Thymen Arensman delivered a career-defining ride on stage 14 of the Tour de France, soloing to victory atop the fogbound summit of Luchon-Superbagnères after escaping the remnants of a breakaway and resisting the late chase of the GC favourites. On a brutal day over four iconic Pyrenean climbs, Tadej Pogačar once again gained time on Jonas Vingegaard, while Oscar Onley rose to fourth overall in a reshaped general classification.
Arensman’s breakthrough on a brutal day
The Ineos Grenadiers rider attacked with 36km to go from a large breakaway group, just before the summit of the Col de Peyresourde. His move proved perfectly timed, distancing Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss and the rest of the break, and holding a gap of over two minutes into the final climb.
“I can’t believe I held them off,” Arensman said at the summit. “I was really fading on the second half of the climb, but the spectators gave me a few extra watts. I just wanted to experience winning a stage at the biggest race in the world – and to do it like this, it’s crazy.”
With a lead of three minutes at the base of the Superbagnères climb, Arensman admitted he feared it might not be enough against Pogačar and Vingegaard. But despite the gradients and a determined chase from the GC group, he held on for a commanding solo win – his first at the Tour and second at Grand Tour level following his Vuelta stage in 2022.
It also marked Ineos Grenadiers’ first Tour stage win since 2023 and a much-needed moment of success for the former Tour powerhouse, who placed both Arensman and Carlos Rodriguez in the break. Rodriguez moved into the top 10 overall, now sitting in 10th place.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Maxime DelobelPogačar gains seconds, Vingegaard tries late move
Behind Arensman, the final climb saw another instalment of the now familiar Pogačar-Vingegaard duel. With 4km to go, Vingegaard attacked, hoping to drop the yellow jersey and claw back time. But Pogačar responded immediately and the pair climbed together until the finish, where Pogačar outsprinted Vingegaard for second place and the bonus seconds.
“It was probably one of the hardest mountain stages I’ve ever done,” said Vingegaard, now 4:13 behind overall. “I expected Tadej to attack but when it looked like he wouldn’t, I tried to go myself. I’m happy with how my legs felt.”
Florian Lipowitz now sits third overall at 7:53 after Remco Evenepoel abandoned early on the stage, dropped on the Col du Tourmalet. The Belgian Olympic champion, who had been third overall, struggled throughout the Pyrenean block and climbed off just 70km into the day.
Onley climbs to fourth as top 10 reshuffles
The strongest rider outside the big three was 22-year-old Oscar Onley, who finished fourth on the stage and moved into fourth overall on GC. The Scot is now within 90 seconds of Lipowitz and the white jersey and is rapidly emerging as a serious contender for the podium.
“I wasn’t really coming here with any GC ambitions,” he said post-stage. “Today was probably the biggest test of my long climbing ability.”
Onley admitted he suffered on the final climb but held his own behind the leading trio and is now part of a tightly-packed group battling for the remaining podium spots. Just three minutes separate fourth from eighth, with riders like Tobias Johannessen, Ben Healy and Primož Roglič all still in the mix.
Matt Winston, his sports director at Picnic PostNL, praised the team’s consistency. “Fourth on GC at this point – no one expected this. We’ve only missed the top-15 on two stages and scored UCI points throughout. I’m really proud.”
Soudal-QuickStep rudderless after Evenepoel exit
Evenepoel’s departure left Soudal-QuickStep with no GC ambition and few remaining sprint opportunities for Tim Merlier. Sports director Tom Steels explained the Belgian simply didn’t have the legs to continue. “He still has goals this season – if he had pushed on here, we might have lost the whole year,” Steels said.
Valentin Paret-Peintre was the team’s lone presence in the break, but without Evenepoel, the squad is now scrambling to reshape its Tour plans.
What’s next
Sunday’s 169km transition stage from Muret to Carcassonne should favour the sprinters, though a sting in the tail with the Côte de Saint-Ferréol and the 10% slopes of the Pas du Sant could offer hope to late attackers.
The Pyrenees may be behind them, but with Mont Ventoux looming after the rest day and the Alps to come, this year’s Tour is far from settled. The battle for the top 10 – and the final podium – is alive with promise.
2025 Tour de France Stage 14 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
