Jonathan Milan won a messy sprint finish in pouring rain in Valence on stage 17 of the Tour de France, with many of his rivals either taken out or held up by a late crash in the frenzied battle for the line.
It marked his second stage win on his debut Tour, drawing him level with major rival and European champion Tim Merlier, who won stages three and nine but was blocked from sprinting by the crash inside the final kilometre.
A four-man breakaway was brought back in the final 10km of the 160km run from Bollene to Valence. A late downpour and greasy roads set up a nerve-wracking finale, and last year’s green jersey winner Biniam Girmay looked to be the worst affected as he limped to the line clutching his collarbone.
Stage 17 brought the riders closer to the Alps, with a huge double-header of mountainous stages to follow on Thursday and Friday.
Follow all the action on Stage 17 with our liveblog below:
Tour de France stage 17 LIVE
- Stage 17 | 160km from Bollene to Valence | Live on ITV4 and TNT Sports
- Jonathan Milan wins messy sprint as Tim Merlier held up by crash in final kilometre
- Stage 16 recap: Valentin Paret-Peintre won thrilling sprint for victory on Mont Ventoux
- Jonas Vingegaard collided with a photographer and crashed at the finish
- Tadej Pogacar extended lead by two seconds over Vingegaard as pair traded blows on infamous climb
No change on GC
17:24 , Flo CliffordNo change on GC and no change in the white jersey standings either, with the battle between Lipowitz and Onley set to resume tomorrow. Can the Scot take back some time in the Alps?
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 61:59:19
- Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +2’01”
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +4’17”
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) +8’49”
- Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +11’42”
Spectator tackled at finish line
17:17 , Flo CliffordMinutes before the peloton rolled through a security guard tackled a member of the public who attempted to cycle over the finish line. Not sure whether this was a protest, and if so, what about.
Points jersey standings after stage 17
17:10 , Flo CliffordNot only does Milan walk away from Valence with a stage win, he also gave himself a lot more breathing room in the points classification.
He now leads Pogacar by 72 points, with four more intermediate sprints to go (totalling 80 points), 20 points on offer for the winner of stages 18 and 19, 30 points for stage 20, and 50 for stage 21. So it’s by no means a mathematical certainty, but he’s got some wiggle room over the marauding Slovenian.
- Jonathan Milan (Lidl‑Trek) 312 pts
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 240 pts
- Biniam Girmay (Intermarché‑Wanty) 179 pts
- Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick‑Step) 156 pts
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma - Lease a Bike) 150 pts
General classification after stage 17
16:59 , Flo CliffordNo change among the GC boys, who all crossed the line safely and made it into the ‘sprint zone’ of safety.
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) in 61:50:16
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma - Lease a Bike) +4:15
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +9:03
- Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +11:04
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +11:42
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea - B&B Hotels) +13:20
- Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +14:50
- Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +17:01
- Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost) +17:52
- Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +20:45
'Easy to suffer for' - Quinn Simmons
16:50 , Flo CliffordTNT Sports have a quick chat with Quinn Simmons, who tells Matt Stephens he was nervous this morning because he felt on a good day he could control things and tee up a sprint for Milan. Job done, very successfully.
“He’s one of these guys that make it super easy to suffer for, it’s a really nice environment to be in,” he says, when asked what Milan is like as a teammate. That certainly makes it easier.
No sour grapes from Merlier, who couldn’t contest that sprint, and congratulated Milan at the end.
'Super disappointed' - Jordi Meeus
16:42 , Flo Clifford“I’m super disappointed, I had the feeling if I launched first I would take the win, so I’m super disappointed,” says second-placed Jordi Meeus.
“I think I ride a perfect final, a little bit in front of the chaos. Chapeau to Milan, he did also a very good sprint, I was coming close on him but too late in the end.
“I have to say, sprinting in the Tour is not certain always, so to have a clear chance of victory, it’s pretty disappointing to not finish.”
On taking their chance to distance Merlier and Milan earlier in the race, he says, “We got rid of them for a while, they were dropped, but it was still far from the finish. I knew they struggled there and loot some energy so I was confident going into the final, so I feel I made a big mistake not launching first.”
Meeus also didn’t notice the crash.
'A fantastic team victory' - Jonathan Milan
16:35 , Flo CliffordLet’s hear from Jonathan Milan. “I’m really happy, I’m without words. I didn’t survive alone, I survived with the help of my teammates. Without all this I would not be here, maybe I would be already dropped on one of these climbs.
“Today was a really tough stage, we controlled from the beginning with the help of some other teams but they helped when I was dropped on the first climb. It was a difficult final also because of the weather, the roundabouts, I was a bit scared I have to say. They helped me, supported me, and this is really a fantastic team victory.”
He says he didn’t know there was a crash and that he hopes everyone is okay.
“We still have some tough days that are awaiting us, in the climbs, but for the moment we have a lot of fun and I’m really happy for how it’s going,” he says, referring to the green jersey. “We will keep fighting for intermediates and the last day for the stage, we will see how it will go. Today we have a bit more distance [to Pogacar] for the points, I’m a bit more relaxed!”
Stage 17 results
16:28 , Flo Clifford- Jonathan Milan (Lidl‑Trek) in 3:25:30
- Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL)
- Arnaud de Lie (Lotto)
- Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana)
- Alberto Dainese (Tudor)
- Paul Penhoet (Groupama-FDJ)
- Yevgeniy Fedorov (XDS Astana)
- Clement Russo (Groupama-FDJ)
- Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), all at same time
Jonathan Milan wins stage 17
16:25 , Flo CliffordMilan did well to stay out of trouble there, and despite his very energy-intensive final few kilometres, he proved too strong at the finish.
Crash in finale
16:20 , Flo CliffordTim Merlier didn’t hit the deck in that crash but had to clip back into his cleats and evade the fallen bodies, and by that point the chance for victory had gone.
It looked like some shoulder-barging in the finale and a domino effect bringing down multiple riders.
Biniam Girmay crosses the line, but can’t hold onto the bars with his right hand, and it feels like that’s the end of his Tour, sadly.
Jonathan Milan wins stage 17!
16:18 , Flo CliffordBiniam Girmay went down in that crash and it doesn’t look good. He’s holding his collarbone as he’s attended to by medical staff.
The helicopter shot shows in fact that was quite a clear victory for Jonathan Milan, and that’s a big boon to his green jersey hopes too!
Photo finish incoming...
16:16 , Flo CliffordNone of the GC riders looked to be caught up in that crash. Onley, Gall, Healy, Pogacar and Vingegaard all cross in the same group.
No word yet on the winner.
Chaotic sprint finish
16:15 , Flo CliffordA very reduced group of eight or ten riders sprint... Fedorov is there, Jordi Meeus for Red Bull. Milan opens up and de Lie is on his wheel...
Milan and Meeus cross the line very close together, but I think Milan has got there.
Crash!
16:14 , Flo CliffordMilan has burnt so many matches chasing back on so many times. Merlier is coasting, surfing the wheels.
Massive crash! Merlier is caught up in it but Milan survives. Bittner and Jake Stewart are down.
2km to go
16:13 , Flo Clifford2.1km to go: Lidl-Trek have gone the wrong way around this roundabout and Jonathan Milan is way down out of position.
Abrahamsen is caught.
Peloton looming
16:10 , Flo Clifford5km to go: One by one the breakaway stragglers are caught. Abrahamsen is still going but his advantage is down to seven seconds and he won’t be making many friends in the peloton with this very spirited ride - although of course we viewers appreciate it.
Tim Wellens swings onto the front for UAE and this will be a nice reprieve for the sprinters’ teams, as the GC boys look to keep their leaders safe.
Lidl-Trek are hard to spot in this front group. Israel Premier-Tech are still hammering things on the front for Jake Stewart - but are they too far forward?
Abrahamsen attacks!
16:06 , Flo Clifford9.8km to go: The Norwegian knows he’s the strongest and although Burgaudeau can respond to his first acceleration, the Frenchman accepts defeat. Albanese has a go too but it looks like the stage 11 winner has got himself a gap.
He was doing the majority of the turns in these final few kilometres, so this makes sense. But it does feel like the sprinters will not be denied.
Abrahamsen has a very slender lead of 22 seconds with 10km to go.
Escapees 30 seconds away
15:58 , Flo Clifford18km to go: Nearly curtains for the breakaway. Nearly every sprint team has riders up in numbers now, while Pogacar is tucked among a swarm of Killer Bees, alongside Vingegaard, as they try to stay safe in this chaotic finale.
The quartet up front have just 30 seconds on the bunch.
The roads look very slick indeed.
Gap down to a minute
15:49 , Flo Clifford25km to go: “Keep believing!” TotalEnergies enthuse over the radio to Burgaudeau. “The rain is an opportunity!”
Soudal Quick-Step have numbers on the front now to support Lidl-Trek, who are still led by Quinn Simmons. The man is indefatigable. The gap has been brought down to a little under a minute now.
Rain at the finish
15:41 , Flo Clifford32km to go: Tudor come over the radio to say that, 10km from the finish, it has started to rain. Adam Blythe on the TNT Sports commentary motorbike says the road is not just wet but greasy. A bunch sprint in the wet? I’d rather not, thanks.
This, surely, favours our rather doomed-looking breakaway.
Van Aert sits up, accepting his fate.
None of the sprinters were troubled on that climb, despite IPT’s best efforts. Milan is still sitting pretty in the bunch.
Albanese wins KOM
15:34 , Flo Clifford36km to go: Albanese seems alarmed by the looming presence of Wout van Aert, who has soared clear of the peloton, and counter-attacks. He leads the breakaway over the final categorised climb of the day.
Van Aert is in chasse-patate mode, 44” seconds off this committed breakaway, with the peloton 1’03” back.
Wout van Aert attacks!
15:25 , Flo Clifford45km to go: The riders are onto the final categorised climb, the cat-four Col de Tartaiguille (3.6km at 3.5%).
Mike Woods is accelerating on the front for Israel-Premier Tech, trying to cause a split in the bunch to put the pure sprinters in difficulty. IPT are riding for Jake Stewart today rather than their usual sprinter of Pascal Ackermann, and the Brit thrives in a reduced sprint. Quinn Simmons is there to police.
Now Wout van Aert attacks! In his pomp this would have been shut down immediately, but it looks like the peloton have been caught off guard.
Crash at the back
15:18 , Flo Clifford48km to go: Julian Alaphilippe has just hit the deck at the back of the bunch, coming down along with Carlos Rodriguez - who has ripped his jersey but otherwise looks okay - and Hugo Page. That just looked like an awkward collision at the roadside. Alaphilippe went down in the grass but looks okay.
Paret-Peintre ends French drought
15:08 , Flo CliffordEarlier on Julian Alaphilippe had a much more relaxed start to today’s stage - celebrating compatriot Valentin Paret-Peintre’s huge victory on Mont Ventoux yesterday.
"C'est Alain et Philippe" 😂 Merci @alafpolak1!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 23, 2025
🇫🇷 The two French heroes of yesterday's stage.
🇫🇷 Les deux héros français de l'étape d'hier. #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/QrihTU6oNa
Gap back out
14:55 , Flo Clifford65km to go: Panic over for Lidl-Trek as the breakaway’s advantage is back out at over a minute.
They’re floating down a 70km/h descent now; it’s a day of real undulating terrain, not a pure flat stage.
Race all back together
14:48 , Flo Clifford73km to go: Simmons and Skujins dropped back to aid Milan’s chase and the groups are now all back together, with the green and European champ’s jerseys of Milan and Merlier safely in the bunch.
That feels like a missed chance by the likes of Alpecin and Intermarche to really get rid of the two biggest contenders for victory today.
The gap to the breakaway is hovering around the 30” mark as things stand. Tudor still have numbers around the front.
The next opportunity any of these riders may have to break things up is the second categorised climb of the day, which comes 47km from the finish.
Chaos continues
14:39 , Flo Clifford80km to go: Lidl-Trek’s enforcer Quinn Simmons has a real job on his hands here. He’s been one of the strongest riders in this race but he’s still got to keep all these different attackers under control. He’s now got Toms Skujins for company. Tudor and Movistar are being a real menace however - but Ineos are nowhere to be seen after all that effort.
Jordi Meeus, Kaden Groves, and Biniam Girmay are all in this front group, so we could see their teams working to keep Milan and Merlier off the back - and indeed Alpecin-Deceuninck come to the front now to pull. The peloton is 35” off the front, the green jersey group 1’10” back. Drama!
Milan distanced
14:31 , Flo Clifford89km to go: That fight up the climb has spat out a load of sprinters out the back. Some 30 riders were caught out in a major split and that includes the green jersey of Jonathan Milan. They’re 1’26” off the front, with the peloton at 30”.
The counter-attacks are going in the bunch now. Romeo is active there for Movistar. A Cofidis and a Tudor rider are up there too. Seems like lots of teams are thinking of throwing their hat into the ring.
Ineos blow up their own riders
14:24 , Flo Clifford94km to go: David Millar on ITV4 commentary suggests that Ineos have been setting this blistering pace to tee up a move by Tobias Foss - but the turns of Swift, Thomas and now Axel Laurance have in fact got rid of the Norwegian.
They’ve blown themselves up in the process but brought the gap down to 45 seconds - but now what? Simmons is there to try to avoid this gap getting any smaller.
Foss recovers and brings himself onto the front now. What do Ineos do now?
Ivan Romeo attacks for Movistar. Simmons is onto him but the Spanish champ is making a huge dent in the breakaway’s lead, bringing it down to 30 seconds. He causes a split but has the American on his wheel.
Abrahamsen takes the one point on offer at the summit.
Breakaway kept on tight leash
14:20 , Flo Clifford97km to go: The stage dips under the 100km to go mark and the peloton, still led by Lidl-Trek, are keeping the breakaway on a very tight leash. The gap is down to 1’48” and they’re chipping away a second or two at a time.
Ineos take things up and set a hard pace as they hit the first categorised climb, the cat-four Col du Pertuis. Connor Swift is taking them up these 6.6% gradients at a bruising 40km/h. Quinn Simmons is lurking to try to shut this down. Now the gap is plummeting and Geraint Thomas takes over. It’s down to 1’10”.
Luke Rowe: ‘Cav should sleep with one eye open – Tadej Pogacar is coming for his Tour de France record’
14:12 , Flo CliffordLawrence Ostlere had a chat with Luke Rowe ahead of the final week. Rowe discussed Pogacar’s dominance, the fragile status of Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France stage win record, and what Visma-Lease a Bike can do to get Jonas Vingegaard back into the hunt for the yellow jersey.
Luke Rowe: ‘Cav beware – Tadej Pogacar is coming for your Tour de France record’
Milan wins sprint from the peloton
14:03 , Flo Clifford1110km to go: A very cagey approach to this intermediate sprint. Lidl-Trek look around and finally pull off for Milan to sprint... he does so almost casually, looking around just to check no one’s coming around him, and he takes 11 points for fifth, with Biniam Girmay taking 10 just behind him.
That takes Milan’s points lead over Pogacar to 22 points.
Abrahamsen wins intermediate sprint
13:56 , Flo Clifford112km to go: Louis Barre of Intermarche-Wanty has hit the deck and that doesn’t look nice. He looks to have fallen heavily on his right side. He’s being attended to by medical staff but is up on his feet at least.
Abrahamsen leads out the intermediate sprint at Roche-Saint-Secret-Beconne, with Burgaudeau his only challenger... but the Norwegian is simply too strong there.
5km until intermediate sprint
13:48 , Flo Clifford117km to go: As you were in the bunch. The peloton rolls through a feed zone with the very recognisable jersey of Simmons on the front for Lidl-Trek.
5km until the intermediate sprint. The breakaway will pick up the major points, but Milan will be looking for the rest.
Best young rider classification
13:42 , Flo CliffordFlorian Lipowitz was one of the big winners of yesterday’s Mont Ventoux summit, cementing his lead in the white jersey standings. Oscar Onley stuck with him on the lower to middle sections of the ‘Giant of Provence’ but was distanced by the Red Bull duo of Lipowitz and Roglic.
Healy’s great day out saw him move up to ninth overall and fourth in the white jersey standings, but this looks like Lipowitz’s to lose.
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 58:33:49
- Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +2’01”
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +4’17”
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) +8’49”
- Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +11’42”
Points jersey classification
13:35 , Flo CliffordHere’s how the points jersey standings look ahead of today’s stage.
Jonathan Milan may have downplayed things somewhat in his interview, but today’s stage is make-or-break - especially given that stage 21 into Paris might not come down to a sprint at all.
There are 50 points on offer at the finish and 20 at the intermediate sprint; if he were to bag both that would give him an 81-point cushion over Pogacar.
The Slovenian is likely targeting victory on both stages 18 and 19, which would give him a haul of 40 points in total - but if Pogacar were to win in yellow on the Champs-Elysees, which may sound ludicrous but is hardly out of the question, he would pick up another 50 points and take green off Milan.
- Jonathan Milan (Lidl‑Trek) 251 pts
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 240 pts
- Biniam Girmay (Intermarché‑Wanty) 169 pts
- Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick‑Step) 150 pts
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma - Lease a Bike) 135 pts
Lidl-Trek control things
13:27 , Flo Clifford133km to go: Ineos Grenadiers tell Axel Laurance to give things up and the Frenchman duly does so.
So, there are four riders at the front: Albanese, Pacher, Abrahamsen, and Burgaudeau.
Lidl-Trek’s Quinn Simmons patrols things on the front of the bunch, with Max Schachmann from Quick-Step for company.
20km to the intermediate sprint.
'Really unpredictable' stage - Jonathan Milan
13:19 , Flo CliffordTNT Sports’ Anders Mielke has a chat with Jonathan Milan, who still wears the green jersey, but only just. He asks if the departure of Mathieu van der Poel changes things for their rival squad Alpecin-Deceuninck. “They still have a lot of leadout guys, I’m expecting they as a team to maybe control, maybe not, I don’t know. They can also try to make a hard pace on the climbs to try to let us sprinters suffer! We will see, it’s really unpredictable.”
How important is this stage for Milan’s hopes of wearing green in Paris? “For me there are many others with the points. We are really looking forward, it’s one of the most important, yes.”
Will the sprinters’ teams work together to make sure this comes down to a bunch finish? You’d expect so, but there are 15 teams still chasing a stage win, and they won’t be too cooperative...
Breakaway set
13:11 , Flo Clifford143km to go: Soudal-QuickStep and Lidl-Trek are firmly ensconced on the front of the bunch and the pace has completely gone out of it. There’s a bit of beef in the front as Pascal Eenkhorn gives Kasper Asgreen a talking-to, presumably for daring to challenge the sprinters’ authority today. No need for that.
Axel Laurance is still toiling in no-man’s-land, one minute behind the breakaway and 1’33” ahead of the peloton.
“There is Abrahamsen there, so you never know how far he can go,” Ineos Grenadiers say over the radio - that message obviously came through before Laurance jumped, and it’s certainly an important point.
Asgreen under the kosh
13:03 , Flo Clifford151km to go: Vincenzo Albanese, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Quentin Pacher and Jonas Abrahamsen have a minute on the bunch as it stands. Axel Laurance has set off in pursuit. But his attempt to bridge across is being foiled by further counter-attacks from the bunch.
The alarm bells are going off because Kasper Asgreen, breakaway artiste extraordinaire, is trying to join his teammate Albanese up the front. Asgreen has two grand tour wins from seemingly-doomed breakaways on clear-cut sprint stages and he’s the last man Lidl-Trek want to get free. They’re hassling him like footballers marking their man.
Flag drop
12:56 , Flo CliffordThey’re underway! 160km from Bollene to Valence. There are attacks from the minute Christian Prudhomme waves his flag, but the terrain is a little difficult on the way out of the town: twisting roads, sweeping corners, and a slight uncategorised rise.
Wout van Aert gets himself up there, but Lidl-Trek fan out across the road to shut things down. Quinn Simmons, Ivan Romeo, Neilson Powless and Jonas Abrahamsen are also active early doors.
No one has been able to get away just yet. Vincenzo Albanese is the next to have a go.
Danny van Poppel DNS
12:49 , Flo CliffordRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s sprinter Jordi Meeus (best known for that wholly unexpected victory on the Champs-Elysees in 2023) will be down a support rider today, as Danny van Poppel will not start stage 17.
The Dutchman’s partner Stéphane has given birth to daughter Bobbie and van Poppel is heading home to welcome their new arrival.
“I will leave the Tour de France, but it’s good news”, he announced on the team’s social media. “I became a father a few hours ago and I am looking forward to going home. It’s sad to leave the team behind, because we are racing very well - but I wish the best of luck to the guys!”
Joy for the sprinters today?
12:42 , Flo CliffordA familiar face was on hand at the start this morning - and a former winner in Valence, in 2021. It features as a stage host town for the fifth time today, with Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, and Peter Sagan all previously winning here.
Valence is also notable for being the location of Romain Bardet’s first professional victory, in the 2014 Drome Classic.
Bollene is making its debut in the Tour, although it has featured in Paris-Nice plenty of times, hosting eight finishes.
Neutralised start
12:36 , Flo CliffordThe riders are rolling out in Bollene for 7.2km of neutralised start, with the depart réel at 12.50pm BST (1.50pm local time).
Prediction for stage 17
12:30 , Flo CliffordTwo sprinters have dominated this year’s flat stages, of which there have been vanishingly few: Tim Merlier has got the beating of Jonathan Milan in their two head-to-heads, on stage three and 10, with the Italian finishing second both times. Milan won the one sprint stage Merlier couldn’t contest, stage eight, after the European champion suffered a late mechanical.
In the absence of stage one winner Jasper Philipsen, sent packing with a broken collarbone, it looks like it’s down to this pair - unless one of the B-list sprinters of the peloton can spring a surprise. Milan is in desperate need of points after failing to make the breakaway and conceding the green points jersey on a stage to forget yesterday. But his Belgian rival has had his number so far in this Tour and for that reason we’re going with Tim Merlier.
Key moments of stage 17
12:24 , Flo CliffordThere are two climbs on the menu today: the category-four pairing of the Col du Pertuis (3.7km at 6.6%) and the Col de Tartaiguille (3.6km at 3.5%), spaced at the 66km and 117km mark respectively.
After the Tartaiguille it flattens out for the final 40km of the stage, which should be enough time for a high-speed chase by the sprinters’ teams to reel in any escapees.
The day’s intermediate sprint comes 47km into proceedings at Saint-Secret-Beconne, and Jonathan Milan seriously needs to pick up points there if he’s to stand any chance at all of wearing green in Paris.
Tobias Halland Johannessen update
12:17 , Flo CliffordThere were reports after stage 16 that Tobias Johannessen, the Uno X-Mobility rider who currently sits eighth overall, collapsed at the finish line.
His team released a statement this morning saying: “Following thorough investigations, the medical team has concluded that Tobias suffered from severe stomach cramps during the final kilometres of Stage 16 to Mont Ventoux.”
“Thanks to the swift and professional approach of the race doctors, he received immediate and excellent care at the finish. All necessary protocols were followed– which also made the situation seem more critical in the moment.
“As part of the emergency treatment, and following set procedures, Tobias received oxygen and 500 ml of intravenous saline. The treatment was administered by the race medical team as part of this emergency care and has been reviewed and approved by UCI medical staff. He has been cleared to continue racing.”
Here's what Valentin Paret-Peintre had to say
12:10 , Flo Clifford“How I won that stage is hard to say, I was thinking maybe I can win today, maybe I’m the best climber in this breakaway. I asked my teammates to make a good pace at the bottom and I tried so many times to drop Healy but he was very strong and at the end I was just waiting for the sprint, and then I won.”
Referencing Remco Evenepoel’s departure, he says, “These last few days we went through a little storm, I guess, and now the sun shines again. It’s really amazing for me and for the team to win another stage, a fourth stage in this Tour, then tomorrow it’s a sprint we hope, so we can maybe win again.”
Amazingly, this is just Valentin Paret-Peintre’s third pro win. He has a stage win at the Tour of Oman, Giro d’Italia, and now the Tour de France.
And it was secured with some incredible teamwork: Ilan van Wilder was in the breakaway and after being distanced, miraculously found the strength to get himself back up to the lead group and do one final turn, leading Paret-Peintre and his companions into the final kilometre before he and Healy sprinted for victory.
Who is Oscar Onley? The talented Scottish climber breaking through at the Tour de France
12:03 , Flo CliffordViewers scanning the Tour de France general classification will see a mix of wholly expected names and some comparative unknowns.
Tadej Pogacar leads the standings as his era-defining dominance continues; Jonas Vingegaard sits second behind his longtime rival. But accompanying the rider sitting fourth in the overall standings is a British flag: not former Tour de France winner and veteran Geraint Thomas, but the up-and-coming youngster Oscar Onley.
The 22-year-old has been enjoying a breakout season and is in action in just his second Tour de France. He and his team came in targeting a stage win but are on course for a top-five finish at the sport’s biggest race. With every passing stage he has surpassed both his own expectations and that of all observers.
So who is Onley, and what’s behind his meteoric rise?
Who is Oscar Onley? The talented Scot breaking through at the Tour de France
Movers and shakers on general classification after stage 16
11:56 , Flo CliffordPogacar and Vingegaard were locked together all day but the yellow jersey still managed to eke out another two seconds on the line.
Lipowitz cemented his grip on third place overall with another strong ride and now leads Onley by 2’01”.
The Scot himself had a good ride and leads Vauquelin by more than two minutes... but Vauquelin isn’t who he needs to be worried about now, with five-time Grand Tour winner Roglic breathing down his neck at just 38” off the pace.
Roglic has continued his resurgence from the depths of obscurity in the opening week to now looking much more like his usual self.
Further down the standings, Healy didn’t take the stage win but he did re-leapfrog Rodriguez in their intriguing battle for the minor places.
Jonas Vingegaard crashes into Tour de France photographer on Mont Ventoux finish
11:49 , Flo CliffordTwo-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard was brought down by an errant photographer after crossing the line on stage 16.
The Dane crashed after the finish on the legendary climb of Mont Ventoux, where he finished second, losing another two seconds to longtime rival and yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar.
The stage was won by Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre of Soudal-QuickStep, who outsprinted Ireland’s Ben Healy in a thrilling battle on one of the Tour’s most iconic summits.
“Some photographer just ran straight in front of me straight after the finish line, I don't know what he was doing,” the Danish rider told media assembled at the finish.
Jonas Vingegaard crashes into Tour de France photographer on Mont Ventoux finish
Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre wins atop Mont Ventoux as Tadej Pogacar keeps yellow jersey
11:41 , Flo CliffordValentin Paret-Peintre secured the biggest win of his career and a first stage win for the home nation of this year's Tour de France with a thrilling sprint atop Mont Ventoux.
The 24-year-old edged out breakaway companion Ben Healy in a dramatic two-up sprint for the line, after a slimmed-down group of four came into the final kilometre with the yellow jersey of Tadej Pogacar and rival Jonas Vingegaard breathing down their necks.
Pogacar dealt with every attack attempted by Vingegaard and even put a couple of seconds into him at the finish to add two seconds to his lead, and now sits 4:15 clear in yellow, but stage 16 went to the breakaway at the summit of this most feared of Tour climbs.
Valentin Paret-Peintre wins atop Mont Ventoux as Tadej Pogacar keeps yellow jersey
General classification after stage 16
11:34 , Flo Clifford- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) in 58:24:46
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma - Lease a Bike) +4:15
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +9:03
- Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +11:04
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +11:42
- Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea - B&B Hotels) +13:20
- Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +14:50
- Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +17:01
- Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost) +17:52
- Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +20:45
Stage 16 results
11:27 , Flo Clifford- Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) in 4:03:19
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), same time
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) +4”
- Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) +14”
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) +43”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma - Lease a Bike) +45”
- Enric Mas (Movistar) +53”
- Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) +1’17”
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +1’51”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +1’53”
Stage 16 recap
11:20 , Flo CliffordStage 16 more than delivered on drama as Valentin Paret-Peintre ended the drought of stage wins for the home nation with a victory in a thrilling two-up sprint atop the legendary Mont Ventoux, getting the better of Ireland’s Ben Healy.
Paret-Peintre’s victory - just his third at WorldTour level - marked his maiden Tour de France win and ensured the yellow jersey of Tadej Pogacar and his rival Jonas Vingegaard were denied glory on one of the Tour’s most legendary climbs.
The pair were locked together all the way up the climb, with Vingegaard continually attacking but unable to distance the race leader, before Pogacar dropped the Dane in the closing metres to add another two seconds to his overall lead. Vingegaard’s frustration was compounded by a crash with a wayward photograph in the finish area, although he did not appear injured.
Stage 17 start time
11:15 , Flo CliffordToday’s stage has a neutralised start time of 1.35pm local time (12.35pm BST), with an expected finish time of 5.10pm local time (4.10pm BST).
Stage 17 route map and profile
11:10 , Flo Clifford
Stage 17 preview
11:05 , Flo CliffordThere’s precious little for the sprinters to enjoy in the final week of the Tour de France, having struggled up Mont Ventoux yesterday and with the prospect of three frankly gruesome days in the Alps still to come.
But today is the penultimate chance for the fast men, and quite possibly the only clear-cut sprint left in this year’s race. Stage 21 is traditionally of course a day for the sprinters, with loop after loop of Paris building to a nerve-wracking crescendo and the final launch down the Champs-Elysees.
But the introduction of several laps of the category-four Montmartre climb has thrown a spanner in the works for the sprinters, meaning that stage 21 could look a lot like stage 11 in Toulouse: in theory a ‘flat’ stage that’s really anything but.
So today’s 160km run from Bollene to Valence may really be last chance saloon - so it seems safe to say, it’ll be a chaotic, frenzied day at the very least.
Good morning
11:00 , Flo CliffordBonjour et bienvenue to stage 17 of the Tour de France!
Today’s stage is a classic transitional stage as we head out of Provence and towards the high Alps - but with plenty of teams still sans a stage win, this could come down to the expected sprint, or a breakaway could bag a surprise victory.
