🇳🇦NamibiaSouthern Africa
Tour de France favourites avoid pre-race clashes, setting stage for direct competition
via The Namibian5 min read
The upcoming Tour de France is anticipated to feature a significant yellow jersey battle, with four-time champion Tadej Pogacar aiming for a record-equalling fifth victory. He is expected to face strong competition from two-time former winner Jonas Vingegaard and Paul Seixas. However, a notable aspect of this season is that these top riders have largely avoided each other in pre-Tour stage races. Pogacar, 27, and Vingegaard, winners of the last six Tour de France editions, have only competed against each other once since last year's race, at the one-day European Championships in October. Vingegaard, having recently won the Giro d’Italia, will not race again before the Tour. Pogacar is preparing for the Tour by participating in the week-long tours of Romandie, which he won last month, and Switzerland. Seixas is heading to the Criterium du Dauphine and has raced Pogacar twice this year, finishing second to him in two one-day races. This contrasts with previous years where top contenders frequently met in pre-Tour events. Other riders like Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel are also opting for different or fewer warm-up races. Despite this, the Tour of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes will see strong competition among riders like Oscar Olney, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Joao Almeida, who are expected to contend for top-five finishes.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel of the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team secured victory in the 15th stage of the Tour de France, beating race leader Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish. The 183.9km stage from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison saw Evenepoel achieve his first Tour road-stage win, adding to his two time-trial successes. Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro finished third, six seconds behind. The stage was marked by a significant incident when former winner Jonas Vingegaard, who started the day in second place overall, crashed approximately 20km from the finish. Vingegaard, visibly in pain and with what appeared to be a broken collarbone, was forced to withdraw from the race. Following Vingegaard's exit, Pogacar extended his overall lead to five minutes. Evenepoel moved up to second in the general classification, while Del Toro climbed to third and took the best young rider's white jersey from Paul Seixas. Visma sporting director Marc Reef confirmed Vingegaard's withdrawal, stating he was in pain and unable to continue, and had gone for an X-ray. Vingegaard had never previously failed to finish a Grand Tour, having won the Tour de France twice and finished second three times in his five previous participations.
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, won the Belgian Grand Prix, extending his lead in the Formula One drivers’ championship. The 19-year-old finished 1.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull in third. Antonelli’s teammate George Russell crashed out on the opening lap after an incident with Hamilton. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished fourth despite an incident during a pit-stop where he almost hit a mechanic, leading to a stewards’ investigation. Isack Hadjar of Red Bull finished sixth, just ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris. This victory marks Antonelli’s sixth win and sixth pole position of the season, increasing his championship points to 204, 45 points clear of Hamilton, with Russell in third place with 154 points. The race saw multiple incidents, including a five-second penalty for Hamilton for his collision with Russell, and further investigations by the stewards regarding an unsafe release during a pit-stop.
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