Arensman Wins Stage as Leader Extends Tour Advantage

Tadej Pogacar, the world champion, demonstrated a charitable approach during a challenging stage of the Tour de France. He chose not to pursue a third consecutive victory in the Pyrenees, on a day marked by cold, wet conditions. This decision benefited Thymen Arensman, a Dutch rider from Ineos Grenadiers, who secured his first Tour stage win. Pogacar settled for second place, ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, at the Superbagneres ski resort, which was back on the race route after a 36-year absence.

The stage also saw Remco Evenepoel of Belgium abandon the race on the Col du Tourmalet. Despite late attacks from Felix Gall of Austria and Vingegaard on the final climb, the breakaway group managed to stay ahead. Pogacar, however, did not extend his generosity to his main rival. He surged ahead of Vingegaard in the final stretch, finishing a few seconds ahead and increasing his lead in the overall standings to 4 minutes and 13 seconds.

With Evenepoel's withdrawal, Florian Lipowitz of Germany moved up to third place and took the lead in the white jersey youth classification. Ben Healy of Ireland returned to the top 10, while Gall improved to seventh place. Arensman's teammate, Carlos Rodriguez, climbed to tenth. The stage, described by Vingegaard as one of the toughest he had ever ridden, was a re-run of a 1986 stage, with similar weather conditions.

The 180km stage from Pau saw numerous early attacks, but none were successful due to fatigue and the challenging climbs ahead. The day's breakaway eventually formed, including Arensman and Rodriguez, along with Michael Woods, Tobias Johannessen, Enric Mas, and Lenny Martinez. Visma placed Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates in the break, potentially signaling GC aggression from Vingegaard.

Martinez went solo in pursuit of the Souvenir Jacques Goddet and the mountain points over the Tourmalet. He maintained his lead over the second climb, the Col d'Aspin, before waiting for Kuss and Valentin Paret-Peintre. The trio held a gap over a strong chase group. When UAE took up the chase, Pogacar seemed to be aiming for another victory. Arensman's attack with 36km remaining changed the stage's dynamics, quickly opening a significant gap.

Arensman led over the Peyresourde and extended his lead on the descent. The final climb to Superbagneres, with its average gradient of 7.3%, tested Arensman. However, with Pogacar seemingly content to stay behind, the advantage shifted to the Dutchman. Johannessen led the chase but was caught. Gall attempted an attack, followed by Vingegaard, Pogacar, Lipowitz, and Onley. The top two riders went clear, with only Arensman ahead.

In the final kilometers, Pogacar appeared to consider an attack but then held back. This allowed Arensman to secure his first Tour stage win. Pogacar finished second, adding to his KOM points, while Martinez took the lead in the polka dot jersey standings.