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Saturday, July 19, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - Calvin Coolidge
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Upcoming racing:
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
Latest completed racing:
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
We posted the race organizer's stage 13 report with the results.
Stage winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG posted this report:
Taking back-to-back stage victories for the first time at this year’s Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG soared to the win in the stage 13 individual time trial. In doing so, Pogačar extended his lead in the Yellow Jersey to over four minutes ahead of the second-placed Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Tadej Pogacar finishing his stage-winning ride. Sirotti photo
Pogačar chose a different approach to the majority of his general classification rivals on stage 13, opting to race a road bike rather than a dedicated time trial option. Aboard his Colnago Y1Rs, designed as the Italian manufacturer’s most aerodynamic road bike in history, the Slovenian made clear that his decision was the right one, with another dominant display on Friday afternoon.
With another victory at the Tour under his belt, Pogačar becomes the youngest rider in history to reach 21 Tour de France stage wins. The time trial victory also marked Pogačar’s 30th stage win in a Grand Tour, taking UAE Team Emirates-XRG to four stage wins in this Tour.
The race leader’s victory looked likely from the very first intermediate time check, with Pogačar going quicker than any other rider, despite the flat section favouring those riders on time trial bikes, on paper. From there on out, Pogačar was a rider in full flight, taking to the climb of Peyragudes with a spring in his step.
With Vingegaard producing a fantastic display in his own right and catching his two-minute man, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Pogačar had to go above and beyond to deliver another stage win.
The Slovenian was the fastest rider on the climb itself, going uphill at an average speed of over 23kph. That gained him an advantage of 28 seconds over Vingegaard through the last 7km, with the eventual time gap between the two best riders on the day stretching to 36 seconds.
With that, the world road race champion heads into the second weekend with a race lead of over four minutes ahead of Vingegaard, with his buffer to the third-placed Evenepoel standing in excess of seven minutes.
Meanwhile, Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG colleague Adam Yates delivered a fine display of his own to take eighth place on the day. The British climber is only improving as the race draws on, and his talents in the mountains will prove pivotal as Pogačar goes in search of a fourth Tour de France title.
Saturday will bring an end to a trilogy of stages in the Pyrenees, with the peloton set to be challenged by a summit finish at Luchon-Superbagnères after a stage that holds over 5,000m of elevation gain.
Ahead of another test in the mountains, Pogačar spoke of his delight at another stage win in his post-race interview on Friday afternoon.
Pogačar: “[I am] super happy. This time trial was one big question mark right from December for me, and I wanted everything to be perfect. The team delivered, in the final moments, for everything to be on the top [level].
“I started the day good, I had an easy day in the morning, nice preparation and I was really targeting to do start to finish all out. I tried to smash as much as possible on the pedals, I almost blew up in the end but I saw the timer at the top and it gave me an extra push, because I saw that I was going to win.
“This was the biggest decision to make, which bike [to use] today. Obviously, we are racing on road bikes for the majority of the year, so in the end we did the calculations and if you cannot push on the TT bike as much on the road bike, then it was about the same time. I decided to be more comfortable, the way I was riding the last few stages, on the same bike. In the end, it worked out for me.
“I think already the first time gap today, I decided to go without radio because the tactic was all out from the beginning to the top. So I was just relying on the time checks, and I saw the first one [where] I was already five seconds in the green – this gave me motivation. The second one was a bit bigger, and then I knew that it was a good pace.
“At first, I was thinking not to blow up in the first part. I almost did in the end, but from 3km-2km to go, I took a deep breath, reset a little bit and dropped a little bit the power. I knew that the last kick was super super steep and I wanted to come to the last steep part with somewhat good legs.”
Here's the stage 13 report from second-place Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson bounced back from yesterday’s difficult day with strong performances in the climbing time trial to Peyragudes. In thirteenth stage of the Tour de France, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders finished second and sixth, respectively, behind stage winner Tadej Pogacar.
“We fought hard today. I’m really happy with my performance, it’s one of the best of my career”, Vingegaard says afterwards. “I gave everything. It feels good to show what I’m capable of after the disappointment of yesterday.”
Jonas Vingegaard riding to second place in stage 13. Sirotti photo
On the nearly eleven-kilometer course in southern France, the bike choice played a big role. From the start in Loudenvielle, there was almost exclusively climbing to Peyragudes. Jorgenson delivered a strong ride, followed shortly after by an good time from Vingegaard. The Dane overtook Remco Evenepoel - who had started ahead of him - just before the finish and solidified his second place in the general classification. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had to concede 36 seconds to Pogacar in the second time trial of the Tour de France.
“He was the strongest today and deserved the win”, Vingegaard says. “My level yesterday was below what I expect from myself. That was disappointing. But today we turned things around”, he adds, also referring to Jorgenson's performance. The American explains: “I wasn’t in the mix for a podium spot today, but I wanted to test myself and get back in the fight. I managed to do that. I showed that I still have good legs.”
Head of Racing Grischa Niermann looks back on the race against the clock with satisfaction. “Jonas rode a really strong time trial. It wasn’t enough to win, but mentally this was an important result. He gained time on many rivals today. We never think about giving up. Now, we’ll make a plan for tomorrow and keep fighting.” On Saturday, the peloton faces another brutal mountain stage, featuring four categorized climbs, including the Col du Tourmalet and the summit finish on Luchon-Superbagnères.
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Here's the Tour report from third place Primoz Roglic's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
It was a true test of strength: 10.9 kilometers uphill to the high-altitude airfield at Peyragudes. 25 minutes all-out – a battle against the clock and against gravity.
A mountain time trial poses unique challenges. The key question: aerodynamics or climbing efficiency? That decision defined both equipment choice and pacing strategy.
Primož Roglič was the first rider of the entire peloton to leave the start ramp – on a time trial bike. It was a bold move that raised eyebrows, but it paid off. He was tied with the leader at the first intermediate check, gained 30 seconds by the second, and set a new best time at the finish. With that ride, Primož reset the standard for the day.
Primoz Roglic finishing his ride. Sirotti photo
Florian Lipowitz also stayed loyal to his usual TT setup – and delivered. Just two seconds behind Primož at the first split, nine seconds at the second, and 36 seconds at the finish line.
In the end, only the top two GC favorites were faster. Primož Roglič finishes third, Florian Lipowitz takes fourth. A performance that leaves a mark. A performance that gains time. A performance that underlines the strength of the team.
After the time trial, Florian Lipowitz is just six seconds off the podium at the Tour de France. And Primož Roglič is now less than 90 seconds behind third place. After 13 stages and almost 46 hours of racing, these are razor-thin margins.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe is right on track – with two riders in promising positions. A strategic advantage the team has built through smart selection and controlled racing throughout the first half of the Tour.
Still, as encouraging as the situation is – it’s just a snapshot. The remaining Tour stages are brutal: half of all climbing meters still lie ahead. Eight tough days until Paris. The team stays focused and patient.
Tomorrow brings one of the highlights of this year’s Tour: starting in Pau – a stage town for the 76th time – and finishing in Superbagnères. Along the way: the Tourmalet, Col d’Aspin, and Col de Peyresourde – over 5,000 meters of climbing. Only one stage in the 2025 Tour de France is tougher. A mountain showdown that could change everything.
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Here's the stage 13 report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Remco Evenepoel overcame one of the hardest stages of this year’s Tour de France, the short but gruelling stage 13 that started from Loudenvielle and finished atop Peyragudes. It was the first mountain individual time trial in more than two decades at the race, and the World ITT Champion once again gave his best on the brutal slopes of the Pyrenean ascent.
Remco Evenpoel finishes his ride. Sirotti photo
One of the last riders to roll down the ramp, Evenepoel had a good start and set the fastest provisional time at the first checkpoint, just before taking on the demanding slopes of this ascent which returned for the second year in a row at the Tour. Soudal Quick-Step’s leader gave his best there and concluded the stage, won by yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), in a time of 25:39.
This helped Remco retain his third place on the overall podium of the competition ahead of another tough day, peppered with four classified climbs, which will finish in Superbagnères. At the same time, the Belgian kept the race’s white jersey – rewarding the best young rider – now on his shoulders for an impressive 26th time in the last two years.
“I had a good start, but after a few minutes on the climb I couldn’t produce the power needed there. I just didn’t have the legs I wanted and felt empty out there. I don’t know what’s the explanation for this. Thursday wasn’t a good day for me and today was even worse, despite managing to cling onto the overall podium. It was a poor ride, but I hope things will be different on Saturday as I continue to remain confident”, Remco explained after the stage.
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And here's the stage 13 report from Carlos Rodriguez's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Carlos Rodriguez was the top Grenadier in the mountain time trial on the 13th stage of the Tour de France.
Rodriguez executed a solid ride up the 11km mountain from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes, clocking 25:49.79 to sail into fifth place on the leaderboard with the favourites still to go.
Carlos Rodriguez at the 2025 Tour de Romandie. Sirotti photo
With Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates - XRG) taking the win, Rodriguez ultimately finished in 13th place to retain 12th on the GC.
Thymen Arensman also put in a strong performance, coming home in 29th place. Tobias Foss sported his Norwegian time trial skinsuit in his effort, while Geraint Thomas rode his final Tour de France time trial as he continues his farewell Tour.
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