Thymen Arensman claimed his second stage win of the 2025 Tour de France with a gutsy solo ride to La Plagne, surviving a late chase from the GC favourites to cap off a thrilling 93km mountain stage. The Dutchman launched a well-timed move with just over 14km remaining and clung on through hail and headwinds to repeat his triumph from Stage 14, beating the top four in the general classification to the summit finish by just a handful of seconds.
While Arensman danced clear up the final HC climb, the yellow jersey group was locked in a tactical deadlock. Tadej Pogacar set a firm but not searing pace for much of the ascent, content to neutralise moves rather than light up the race himself. It wasnโt for lack of effort โ he repeatedly tested his rivals, first alongside Jonas Vingegaard and then again when joined by Oscar Onley and Felix Lipowitz. But at no point could he shake them off.
Despite a flurry of accelerations from Pogacar, none of the top three cracked. Instead, the quartet of GC leaders traded pulls but left the chase of Arensman to Lipowitz in the final kilometres, perhaps eyeing each other as much as the Dutchman up the road.
Lipowitz did manage to reduce the gap to within striking distance, dropping Onley in the process. But with 200 metres to go, Arensman still held six seconds and had just enough left in the tank to cross the line alone, puffing his cheeks in disbelief.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Charly LopezOnley cracks, Lipowitz moves closer to podium
The battle for the final step on the podium shifted subtly in favour of Felix Lipowitz. While the young German couldnโt go with Pogacarโs final digs, he was far stronger than Oscar Onley in the closing kilometre. Onley had managed to recover from earlier wobbles to rejoin the group, but when Lipowitz pressed on under Pogacarโs pace, the Scot was dropped definitively with 2km to go. He now trails Lipowitz by over 30 seconds on GC, and barring something dramatic, the white jersey looks set to change hands.
Lipowitz, for his part, played it smart after a draining solo effort the day before. He marked Onley, held the wheel, and then seized his chance when the gradient and the weather combined to push his rival to the edge.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Charly LopezPogacar content to control, Vingegaard rides defensively
At the head of the GC, Pogacar looked the most active, but it was clear he wasnโt riding at his earlier Tour levels. On La Plagne, he made multiple attempts to distance his rivals but never looked to be pushing into the red. His four stage wins already in the bank, the Slovenian was perhaps happy to mark Vingegaard and take no risks on the slick upper slopes of the final climb.
Vingegaard, meanwhile, was attentive but reactive. He followed Pogacar every time but showed no real intention of attacking himself. As a result, the top two crossed the line together, unchanged in time or position, though visibly tired after the effort.
While Arensman and the GC four occupied the front of the stage by the end, the early action had centred around Primoลพ Rogliฤ, who attacked on the Col du Prรฉ and led onto the descent of the Cormet de Roselend with Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret-Peintre.
It looked a promising move at first, especially with Rogliฤ out of the GC fight and hunting a stage win. But he was caught well before La Plagne, and with no energy left to support teammate Lipowitz on the final climb, Red Bull-Bora Hansgroheโs tactics again left them exposed. Rogliฤ slipped out of the top five, overtaken by Felix Gall in the GC standings.
Arensman on the rise
For Arensman, itโs a stunning second win in the Alps, both times holding off GC royalty on serious mountain stages. He also edges closer in the KOM standings, now fourth behind Pogacar, Martinez and Vingegaard. On a day when tactics, form, and grit collided, it was the Ineos riderโs timing and commitment that delivered the reward.
2025 Tour de France Stage 19 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
