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Share<\/a><\/p>\n Points \/green jersey standings<\/p>\n 1. Jonathan Milan (ITA) Lidl – Trek 332<\/p>\n 2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates – XRG 257<\/p>\n 3. Biniam Girmay (ERI) Intermarch\u00e9 – Wanty 196.<\/p>\n Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma – Lease a Bike 165<\/p>\n 5. Tim Merlier (BEL) Soudal Quick-Step 156<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n King of the Mountains standings<\/p>\n 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates – XRG 105<\/p>\n 2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma – Lease a Bike 89<\/p>\n 3. Lenny Martinez (FRA) Bahrain Victorious 80<\/p>\n 4. Thymen Arensman (NED) INEOS Grenadiers 65<\/p>\n 5. Ben O\u2019Connor (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla 51<\/p>\n Share<\/a>General classification standings<\/p>\n 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates – XRG 66:55:42<\/p>\n 2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Visma – Lease a Bike +4:26<\/p>\n 3. Florian Lipowitz (GER) Red Bull – BORA – +11:01<\/p>\n 4. Oscar Onley (GBR) Team Picnic PostNL +11:23<\/p>\n 5. Primoz Roglic (SLO) Red Bull – BORA – +12:49<\/p>\n 6. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale +15:36 7. K\u00e9vin Vauquelin (FRA) Ark\u00e9a – B&B Hotels +16:15<\/p>\n 8. Tobias Johannessen (NOR) Uno-X Mobility +18:31<\/p>\n 9. Ben Healy (IRL) EF Education – EasyPost +25:41<\/p>\n 10. Ben O\u2019Connor (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla +29:19<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oscar Onley spoke to reporters and looked done in by his efforts, he didn\u2019t make much sense. \u201cI kept my cool, but I still felt good just I know that I follow those guys when the attack when I think they should at the end or his shoulder at the end that the line three hold there\u2026.the team were really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Twenty-two seconds from the podium now. I mean, you must be excited I go for the last mountain stage.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Yeah, that\u2019s. I don\u2019t know. That\u2019s, uh. That\u2019s not much. We\u2019ll give everything tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s the lot from me. John Brewin will bring you the rest of the reaction. Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Did Ben O\u2019Connor believe he could win the Queen Stage?<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not at all. But I felt much better today from the start. I was pretty active.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the point where you realise you could have a shot was the top of the Madeleine, when Jonas and Pogi came across, and we were still with them across the top of the summit. It was a perfect opportunity to go in the valley.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a climb I had good memories of because I rode for my [former AG2R] teammate, Felix Gall, to win there \u2026 yeah, it was pretty sweet to do it again, but this time it\u2019s me who puts my hands up in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a rough race. It\u2019s the biggest race in the world, but it\u2019s for sure the cruellest. I\u2019ve wanted to have another victory for so many years now. I\u2019ve been fighting for third and fourths, but I couldn\u2019t be more proud of myself, and the boys. They backed me every single day through this whole race, even in the rough times. Thanks to everyone at Jayco-AlUla. It\u2019s what the team needed, and what I needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben O’Connor celebrates on the podium. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.12 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a brutal day,\u201d Vingegaard says to reporters at the finish. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ve ever done such a hard stage in the Tour. I felt good, the team felt good. We had big plans. We tried to go early \u2026 today everyone was 100% behind the plan. It gives me so much motivation when I have a team like this working for me.\u201d<\/p>\n What happened before the final climb?<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to work together [I presume he means Visma and the other teams in front]. Lipowitz went up the road, and we waited for our teammates before the Col de la Loze.\u201d<\/p>\n Is Pogacar unbeatable now?<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I think we were pretty equal today, even if he took a few second at the end. The Tour is not over.\u201d<\/p>\n One reporter asks: \u201cStill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think they threw the kitchen sink at them,\u201d Matt White says of the Visma tactics. \u201cIt just didn\u2019t work out \u2026 they went earlier than we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhat percentage of the gap between Vingegaard and Pogacar do you chalk up to fitness\/condition of the riders vs their respective teams\u2019 tactics?\u201d asks Alexander on email.<\/p>\n \u201cVisma always had a hard task ahead this year but they seem to be shooting themselves in the foot every chance they get. Their decisions only seem to make sense if they\u2019ve given up on Vingegaard\u2019s GC chances and are trying to get additional stage wins, so the tour\u2019s not a total failure. If they\u2019re as committed to the GC as much as they claim publicly, then their tactics have been a masterclass in poor decision-making.<\/p>\n “It looks like this team\u2019s glory days are behind them and I\u2019d expect the collapse to be exacerbated as riders inevitably leave for teams with clear priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pogacar has stretched his GC lead over Vingegaard to 4min 26sec.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Top 10 on Stage 18<\/p>\n 1) O\u2019Connor 5hr 03min 47sec Share<\/a><\/p>\n Reaction and confirmation of the standings coming up \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.30 EDT<\/p>\n Roglic rolls in, a minute or so behind Pogacar. A brilliant ride from the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe man.<\/p>\n Now Kuss comes in. Will Onley be in third tonight? Here comes Lipowitz \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pogacar attacks Vingegaard on the final slopes! He burns off Rubio and claims second place. The Slovenian doesn\u2019t even stand up on the pedals, he just rides away from his rival and further strengthens his iron grip on the battle for GC.<\/p>\n Pogacar finished second, a handful of seconds in front of Vingegaard in third.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) wins stage 18<\/p>\n An incredible ride from the Jayco AlUla rider. He climbs up, almost into the clouds at the ski resort of Courchevel, and claims the second Tour de France<\/a> stage victory of his career. Phenomenal performance. The Australian punches the air and roars with happiness.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.28 EDT<\/p>\n 500m to go: Vingegaard fails to shake off Pogacar. Plus \u00e7a change.<\/p>\n Oscar Onley goes with the two GC favourites! Can he make the podium?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.23 EDT<\/p>\n 1km to go: Flamme rouge for O\u2019Connor! He is still 2min 42sec ahead of the yellow jersey group!<\/p>\n Vingegaard attacks his rival but Pogacar immediately responds and marks his man.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1.5km to go: O\u2019Connor of Jayco AlUla looks like a man who knows he\u2019s got this in the bag! He rides on strongly, pumping past countless screaming fans, onwards to his fourth career win at a grand tour, and his second at the Tour de France<\/a>, the greatest of them all.<\/p>\n Truth is, Vingegaard isn\u2019t on bad form at all, but Pogacar is just too strong.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.21 EDT<\/p>\n 2km to go: Polka-dot rain caps, doubtless given out by the publicity caravan, are the order of the day among fans on the higher slopes on the way to Courchevel.<\/p>\n There is a party atmosphere but we are not seeing the epic duel among the GC contenders that some hoped for.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2km to go: Rubio stands up on the pedals, presumably only trying to protect his second place, but perhaps he doesn\u2019t know how far ahead O\u2019Connor now is.<\/p>\n Unless he blows up spectacularly, O\u2019Connor has got this in the bag, he looks really strong.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.17 EDT<\/p>\n 2.7km to go: Rubio, previously dropped by O\u2019Connor, is 2min 05sec down. The Pogacar group is 2min 50sec down on O\u2019Connor still.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3.5km to go: Pogacar rides on, ever upwards. He looks comfortable. Narvaez, his teammate, has popped but Adam Yates is still there and is setting the pace, making everyone else suffer.<\/p>\n Will Roglic be able to overhaul Lipowitz in GC, after all? The German is 30sec down on his teammate.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.15 EDT<\/p>\n 4km to go: Kuss and Gall are dropped as UAE continue to set the pace.<\/p>\n Ben O\u2019Connor has over three minutes, still, but only just: it\u2019s a 3min 02 sec lead on Pogacar.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.13 EDT<\/p>\n 4.5km to go: Adam Yates leads Pogacar through a loud gaggle of fans. Is Pogacar about to launch? Or is he happy with the situation as it stands? It\u2019s not like he needs any more time in GC, is it?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4.5km to go: \u201cVisma\u2019s tactics make absolutely no sense to me,\u201d writes Marcus. \u201cHow did they let this get away? If Jonas needs to make up 4 minutes, why does he always wait until the very end to launch his attacks? And if you\u2019re going to wait, why do they keep setting the pace rather than letting UAE drive?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5km to go: Ben O\u2019Connor already has a a Tour stage win on his palmar\u00e8s \u2013 he triumphed in Tignes, another ski resort, in 2021. He also has stage victories at the Giro and Vuelta. Can he make it No 2 at the Tour? He hits a steep section with hundreds of fans yelling on either side of the road.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.10 EDT<\/p>\n 6km to go: O\u2019Connor powers on up the climb. He looks in flying form but you never know when a rider might blow up on an ascent of this difficulty. Certainly it looks like he\u2019s eaten and drunk enough to be in great shape for a final blast up the mountain. He is holding his lead at over 3min \u2013 it\u2019s 3min 16sec at the moment. It\u2019s looking good!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7km to go: \u201cSpontaneously, I\u2019ve just booked to go to Paris for the finale on Sunday to cheer on Pogi,\u201d writes Sally. \u201cI\u2019ve only booked flights and haven\u2019t planned anything else yet \u2013 any suggestions from anyone for the best place to view?\u201d<\/p>\n As it\u2019s a new feature for the final stage, personally I\u2019d try to get on or near the climb in Montmarte (that will be tackled three times). I guess you\u2019d have to arrive quite early to get a good spot though. Regardless of where you are it will be very exciting to be there \u2013 enjoy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8km to go: Still over 3min advantage for O\u2019Connor over the yellow jersey group. This is looking good for O\u2019Connor and Jayco-AlUla right now \u2026 but there is an attack looming from Pogacar, you feel.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor is now among a thick knot of fans on a big left-hand turn.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they start attacking in the next kilometre this advantage could come down very, very quickly,\u201d remarks Kelly on commentary.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.03 EDT<\/p>\n 9km to go: Narvaez and Adam Yates lead Pogacar up the mountain. This is all set up for a devastating attack from Pogacar on the steepest slopes.<\/p>\n Jhonatan Narvaez. Photograph: Beno\u00eet Tessier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.00 EDT<\/p>\n 10km to go: Roglic and Vauquelin were dropped from that group of favourites. Roglic has got back in, but the Frenchman is struggling.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor still has 3min 35sec on the Pogacar group. Immense effort.<\/p>\n Lipowitz is now under half a minute ahead of the group of favourites. It looked like he was in danger of dropping like a stone when he fell behind on the Col de la Madeleine, so this is a very good recovery from the young German.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.59 EDT<\/p>\n 10km to go: \u201cThe key thing for Craig is to decide what sort of stage or stages he wants to see,\u201d emails Tim. \u201cThen make sure you get the announcement of the route when it\u2019s released in November, then book accommodation ASAP, especially if you want to see a mountain stage! Then relax and plan the rest at your leisure!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.56 EDT<\/p>\n 11km to go: UAE Team Emirates XRG take it up now. Simon Yates is done. Narvaez and Adam Yates are there. Suddenly it\u2019s the race leader\u2019s team setting the pace.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they [Visma] threw it away,\u201d says Kelly.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12.5km to go: Back down the road, Giro d\u2019Italia winner Simon Yates is putting in a significant effort to set the pace in the group of favourites. Kuss remains glued to his wheel. Then Vingegaard.<\/p>\n The question in all of this \u2026 is Pogacar feeling good, or feeling jaded after what\u2019s been a stressful day of defence already?<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor is 3min 26sec ahead of the yellow jersey group. Lipowitz, still on his own, is the third \u201cgroup\u201d on the road, about 40sec in front of the group of favourites.<\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
2) Pogacar +1min 45sec
3) Vingegaard +1min 54sec
4) Onley +1min 58sec
5) Rubio +2min
6) Gall +2min 25sec
7) Roglic +2min 46sec
8) A Yates +3min 03sec
9) Johannessen +3min 09sec
10) Kuss +3min 26sec<\/p>\n