something painful …?”

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• Mavi García breaks clear with 10km left and clings on

• Kim Le Court Pienaar takes yellow from Marianne Vos

The veteran Spanish rider Mavi García claimed victory in a demanding second stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, attacking solo in the closing kilometres to secure a dramatic win in Quimper after a 110.4km ride from Brest.

The 41-year-old Liv-AlUla-Jayco rider launched her decisive move with 10km remaining, opening a gap of about 20 seconds on the chasing pack. She held on through the explosive final climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of her pursuers.

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The legendary Dutch rider took the win at the line after a speedy and treacherous first stage

49.5 km to go: And Rijnbeek takes the two mountain points on offer while back in the field there’s a couple of near-collisions. It’s a nervous peloton, and last year featured some heavy crashes.

55km to go: The gap is closing, and at 20 seconds, the peloton are within sight as the escapees split. Rijnbeek decides to leave behind Tomasi, and in chase of polka points on that cat.4 climb. She opens up a gap again, to 30 seconds or so.

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• Updates from 184.2km penultimate stage

• Email John with your thoughts

165 km to go: This third-category climb, the Col de la Croix, isn’t easy. The weather overnight has caused some debris on the road. And the rain is pouring down now. Jonathan Milan has dropped off, saving his powder for Paris, no doubt. Asgreen is caught, and Thibau Nys of Lidl and Harry Sweeny go off the front. This is grim for all concerned. Raul Garcia Pierna of Arkea-B&B Hotels makes it a breakaway trio in the pouring rain.

170km to go: Fred Wright leads the pack up the climb as Asgreen forges on. Dropping back, and rather worryingly, Arnaud De Lie is way off the back of the peloton.

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• Pair separated by four seconds last year favourites again

• Reusser, Gigante and Longo Borghini also in contention

The fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes begins in Brittany on Saturday with defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma facing a range of new challengers as Demi Vollering seeks to avenge last year’s cruel four-second defeat on Alpe d’Huez.

While the Polish star has stated her wish to win back-to-back Tours, Vollering, who moved to the French team FDJ Suez at the end of last season, is determined to again conquer the race she won in 2023. Their duel on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez at the climax of last year’s race was one of the most gripping in the history of any Tour de France and led to the narrowest margin of overall victory ever, in either the men’s or women’s race.

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Thymen Arensman clinched his second stage win while Tadej Pogacar comfortably defended his GC lead

“Clearly the only strategy Visma have left is to try to run Pogacar over with their team car,” emails Bob. “That will definitely work.”

“Oh.”

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The overall race remains fully in the hands of the Tadej Pogacar despite the Australian’s breakaway to Courchevel

“Today is another chance,” Jonas Vingegaard tells Matt Stephens. “We will fight until the end. Today is going to be a proper hard stage, and we’ll do everything we can.

“The last, what is it? Five, 6km or so, is super-steep [on the final climb]. Before that, there is a flatter section. In general it’s a very hard climb, a very long climb.

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Jonathan Milan strengthened his grip on the green jersey after winning a crash-marred sprint in rainy Valence

“We are really looking forward,” Milan said before today’s stage. “It’s one of the most important, yes [in the points classification].

Matt White, Luke Rowe and Robbie McEwen are the pundits working with the presenter Orla Chennaoui on TNT Sports.

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• Home rider denies Ben Healy in lung-busting sprint finish

• Tadej Pogacar retains the overall leader’s yellow jersey

Valentin Paret-Peintre stayed ice-cool in the heat to give France its first win in this year’s Tour de France as he prevailed atop the intimidating Mont Ventoux on the 16th stage.

The Soudal-Quick Step rider beat Ireland’s Ben Healy in a lung-busting sprint finish on the Giant of Provence, as Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after keeping chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in his sights on the 21.5km ascent at 7.5%.

Jeremy Whittle’s report to follow

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