TOUR DE FRANCE 2025 – STAGE 14: PAU - LUCHON-SUPERBAGNÈRES

Arensman resists Pogacar’s rule

The stage film July 19 th 2025 - 17:28
Tour de France 2025 | Stage 14 | Pau > Luchon-Superbagnères

The final stage in the Pyrenees changed the script, as an early attacker managed to fend off Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Already a winner at Hautacam and Peyragudes, the Slovenian leader of the Tour de France 2025 was once again the first of the GC contenders, getting the better of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the final metres of the climb to Superbagnères. However, he had to settle for second, finishing behind Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers). The Dutch attacker was part of a strong breakaway that emerged on the climb to the Col du Tourmalet. He tamed the Col d’Aspin and attacked his rivals on the ascent of the Col de Peyresourde. After a 37-km solo ride, he was able to celebrate his second Grand Tour stage win, having previously conquered Sierra Nevada at La Vuelta 2022, on a day that saw him be the only early attacker to resist the return of the bigger GC contenders. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is now the third man in the overall standings, after Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) retired early in the stage.

The final stage in the Pyrenees is the most brutal on paper with four major climbs to tackle - Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde, Superbagnères - and 4,950 metres of elevation en route to Superbagnères. After Bryan Coquard withdrew due to a hand injury, 170 riders remain at the start in Pau.

Milan wants the intermediate sprint

Despite the drizzle falling on the peloton, there are many contenders for the breakaway. The ultra-mountainous profile does not particularly suit Jonathan Milan, but the intermediate sprint just before the climb to Tourmalet encourages him to attack.

He doesn't succeed, nor do the very active Valentin Madouas, Fred Wright, Michael Woods and Bruno Armirail, whose moves are systematically reeled in, either by Visma-Lease au Bike or by Lidl-Trek, who take control of the race.

Skjelmose and Evenepoel abandon the race

The American team control the bunch for Jonathan Milan, who rushes for the 20 points in the sprint (km 70.1). But behind them, their Danish climber Mattias Skjelmose had already suffered a heavy fall at km 53. He is forced to withdraw.

The first slopes of the Tourmalet climb immediately eliminate the sprinters, and much more surprisingly Remco Evenepoel, who is among the first to dropped under the pace set by UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the head of the Yellow Jersey group.

Lenny Martinez goes solo

Meanwhile, an attack develops 15 kilometres from the summit in two stages. First, a group consisting of Rubio, Muhlberger (Movistar), Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), V. Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step), O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla), Healy (EF Education Easypost) and Johannessen (Uno-X) get away. And then a counter-attack develops with Kuss, S. Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ca. Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Vlasov (RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Storer (Tudor), Costiou (Arkéa-B&B), Mas, Castrillo (Movistar), Higuita (XDS Astana), Jegat (TotalEnergies) and Woods (Israel-Premier Tech).

The polka dot jersey goes solo for the last 6 kilometres of ascent. Over the top, he has opened a gap of 1'45’’ over his closest pursuers and 3'30’ over the yellow jersey peloton.

Martinez caught on the descent from Aspin

Despite losing half his advantage on the descent following the Tourmalet, the polka dot jersey is still on his own over the top of the second climb, Col d'Aspin (km 119.3). But the threat from Kuss and V. Paret-Peintre, who had set off in pursuit, materialises as they catch at the bottom of the descent to Arreau (km 131).

The other chasers did not give up, and as they enter the climb to the Col de Peyresourde, the group comes together again, with eight riders remaining. Thymen Arensman proved to be the most inspired and strongest on this climb, attacking 4.5 kilometres from the summit.

Arensman goes solo

The Dutchman crosses the Col de Peyresourde with a 1'20’’ lead over his closest rivals, including Martinez, who secures the polka dot jersey by taking second place, and 3'30’ over the Yellow Jersey group, which begins its chase under the impetus of UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Entering the final climb, the Ineos Grenadiers rider keeps his hopes alive with a 2'15‘’ lead over his closest pursuers and 3'05’’ over the yellow jersey group. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is the first of the GC contenders to attack, with 8 km to go. Then Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) sets off 4 km later.

Vingegaard and Pogacar trade a few attacks until the Slovenian gets the better of his Danish rival in the final stretch, opening a gap of 4’’ on the line. But Arensman had already finished a minute earlier, for a maiden Tour victory in his maiden participation. Fifth on the day, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) takes the white jersey as well as the third place in the overall standings left vacant by Evenepoel.

***

1: ARENSMAN NEW WINNER

After finishing 2nd at Puy de Sancy five days earlier, Thymen Arensman finally triumphed in Superbagnères, claiming his first Tour victory and his 4th professional victory. He is the 68th Dutchman to win and gave the Netherlands their 169th victory, their second of the year after Mathieu van der Poel's in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

41: INEOS ENDS ITS LONGEST DROUGHT!

Winning for the 22nd time, the Ineos Grenadiers team had not won a Tour stage since July 15, 2023, when Carlos Rodriguez conquered stage 14 in Morzine. A drought of two years and 41 stages, the team's longest period without a victory. Before that, the previous "record" was 35 stages without winning: from stage 17 of the Tour 2020 to stage 11 of the Tour 2022, before Tom Pidcock's success at L’Alpe d’Huez.

5: LIPOWITZ DOESN'T STOP

Ranked 3rd in Hautacam, 4th in Peyragudes, and 5th today, Florian Lipowitz has achieved a third consecutive top-5 finish. He is the first German to do so since sprinter André Greipel in 2012, 13 years ago! At 24, Lipowitz is also the first German to lead the young rider classification since Marcel Kittel in 2013 (stage 1).

3: A GENERAL CLASSIFICATION TOP-3 RETIRING

The leader of the young rider classification before the stage, Remco Evenepoel, is the first white jersey to abandon the race since Tom Dumoulin in 2015 (stage 3). The Belgian was also 3rd in the general classification, and this is the first time a podium rider has to leave the Tour since 2017. At that time, Geraint Thomas, who was second, crashed and abandoned on the road to Chambéry (stage 9).

22: THE "GIANT" FOR A YOUNG RIDER

At 22 years and 8 days, Lenny Martinez is the second youngest rider in history to conquer the Col du Tourmalet, after René Vietto in 1934 (20 years, 5 months, and 6 days). This achievement contributed to his reconquest of the polka dot jersey, which he won for the third time.

8: FRENCH FIGHTERS

Leading the race for over 70 kilometers, Lenny Martinez received the combativity award for the second time after winning it on stage 4. This is the 8th time a French rider has been awarded this year (Mattéo Vercher x2, Bruno Armirail x2, Lenny Martinez x2, Ewen Costiou, Mathieu Burgaudeau). The last time it happened was in 2013 (Jérome Cousin x2, Blel Kadri, Romain Bardet, Julien Simon, Sylvain Chavanel, Christophe Riblon, Pierre Rolland).

88: LEGENDARY PEAKS

Three peaks on today's stage are among the four most climbed in the Tour history: the Col du Tourmalet (1st, 88th times today), the Col d'Aspin (2nd, 77 times), and the Col de Peyresourde (4th, 72 times). Frenchman Lenny Martinez dominated the first two, before Thymen Arensman became the second Dutchman to lead at Peyresourde. The first was Steven Rooks in 1988, 11 years before the day's winner was born.

10: THE GREENEST OF THE ITALIANS

Still leading the points classification after winning the intermediate sprint at Esquièze-Sère, Jonathan Milan took his 10th green jersey. This is a new record for an Italian rider, although Italians have already won this classification: Franco Bitossi in 1968, Alessandro Petacchi in 2010.

1-2: THAT AVENIR PODIUM

This isn't the first time that Thymen Arensman and Tadej Pogacar have shared the top-2 places in a ranking. They also finished 1st and 2nd in the Tour de l'Avenir 2018. A quite representative name for the race, as "Avenir" means "Future"!

163: DOWN TO THE DAY

Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Florian Lipowitz, Oscar Onley, are Kévin Vauquelin: the general classification top-5 has an average age of 25 years and 163 days. Last year, the general classification top-5 after stage 14 had... exactly the same average age! The five riders were Pogacar, Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Joao Almeida, and Carlos Rodriguez. Lipowitz, Onley, and Vauquelin are also the three riders of the best young rider podium.