Summary

Live Reporting

Written by Ben Collins

  1. There's now a lead group of eight riders, who are one minute ahead of their chasers and 5min 30secs clear of the peloton.

    But it's a long old climb up Mont Ventoux remember.

  2. Green jersey - Abrahamsen takes maximum sprint points

    Selected results from intermediate sprint

    Jonas Abrahamsen, who already has a stage win to his name from this year's Tour, gets the better of Simone Velasco to take maximum points on the sprint:

    1. Jonas Abrahamsen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) - 20 points
    2. Simone Velasco (Ita/XDS Astana) - 17 pts
    3. Matteo Trentin (Ita/Tudor) - 15 pts
    4. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Ineos Grenadiers) - 13 pts
    5. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) - 11 pts
    6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Tudor) - 10 pts
    7. Fred Wright (GB/Bahrain Victoriuos) - 9 pts
    8. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned/Soudal Quick-Step) - 8 pts

  3. With 5km to go to the intermediate sprint at Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a group of eight attacks from the breakaway group and soon builds a lead of 15 seconds - Pascal Eenkhoorn, Fred Wright, Thymen Arensman, Julian Alaphilippe, Matteo Trentin, Enric Mas, Simone Velasco and Jonas Abrahamsen.

    Points leader Jonathan Milan is nowhere to be seen. His rivals will close the gap here. Big mistake given it's the only sprint of the day.

    Tadej Pogacar and Jonathan Milan before stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de FranceEPA

  4. Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mates Emiel Verstrynge and Jonas Rickaert have closed to within 20 seconds of the lead group, with the gap to the bunch now 3mins 20secs as the day's one and only intermediate sprint approaches.

  5. There's now 35 riders in the breakaway group, with Emiel Verstrynge and Jonas Rickaert chasing and the peloton now 2mins 47secs adrift.

  6. The pace has dropped in the peloton so it has dropped more than 2mins back from the leaders, allowing a posse of more riders to chase.

  7. There's now 28 in the lead group, with the gap up to 1min 10secs.

  8. Some 26 riders have broken away from the peloton, with their lead now at 25 seconds.

    Among their number are the likes of Ben Healy, Enric Mas, Michael Woods, Ilan van Wilder, Ewen Costiou, Pavel Sivakov and Marc Soler.

  9. The lead trio has been caught and there's now about 20 riders at the head of the race, with the peloton 10 seconds adrift.

  10. Mauro Schmid and Luke Plapp of Jayco AlUla have attacked with the gap having grown to 1min 40secs.

  11. The breakaway is getting further away. The gap to the peloton has now increased to 1min 29secs.

  12. Belgian riders predict GC battle

    Victor Campenaerts during stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de FranceEPA

    Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Victor Campenaerts said before the stage that he thought today's final would be a GC battle between Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar.

    Soudal Quick-Step's Ilan van Wilder added: "I don’t believe much in the breakaway today. It’s a legendary climb, and the overall favorites will want the victory."

  13. Get Involved - Can Vingegaard close the gap?

    #bbccycling on X, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Tadej Pogacar has a relatively comfortable lead heading into the final week of the Tour, but can Jonas Vingegaard put the pressure on as the race moves on to the long climbs that suit the Dane?

    Hit thumbs up for Vingegaard, thumbs down for Pogacar.

    Let us know your thoughts on this year's race via the usual channels above.

  14. Vingegaard 'hasn't lost hope' of catching Pogacar

    Jonas Vingegaard before stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de FranceEPA

    Jonas Vingegaard on whether he can close the gap on Tadej Pogacar: "He hasn't really shown any sign of weakness so far. Obviously it's pretty hard to read something out of that but we just have to keep trying.

    "We didn't lose our hopes, we still believe it can be possible, and we'll keep on trying."

    He added: "I'm feeling good. I had a good rest day, together with the team. We'll see today, Hopefully the legs are good then we can maybe try something."

  15. General classification before stage 16

    1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 54hrs 20mins 44secs
    2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4mins 13secs
    3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +7mins 53secs
    4. Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +9mins 18secs
    5. Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +10mins 21secs
    6. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +10mins 34secs
    7. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +12mins
    8. Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) +12mins 33secs
    9. Carlos Rodriguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +18mins 26secs
    10. Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +18mins 41secs

  16. UAE's Tim Wellens is now setting the pace in the peloton, as Tadej Pogacar's team look to discourage anyone else from chancing their arm.

  17. Alexandre Delettre of TotalEnergies now trails the leaders by 40 seconds.

    UAE's Nils Politt initially set off in pursuit to reel him in but then thought better of it and has dropped back to the peloton, which is now one minute off the front.

  18. That breakaway is now well established. It's Marco Haller, Marc Hirschi and Xandro Meurisse who are 20 seconds up the road.

  19. The lead trio's gap is now up to 25 seconds, with a number of riders attacking off the peloton.

  20. The two bunches come back together before Tudor team-mates Marco Haller and Marc Hirschi set off, followed by Xandro Meurisse of Alpecin-Deceuninck.

    The trio is already 10 seconds clear of the peloton.