Thymen Arensman Saves Ineos Grenadiers' Tour de France with Solo Victory in Pyrenees
Thymen Arensman delivered a standout performance for Ineos Grenadiers with a solo stage win in the final Pyrenean climb to Superbagnères in Haute Garonne, rescuing what had been a quiet Tour for the team.
The Dutch rider, who narrowly missed victory to Simon Yates earlier at Puy-de-Sancy, entered the last five kilometers nearly two minutes ahead of his closest chasers. Despite a fierce pursuit from Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, Arensman held on to secure his first Tour stage win. Pogacar extended his overall lead by four seconds, now sitting 4 minutes and 13 seconds ahead of Vingegaard.
Packed with nearly 5,000 meters of climbing across just 125 kilometers, the stage was among the most grueling in recent editions. Remco Evenepoel, who had been in third place at the start of the day, was the most notable withdrawal, succumbing to illness.
In damp and foggy conditions, Pogacar allowed an early breakaway—including Arensman and Lenny Martinez, who was chasing King of the Mountains points—to build a gap. Martinez was first over the mist-covered Col du Tourmalet, collecting enough points to take the polka dot jersey as the Tour left the Pyrenees.
Evenepoel, visibly exhausted after Friday’s time trial to Peyragudes, had already fallen behind before the peloton reached the Tourmalet. Once the 19-kilometer ascent began, it was clear he could not continue, forcing him to abandon the race. The Olympic road and time-trial champion will now miss the finish in Paris, where he celebrated his greatest achievements last summer. Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose also withdrew after crashing early in the stage, later stepping off his bike near the base of the Tourmalet.
During the stage, an Ineos Grenadiers team vehicle struck a spectator. Broadcast footage showed the incident occurring near the Col de Peyresourde, just 200 meters from the summit, as the spectator cheered on the riders.
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