Pogacar set for Tour title as Groves wins stage 20
Kaden Groves now has 10 Grand Tour stage wins
- Published
Tadej Pogacar is set to secure his fourth Tour de France title after maintaining his overall lead, as Kaden Groves won the penultimate stage of this year's race.
Australian sprinter Groves claimed his first Tour stage win in Pontarlier after launching a solo attack with 16km remaining.
Pogacar completed the 184.2km hilly stage safely in the peloton meaning that, barring an accident, the 26-year-old Slovenian will seal his title defence on Sunday.
The final day of the Tour is a processional stage, where traditionally the general classification leader is not challenged.
Groves has now completed the trilogy of claiming stage victories on each of the three Grand Tour races, having also won at the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.
Alpecin-Deceuninck handed the 26-year-old his Tour debut this year and he has become the third rider from the Belgian team to win a stage on the 112th edition of cycling's biggest race.
Alpecin's star riders Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel triumphed on the first two stages, before later being forced to abandon the Tour through injury and illness respectively.
"There are so many emptions to win here," said Groves. "The team, we came here with so many different plans with Jasper and Mathieu.
"In the end, I get my own opportunities and they haven't gone the right way. But today I had super legs. I just suffered to the line and, as a reward, we get a Tour stage."
- Published11 hours ago
The 160 remaining riders had to contend with rain soon after the start in Nantua and intermittently along the route.
Groves was then part of a 13-man breakaway that was formed after the second of the day's four categorised climbs.
His compatriot Harry Sweeny attacked over the day's penultimate climb and went clear of Jordan Jegat with 54km to go, but the EF Education-EasyPost rider was caught on the first slopes of the final ascent.
Local favourite Romain Gregoire and Spanish debutant Ivan Romeo attacked on the downhill but as they sped into a wet turn, both slipped to the tarmac, with 21-year-old Romeo coming off worse as he also slid into the kerb.
Groves was right behind them so watched it all unfold and sensed his opportunity, attacking with 16km remaining.
Frank van den Broek and British rider Jake Stewart merely looked at each other, with that momentary stalemate allowing Groves to go clear.
He gradually increased his lead to the line, where he was sobbing after clinching an emotional victory.
"The team gave me a free role in the last few days," Groves added. "We weren't sure if I should go for it today or wait until tomorrow. But when the rain falls, I always have a super feeling normally, in the cold weather. It's my first time winning solo - and it's in a Tour stage, [so] pretty incredible.
"There's so much pressure at the Tour. Having won in the Vuelta and the Giro, I always get asked whether I'm good enough to win in the Tour - and now I've shown them.
"I tried to play my cards right and get into an early move. But the uphill start made that incredibly difficult. When I made the decision, I knew that [Matteo] Jorgenson and [Tim] Wellens would watch each other, so I tried to distance myself form them.
"Then after the crash, Van den Broek goes full, so I closed that. Then him and Jake Stewart watched each other and I had a gap with 16km to go, so I rode full until the final 200m."
Jonas Vingegaard looked resigned to defeat, having been unable to significantly cut Pogacar's lead on two gruelling days in the Alps.
When the two-time Tour winner did not contest the first categorised climb, it meant Pogacar secured his third King of the Mountains title on the Tour.
While Pogacar will not be attacked on the final day in Paris, a prestigious stage win will be up for grabs on the Champs-Elysees.
Stage 20 results
Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4hrs 6mins 9secs
Frank van den Broek (Ned/Picnic PostNL) +54secs
Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned/Soudal-Quick Step) +59secs
Simone Velasco (Ita/XDS Astana) +1min 4secs
Romain Gregoire (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) Same time
Jake Stewart (GB/Israel-Premier Tech)
Jordan Jegat (Fra/TotalEnergies)
Tim Wellens (Bel/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike)
Harry Sweeny (Aus/EF Education-EasyPost)
General classification after stage 20
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 73hrs 54mins 59secs
Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 24secs
Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +11mins 09secs
Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +12mins 12secs
Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) +17mins 12secs
Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +20mins 14secs
Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +22mins 35secs
Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +25mins 30secs
Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +28mins 02secs
Jordan Jegat (Fra/TotalEnergies) +32mins 42secs
The 2025 Tour de France will end in Paris on Sunday