Jasper Philipsen claimed his maiden victory on the Tour de France after winning a bunch sprint into Carcassonne.
Michael Matthews won stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday with what was the most impressive ride of his rollercoaster career against past and present generational talent.
At 23,Slovenian Tadej Pogacar is already a once-in-a-generation cyclist,with ties to Australia,and has taken the Tour de France by storm the past couple years. But he now faces a serious fight for a third consecutive title.
Former world champion Mads Pedersen attacked from the start,then delivered in style on the finish line to claim his first stage win at the Tour de France.
Star Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan has had a miserable few days in the high mountains but is now confident of making the finale of the Tour de France in Paris,after the peloton climbed Alpe d’Huez.
Jonas Vingegaard snatched the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar after Jumbo-Visma relentlessly attacked the defending champion.
Caleb Ewan expressed doubt that he will finish this year’s Tour de France,while COVID also cast a shadow over Tadej Pogacar’s title defence.
Australian Ben O’Connor has succumbed to injury,abandoning the Tour de France on the second rest day.
In-form Australian Michael Matthews again came agonisingly close to a victory while Ben O’Connor,already in pain,was sent for scans after being held up in an early crash that sent some riders flying during stage eight of the Tour de France.
Matthews,looking good to nab a second stage win for Australian outfit Team BikeExchange-Jayco,on an uphill finish that suited him,found the double champion simply too good.
Simon Clarke has landed the biggest victory of his career in a day of cobbles,chaos and carnage that left several other Australians bleeding.