Wellens riding away to stage win
27km to go: Wellens “looks fabulous”, team leader Pogacar enthuses over UAE team radio.
Wellens does indeed: he’s dragged out this gap over the chasing group to 55 seconds and counting now, and is flying down this descent at around 80km/h. He’s being aided by the fact that none of the pursuers are working well together, all afraid of being countered and expending more energy than the rest.
(REUTERS)
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:42
33km to go: Six minutes down the road from the break, EF Education-EasyPost have moved onto the front, upping the pace from UAE’s rather sedate one. They’re protecting Ben Healy’s ninth place on GC, with some assistance from Uno X-Mobility, who are riding for eighth-placed Tobias Halland Johannessen. The pair are under threat from 10th-placed Carlos Rodriguez further up the road.
Mohoric, from the early break, is hoovered up by the bunch. It’s a shame he couldn’t hold on, because he’s a brilliant descender and could have really done something on this long descent to Carcassonne.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:35
43km to go: Van der Poel has sat up, accompanied by Jake Stewart and a Picnic PostNL rider. The trio are five minutes back and likely to soon be swallowed by the yellow jersey group.
It’s been a very successful day out for Van der Poel, though; riding really hard on the front to form a breakaway in the early stages, distancing Jonathan Milan in the process, then winning the intermediate sprint in the absence of the green jersey – and that’s helped him jump up the standings and put pressure on Milan.
If the Dutchman intends to win the points classification, this is how he’s going to have to do it.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:27
42km to go: Wellens has been a passenger in this breakaway all day, much to the frustration of Simmons in particular, and now the Belgian launches as the riders attack the Col de Fontbruno.
He’s got a fight on his hands though; Barguil tries to chase but almost explodes in the process, then Simmons takes it up, and Wellens has got a seven-second gap now as he heads onto the descent. Well timed.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:21
47km to go: The yellow jersey group is now six minutes back, with UAE setting a less blistering tempo now and happy to let the stage win go up the road.
Warren Barguil bridges across to the group of Vlasov, Rodriguez, and Lutsenko, and they’re only 20 seconds back now on the leading quartet.
The Simmons-Storer-Campenaerts-Wellens group is dissolving into infighting now, which is contributing to that disappearing time gap. Simmons in particular is not happy with the Belgians’ sandbagging.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:14
52km to go: With a little over 1km to go Campenaerts and Wellens bridge across to Storer and Simmons, and those are the strongest four riders, you would think.
Storer launches again, aware that he’s in trouble against these three if it comes down to a sprint on the flat. The Australian powers up these 10% gradients through gritted teeth – but Simmons is right behind him. There’s no descent now, just another 11km (!) of uncategorised climbing up the Col de Fontbruno.
Lutsenko, Rodriguez and Vlasov are a litle further behind, with Powless and Barguil behind them.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 15:06
54km to go: Vlasov and Barguil get on fairly easily, helped by the front group starting to slow down, all wary of each other as the climb looms up ahead.
Mohoric is the first to attack, immediately shut down, and now Rodriguez – one of the purest climbers of this group – attacks himself. Neither rider can get clear as they now reach the foot of the climb.
Storer – the other best climber – now goes, with Simmons latching onto him. Behind them, Campenaerts – on some of his best form – is time-trialling his way up this climb along with Wellens; off the back, Leknessund and Mohoric have been swept up by the Jegat group, 35” back or so. Splits all over the place.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 14:58
56km to go: Leknessund has bridged across to the front group to bring their number to nine. This group is nearly onto the Pas du Sant, the toughest climb of the day.
From the chasing group, Aleksandr Vlasov has counter-attacked and French veteran Warren Barguil has immediately jumped onto his wheel. They’ve got 15 seconds to make up.
The chasing group has fractured as more riders try to come across, including Jordan Jegat.
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 14:52
64km to go: The peloton sits 2’45” behind the leading group of eight riders, with an enormous 25-rider group chasing around 40” back, including Wout van Aert, Axel Laurance, Julian Alaphilippe – who, happily, doesn’t seem too hurt by that early crash – and Mathieu van der Poel.
French TV has designated this the ‘Group Jegat’, after Jordan Jegat, who has been almost entirely anonymous during this race but sits 11th overall, and has managed to sneak into this one.
The eight-rider leading group consists of Victor Campenaerts, Carlos Rodriguez, Quinn Simmons – complete with attacking manbun – Tim Wellens, Neilson Powless, Michael Storer, Alexey Lutsenko, and Matej Mohoric.
Marooned somewhere between the Wout van Aert group and the breakaway, Andreas Leknessund is all alone.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 14:42
71km to go: Turns out that graphic indicating Oscar Onley was in the chase group was incorrrect; the Picnic PostNL rider is safely in the peloton. It did seem odd that UAE would let the rider sitting fourth overall get up the road, even if he is nearly 10 minutes back on Pogacar.
UAE have taken things up at the front and it looks like they’re trying to get things under control and prevent any more attacks after a really frantic first two hours of racing.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford20 July 2025 14:35