Luchon-Superbagneres: Remco Evenepoel was forced to abandon this year's Tour de France as Thymen Arensman claimed his maiden stage win. Tadej Pogacar marginally extended his commanding overall lead over Jonas Vingegaard as the reigning champion finished second on a gruelling mountain stage, with Vingegaard third. However, Evenepoel, who was third in the general classification coming into a third punishing day in the Pyrenees, is now out of the race.
According to BBC, German debutant Florian Lipowitz, 24, finished fifth on the day and climbed into the final GC podium place. Although British rider Oscar Onley lost time to Lipowitz, the 22-year-old Scot still moved up one place to fourth overall. Dutch debutant Arensman reached the summit finish at the ski resort of Luchon-Superbagneres just over a minute before Pogacar for the 25-year-old's first stage win and a first on this year's Tour for British team Ineos Grenadiers. "I can't really believe it," said Arensman. "Going to my first Tour, I just wanted to experience everything."
Evenepoel, who finished third on his Tour debut last year and was again in a podium position, had struggled over the past two days, losing more than six minutes to Pogacar on the previous two stages alone. He was soon in trouble on the day's first climb. He said, "For three days already, I wasn't feeling good, and today in the morning, I could feel I was empty, and then on the climb, the legs just weren't there. It's a pity I had to retire, but it's not something that will change my relationship with the race."
Soudal Quick-Steps sports director Tom Steels believes it was the right call for Evenepoel to withdraw from the race. "He was very disappointed that he had to leave the Tour," said Steels. "He was world champion on the road (in 2022), world champion in time trial (2023 and 2024). I think that's his next goal to aim at. If he continued in the condition he had, then maybe the rest of the season is lost."
During the day's third climb, TV footage showed that an Ineos team car hit and knocked down a spectator as the crowds thronged the road up the Col de Peyresourde. The team has been approached for comment. It was early on that penultimate climb that Arensman, his Ineos teammate Carlos Rodriguez, and Tobias Johannessen caught Lenny Martinez, who was first over the opening two climbs.
Arensman stretched his lead over the yellow jersey group to more than three minutes heading into the final 20km and did enough to stay clear on the 12.4km climb to the finish. "It was also the way I did it," said Arensman. "Carlos was in that [lead] group and was also super strong. He did a really good job for me, but yeah, I think I just had amazing legs. I had a gap on the GC group, and I thought three and a half minutes probably isn't enough, I have to move."
The next stage presents a hilly 169.3km route from Muret to Carcassonne on Sunday, before the second rest day of this year's Tour.
