Thymen Arensman secured his second stage win of the Tour de France in a dramatic finale to the penultimate stage.
- Thymen Arensman won Stage 19 of the Tour de France.
- Tadej Pogačar retained the yellow jersey.
- Jonas Vingegaard finished second, two seconds behind Arensman.
- Florian Lipowitz solidified his third place overall.
Who won the 19th stage of the Tour de France? Thymen Arensman claimed his second victory in this year’s Tour de France on the final mountain trek, the 19th stage. The Dutch rider for Ineos Grenadiers triumphed after a tactical race among the general classification contenders.
Arensman crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, who finished second and third respectively. “I’m absolutely destroyed. I can’t believe it,” Arensman said. “Already one stage on the Tour was unbelievable, from a breakaway, but now from the GC (general classification) group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I’m dreaming.”
Slovenian Pogačar maintained his overall lead in the yellow jersey, extending his advantage over Vingegaard to 4 minutes and 24 seconds. He is widely expected to secure his fourth title with only two stages remaining, provided no major incidents occur.
German rider Florian Lipowitz secured fourth place on the shortened stage, solidifying his third place in the overall standings. He increased his lead over Oscar Onley of Britain by 41 seconds, now holding a 1:03 advantage.
While a significant challenge from Vingegaard was unlikely on this final Alpine test, the Dane made a late surge in the last 100 meters. He managed to gain two seconds on Pogačar, who appeared to control the peloton’s pace.
Earlier in the stage, a leading trio that included France’s Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret Peintre, along with former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre. They had a small gap over the chasing group after a demanding 12.2-kilometer climb with a 7.7% gradient. Pogačar’s UAE Emirates-XRG team controlled the main peloton, which trailed by less than a minute.
As the riders approached the Cormet de Roselend, a 5.9-kilometer climb at 6.9%, Paret Peintre and Roglic briefly broke away from Martinez. However, the Bahrain-Victorious rider fought back. Roglic was caught and dropped just two kilometers before the final ascent.
Austrian Felix Gall, aiming for a top-five finish, initiated an acceleration 14.5 kilometers from the finish. Arensman, Pogačar, and Vingegaard responded. Pogačar then made his own move 14 kilometers from the summit, with only Vingegaard and Arensman able to follow his slipstream.
Ultimately, Pogačar allowed Arensman to go solo. He appeared content to maintain a steady pace, keeping the Dutchman within reach but not pressing for a fifth stage win. Australia’s Ben O’Connor, who won the previous day’s 18th stage, finished 12th, maintaining his 10th position overall. Callum Scotson of Australia was placed 24th.
