Tour de France LIVE: Stage 15 updates & results

Summary

Stage 15: Rodez to Carcassonne, 202.5km
Week two of the Tour ends with mostly flat stage
Bunch sprint expected at finish
Van Aert chasing third stage win of 2022 Tour
Vingegaard in leader's yellow jersey
Defending champion Pogacar second, 2mins 22secs behind
GB's Thomas third, 2mins 43secs adrift

Live Reporting

Chris Bevan

The hot, hot heat...published at 13:28 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
148km to go
Lots of chat about the heat from the teams before the stage started, and they agreed a few special measures to help the riders in today's high temperatures.
After a pre-race meeting it was decided that feeding - and taking water - would be allowed from the start of the stage, rather than waiting until after the first 30km are done. There will be also be a more generous time-cut for the riders at the back of the race too.
Can Cav win again today?published at 13:21 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
Image source, Getty Images
It is only 12 months since the last Tour stage finish in Carcassonne, when a certain Mark Cavendish equalled Eddy Merckx's record for 34 stage wins.
Cav isn't at this year's Tour, sadly, but he is in action today and chances are he will be wearing that famous grin too.
The Manxman is back on the Isle of Man, racing in the UCI Gran Fondo,, external a 137km loop around the island, competing against mostly amateur riders.
He'll probably try to win it, though, won't he?
Postpublished at 13:20 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
155km to go
That leaves Mikkel Honore and Nils Politt on their own at the front of the race, about two minutes and 40 seconds clear.
154 riders left...published at 13:15 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
And Primoz Roglic has also pulled out, because of the injuries he suffered in a crash on stage five.
That's a blow to race leader Jonas Vingegaard, his team-mate on the Jumbo-Visma team. One of the reasons why they need Wout van Aert to save some energy for future battles...
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Cort and Clarke are outpublished at 13:14 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
Some news to bring you up to date with - two stage winners of this year's Tour, Magnus Cort (stage 10) and Simon Clarke (stage five) did not make the start of stage 15 after testing positive for Covid-19. They were both having quite a race, too.
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Postpublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
160km to go
Ah, Wout van Aert is dropping back. Team orders... he sits up and stops pedalling, and will shortly rejoin the peloton.
Postpublished at 13:09 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
165km to go
Yes, Wout van Aert is off the front of the peloton already.
The Belgian has company in the form of Mikkel Honore (Quick-Step), and Nils Politt (Bora), and they are about two minutes and 15 seconds clear.
His attack briefly split the peloton, and made Vingegaard and Pogacar do some early work to get in the right group, but the main bunch is all back together now.
There is just one rider off the back. No, it's not Caleb Ewan this time - it's Michael Morkov who is toiling on his own in the heat.
Welcome to Stage 15published at 13:04 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
Image source, TdF
Tadej Pogacar (in white, below) could not claw back any time on race leader Jonas Vingegaard (in yellow) yesterday, despite his best efforts at the start and end of the day. They crossed the line in Mende together.
They will resume their personal battle in the Pyrenees next week. Today? It's all about the sprinters...
Will a breakaway succeed in staying clear on what is a mostly flat stage, or will we see a bunch sprint at the finish?
Wout van Aert probably fancies his chances in either scenario, and he has already been busy...
A tale of two riderspublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 17 July 2022
Image source, Reuters
So, the first two weeks of the 2022 Tour de France are almost done.
Two minutes and 22 seconds separate the first two riders in the battle for the yellow jersey - which one of them will triumph in Paris in a week's time?