Cycling: After his success in Luchon-Superbagnères, Thymen Arensman has now also won in La Plagne. The Dutchman surprised all the riders in the favorite group with a solo run on the final climb. The German fans also had cause to celebrate. Florian Lipowitz defended his white jersey and further extended his lead in the overall standings to fourth place. He had to endure a scary moment when he almost fell shortly before the finish.
Lipowitz fourth in Arensman's victory
He did it! Florian Lipowitz (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) successfully defended the white jersey and his podium position in the general classification, even extending his lead over fourth place. With an impressive performance, he crossed the finish line almost simultaneously with the two strongest climbers , Tadej Pogacar (UAE – XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike). However, the stage win went to Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) with a stunning display on the final climb. Before the start, the stage from Albertville to La Plagne was shortened to 93,1 kilometers due to an outbreak of bovine encephalitis, removing two categorized climbs. This meant the Côte d'Héry-sur-Ugine and the Col des Saisies from the route. Even so, the stage was far from easy for the remaining 161 riders.
Vauquelin is distanced early
After Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek) secured the sprint classification in Villard-sur-Doron, the dreaded Col du Pré (12,6 km at 7,8%) began. Once again, Primož Roglič (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) was one of the first riders to attack. The Frenchmen Lenny Martinez (Bahrain – Victorious) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal – Quick-Step) broke away with the Slovenian. However, with Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) dropped, the Uno-X Mobility team set a blistering pace, inadvertently preventing the gap from widening. Nevertheless, Martinez managed to secure maximum points for the mountains classification on the Col du Pré (12,6 km at 7,8%) and the Cormet de Roselend (5,8 km at 6,5%). However, that shouldn't be enough for the polka dot jersey, as he had eight points deducted due to yesterday's penalty.
Roglic is caught and left behind
On the descent, Team UAE-XRG clearly signaled their intention to take the stage win with Tadej Pogacar (UAE-XRG). The breakaway trio had a lead of around one minute at the summit, but were completely caught on the descent. Primoz Roglic (RB-Bora-Hansgrohe) then dropped out of the favorites' group right at the start of the final climb up to La Plagne (19,3 km at 7,2%). Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale then took over the command for team leader Felix Gall, further thinning the group. With 14 kilometers to go, and all the team leaders on their own, Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) launched an attack. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) joined him in the breakaway . Behind them, Florian Lipowitz (RB Bora-Hansgrohe) was glued to the wheel of Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL). When Pogacar failed to distance Vingegaard, the pace slowed, allowing Arensman to attack again and break away solo. Meanwhile, the other team leaders were able to close the gap once more.
Arensman saves himself to the finish
Suddenly, they were down to just four after another attack by Tadej Pogacar (UAE – XRG). Only Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike), Florian Lipowitz (RB – Bora – hansgrohe), and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) stayed with him. At this point, the quartet remained within striking distance of Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), who still led the race by approximately 20 seconds. Two kilometers from the finish, the German fans could breathe a sigh of relief: Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) could no longer keep up the pace. Florian Lipowitz (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) immediately took command. The German thus gained another 41 seconds on the Briton. However, it wouldn't be enough for the stage win. Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) couldn't be caught, not even when Vingegaard and Pogacar launched their final sprint.
There's plenty of action in the final kilometer! Arensman wins by a whisker ahead of his pursuers.
1. Thymen Arensman
2. Jonas Vingegaard +2
3. Tadej Pogacar +2
4. Florian Lipowitz +6
5. Oscar Onley + 47"
6. Felix Gall +1'34"#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/fVWHCWZlrj— Tour de France – DE (@letour_de) July 25, 2025