The China Mail - Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold

Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall.

Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race.

It was a large and mixed group that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion suddenly accelerated and caught the others napping.

This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four stages on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team.

Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of Belgium's national holiday.

"This makes me happier than winning a stage myself," said Pogacar. "He helps me keep this thing every day," he said pointing to the jersey.

Having previously won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this triumph completes the set of stage wins on the three big tours for Wellens.

- Alaphilippe red faced -

The remaining 167 of 184 riders embarked towards Carcassonne on yet another nervy stage.

After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a pack of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up.

There was embarrassment for Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who celebrated at the line thinking he had won when in fact he was third.

Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Victor Campenaerts took the top two spots, Alaphilippe pipped Wout van Aert at the line.

Poor Alaphilippe hung his head when his horrified compatriots told him.

He had been part of the early fall, losing his race radio, and had no idea the stage had already been won, he explained.

- 'I don't want to think about it' -

Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday trailing in second behind surprise yellow jersey Ben Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four-minute advantage at the top of the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title.

The defending champion said he had been ill. "Half the peloton is coughing. I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now," said Pogacar.

Monday is a the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit.

"Mont Ventoux is for after the day off, so I don't want to talk about it now," Pogacar said after the podium ceremony at Carcassonne.

"All I know is that Jonas will be attacking, I just don't want to think about it."

T.Luo--ThChM