Eenkhorn wins intermediate sprint
108km to go: Nul points for Jonathan Milan at the intermediate sprint: Simone Velasco wins it ahead of Pascal Eenkhorn. The lead group has swelled to 13 now, with Brent van Moer and Ineos’ Sam Watson chases, stuck 30 seconds back.
Frank van den Broek grins in the breakaway and mimes being part of a train, so they seem to be working well. However, Wellens is definitely doing as little as possible.
Mauro Schmid has crashed in the bunch and the riders behind him do well to avoid hitting the deck too.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:58
120km to go: “Maybe you can have a word with Jegat and tell him that he’s not welcome,” Matt Winston, the Picnic-PostNL DS, suggests to Frank van den Broek in this counter-attacking group, calling attention to the tight leash they’re being kept on by the peloton.
Jordan Jegat is 11th overall, but more than 10 minutes off Ben O’Connor in 10th, so I’m not sure why anyone – including Jayco-AlUla – are too concerned about him.
The chasing group, including Jegat, bridges across to the trio up front.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:45
129km to go: Vingegaard has to put in a dig to make another split as the race splinters apart and re-forms again.
Jorgenson, Wellens and Costiou have 15 seconds, but yet more riders are countering behind. Romeo and British rider Jake Stewart are in a large counter-attacking group…
“We’re going to good weather after 88km!” Picnic-PostNL say over the radio.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:35
Further attacks as race fails to settle
133km to go: Wellens picks up the point at the summit, having attacked with a small group latching onto him. That move doesn’t stick but he goes again with Jorgenson and the young Frenchman Ewen Costiou.
The Onley-Gall group have bridged back on to the peloton.
The Tour de France continues with a battle to get into the breakaway (AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:27
Gall and Onley battling back on
139km to go: Luke Rowe on TNT Sports comms says that Felix Gall’s “Achilles’ heel” is his descending, and the riders are onto a short descent before some more climbing. Armirail has hauled back some time but they’re still 35” off the pace.
The white jersey of Lipowitz has made it into the Pogacar-Vingegaard group at the front.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:19
140km to go: Just as I write that, in fact a couple of GC riders are caught out in that split: Oscar Onley and Felix Gall are in trouble, 33 seconds off the peloton. They should get back on fairly easily, but it’s an extra bit of stress for them having worked so hard to consolidate their positions over the last couple of days. Bruno Armirail is doing the pulling.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:16
142km to go: Ballerini has been caught after that full-speed descent, fortunately no mishaps, and some 20 riders have a handful of seconds on the bunch.
There’s been a split in the bunch, with the GC favourites in the front group.
Matej Mohoric – who had earlier said he thought this stage was well-suited to him – is out the back. They’re onto the next climb, the cat-four Cote de Valfin.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:13
151km to go: Davide Ballerini has escaped on the descent, coming round Barre and going clear by a handful of seconds.
The treacherous weather is making this rather nerve-wracking, and there are splits in the bunch appearing now.
Picture below pre-downpour…
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 12:03
Pogacar seals KOM classification
158km to go: Ivan Romeo, the Movistar starlet, hits the front as they near the summit of this climb, which has caused casualties beyond Arnaud de Lie: a group containing the green jersey of Jonathan Milan is already 2’30” off the pace and there won’t be any intermediate sprint points for him today, with the sprint located after two categorised climbs.
Louise Barre, who has been through the wars this Tour and has some gauze on his arm, launches for the two points at the KOM. Romeo takes second.
Mathematically, Pogacar’s lead in the KOM is unassailable now, despite all Lenny Martinez’s best efforts.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 11:56
162km to go: Tim Wellens, stage 15’s winner, is looking in absolutely brilliant form. He reels in another couple of escapees including Neilson Powless but has Campenaerts, Jorgenson and Van Aert hot on his tail… and the attacks continue. Van Aert hits the front again.
The weather is absolutely disgusting.
Flo Clifford26 July 2025 11:50