Jonas Vingegaard HAIL MARY Attack on Col de la Madeleine | Tour de France 2025 Stage 18

Lanterne Rouge presents highlights of Tour de France 2025 Stage 18.

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Credits:
Footage | Amaury Sport Organisation
Photos | Cor Vos (unless stated otherwise)

The hardest stage of this year’s tour to France. Could Yonas finger and Vizmissa bike crack Tally Pagatcha? He’s 4 and a half minutes a drift. This is a stage you have to try. It’s maybe the last and best chance to try. They do the cold gland and the cold deer laan followed by the cold de la three HC climbs all nearly an hour long with some steep sections. Lao is where Pagacha struggled in 2023. Uh Milan and Tre controlled for 20ks for the first intermediate sprint. Then break formation was allowed to begin with the protagonist of the two big teams forefront. Wellins and vanard getting ahead before the gland started. But it wasn’t long until the climbers were at the front that hadn’t got much margin. And who is this? I was like is primos rogish marking Matteo Jorgensson. The answer was no. Primos says let me have this dance. Jorgensson’s looking at him like hold on that’s Primos Robglish. So fifth on GC on the attack on the first climb of the day. So begins to pace all out. Um drop it reduces the pelon to like 30 guys. Armarel gets across with Felix goal. He starts smashing in front and so UAE decide to slow down. Let Plet take the front and control it. The last few guys get across. Aaronman Store Cous is on the radio saying to Jorgensson in front that the the break is getting the green light. Okconor I think might be the last guy who bridgeed across. So that’s pretty important, pretty relevant for later in this stage. And then it’s just a pacing contest between Neils Polllet and Armarel. And I’m a fair man. Neils Polllet was a beast today on Nicole Dland. He kept this gap incredibly tight to a motivated breakaway in front which had his teammate Wellins in. He has a mechanical just before the top which costs him. He never gets back to that group until the bottom of the descent where Aaronman and Jorgensson go clear. Roglish misses it. He waits behind Armarel and goal. Not the best descenders. And those two get like 40 seconds for free. So it’s 154 at the top. That gap expands to the best part of 3 and 1/2 minutes by the bottom of the mad end. So now they’re going to do another 54minute climb. Civikov on the front for UAE Emirates. Arl still pacing Felix G Okconor and Rodish. So for stage hunters like Okconor, they haven’t had to turn a pedal in anger yet on the Glandon or the Malen. Vismally bike take over on the matalin takeover early in Venard’s done. Benode starts pacing. The group starts to get whittleled down. We’re doing Pog facial analysis watch. Armorel drops. So it’s up to Aaron and Roglish to start pulling. Then it’s Campernut’s turn. So Vizmer cycling through the riders quickly. Fringe top 10 guys like Healey or well they’re not Fringe, they are in the top 10. Healey and Vocal are dropped. Pagatchas seeing what the status is ahead. And then Vingard’s on the radio saying change to Simon Yates. You know things are about to get serious. Pagatcha jettison some water out of his bid on and then it’s the Simon Yates lead out time reducing the group to about 10 guys. Roglish they’re only a minute ahead now and then when Cous la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la launches here. Florian Lipovitz kind of makes a mistake because Rogich’s teammates ahead who’s provisionally third on GC only is fourth on GC and the two ahead of Lipovitz are first and second on GC quite a bit ahead of him and he really does a big effort. He never actually gets across to Kuz Fingergard and Pagatcha and then when Vingard goes he’s left in no man’s land. Vinguard tries if he drops Pagatcha here and gets across to Jorgensson perhaps with the descent and valley coming up he can take big time and it’s big time that he needs to take but Pagatcha doesn’t lose an inch off Vingard’s wheel on the uphill liitz is caught he’s 30 seconds ahead of so he can if he gets across kill’s GC even though on is 2 minutes behind him in fourth but if he doesn’t get across he’s caught a no man’s land of only it wasn’t looking great either he’s got no teammates and none of the UA your visa. Dominic’s willing to help. Pagata looks cruisy. He goes to the front on the top of the Maline. He wants to calm it down for the descent. Probably the most nervous he was all stage was on the descent. I guess when you’re nursing a 4-minute lead and you got good legs, then the only thing that can really stop your tour to France bid is a crash. He was leaving a pretty big safety margin on the descent behind Jorgensson and Vingigard. Robich was thinking about passing him a couple of times, but in the valley, no one wants to work. Jorgensson doesn’t want to work. Vingard or no wants to work with him. So the stage hunters Okconor and Rubio who made it over the top. They go clear. Jorgensson follows them and then the group completely stopped. Pagas on the radio seeing where his teammates are. Lipovitz comes back. Still with only behind. They got an opportunity here with Red Bull Bora Hansro. They could pace with Rogich or they can attack as well with Rogich and try to do what Okconor and Rubio are doing because still only he’s got no teammates. They go ahead with Lipovitz. He gets 2 minutes before the base of Koda Lo’s. Poor Aaronman and goal were the ones that drew the short straw that were marked out. Frank Vandenbrook and Bari bring uh back Oscar on. And then the Cola Lo starts one hour of climbing plus picnic storm past on the right hand side of the Vingard Pagatcha Robish goal Aaron group and they bring back the UA Invisible Mystics. Adam Yates, Simon Yates, Solair, uh, Seep Cous, as well as Jonathan Narvay. But in the breakaway, Jorgensson’s dropped. Okconor is looking around now. He’s thinking, I got 3 minutes. I’m reasonably feeling good because Armarel and the others have done a lot of work for me. I’ve been able to hide since I jumped across. And Vizma start pacing with Simon Yates. They aren’t gaining on him. So, he attacks Rubio early. Wants to just do his own tempo. 15ks to go. It’s 320 and it doesn’t budge. Jonathan Navas comes to the front in the flatter section through Corvel. The gap still not moving. Adam Richard Yates starts to do his thing. It does come down 20 seconds, but Libitz is dropped. He starts to pay for his efforts. Goal and Roglish start to yo-yo. Oscar only is looking strong. But Ben O’ Connor like he normally does. He wins a very very hard mountain stage from the break every year. He was looking like that was happening. Vingard attacking when he was on 242 wasn’t going to change that. Pagatcha doesn’t budge. Only only follows the two big guns, but Ben O Connor wins the stage. A huge pickme up for him and Jacula. Pagatcha attacks in the last few hundred meters and puts Vingard on about a 10second gap. So different feeling for Pagasha on cold lows this time. No, I’m gone, I’m dead. He takes more time and looks like he’s wrapped up the yellow jersey in GC. Connor winning the stage head of Pagato. Then Vingard only Rubio, Felix Gal, Roglish, Adam Yates, Dub Anderson, Seb Cous. Here’s what the Australian had to say after the stage. It’s the biggest race in the world, but it’s uh it’s for sure the crulest. So, I’ve wanted to have another victory for h for so many years now. I’ve been fighting with thirds and fourths and so close. But, uh yeah, I couldn’t be proud. Couldn’t be more proud of myself and and the boys. They back me every single day this whole race, even throughout the uh uh pretty rough time. So yeah, thanks to everyone at JO Ola and uh yeah, it’s what the team needed and it’s what I needed. Once again, the valley was just a perfect opportunity to get time. You’re going to get smoked by Tad and Yonas if you stay there. So it was worth a shot. And um on the final climb is just waiting for the steepest part just before uh we entered into what core chvel center and then yeah it was just all about pacing and keeping on the speed and just typical time trial stuff you know it’s uh it’s what I do best. Um so yeah it was nice to savor this one a little bit more than my last one. In terms of GC, no changes in the front two. Just Pagatra extending his lead, but Lipovitz loses the majority of his two-minute lead on Oscar only, who’s now 22 seconds behind him for the podium and for the white jersey. Now, Livit still has Rogich close in fifth. There’s another mountain stage tomorrow. We’ll see if they play their cars differently, but that’s the thing to watch tomorrow, I think. Hope you enjoyed the video and I’ll see you then. Cho Chong.