Published: 2025-07-18 12:51:10 | Views: 9
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Matteo Vercher has crossed the line with a time of 30:01:67. He did a wheelie to the crowd’s delight.
Also, you might have spotted that the preamble had some strange time gaps and GC rankings mentioned. This has been fixed now! Apologies. All I can say is that it was written before I’d had a cup of tea and an almond croissant.
According to the official Tour de France Instagram account, here are the riders to follow on today’s stage:
1.49pm CEST/12.49pm BST – Luke Plapp (Jayco-Alula)
2.18pm CEST/1.18pm BST – Ivan Romeo (Movistar)
2.28pm CEST/1.28pm BST – Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious)
3.22pm CEST/2.22pm BST – Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
4.47pm CEST/3.47pm BST – Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)
4.49pm CEST3.49pm BST – Felix Gall (Decathlon-Ag2R La Mondiale)
4.51pm CEST/3.51pm BST – Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)
4.53pm CEST/3.53pm BST – Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
4.55pm CEST/3.55pm BST – Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL)
4.57pm CEST/3.57pm BST – Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels)
4.59pm CEST/3.59pm BST – Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
5.01pm CEST/4.01pm BST – Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step)
5.03pm CEST/4.03pm BST – Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
5.05pm CEST/4.05pm BST – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
Vercher has 1.6km to go. As first rider out, he’ll set the marker for the others behind him to beat.
There’s also an official stage 13 briefing by Continental and French former professional cyclist, François Lemarchand. He said:
So, it will be Friday, 18 July, stage 13, Loudenvielle to Peyragudes, a 10.9km individual time trial with a direct ascent. You’ll need really, really good legs right from the start. Riders will have to warm up carefully and smartly to be in the rhythm right from the beginning.
The first part heads toward the base of the Peyresourde climb, about 4km in. That section is a series of gently rising false flats. Riders will probably know in those 4km whether they’re having a good day or a bad one.
Then comes the base of the Peyresourde, a manageable climb. It’s a pass where the gradients aren’t too steep – but 2km from the finish, we’ll leave the Peyresourde and head for the altiport. That section is really tough, especially the steep slopes at the finish, which are brutally steep on the final ramp to the top.
Riders will really need to manage themselves to approach this stage in the best possible condition. Yes, I think the riders who want to win the Tour de France will feel the pressure from the day before right up to the start line.
This is what general director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, had to say about stage 13:
The Peyragudes climb has developed quite a reputation, particularly the final few hundred metres that give access to the altiport, where the Tour favourites have been scattered as they make their very last effort up to the line. Always formidable, there won’t be the slightest opportunity for any respite in this time trial up this steep ascent. The riders will have barely two kilometres to gain momentum before they’re on to the climb of the Peyresourde.
Since Vercher started his ITT, nine riders have been set off, including Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk (Intermarché-Wanty). There’s a good crowd of spectators cheering and encouraging the riders on.
Here is the stage route and profile of stage 13:
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The first rider, Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), has rolled down the ramp in Loudenvielle to kick of today’s time trial stage. On TNT Sports, they’re excited about the “first true mountain time trial in 21 years”.
Here’s a look at today’s stage, Friday 18 July: Loudenvielle to Peyragudes individual time trial, 11km, with William Fotheringham’s preview:
Three kilometres of flat, eight straight uphill against the watch, culminating in a final kilometre at 16%. This is a day for the GC men, with absolutely no hiding or bluffing. Whoever wins here will have a very good chance of winning overall in Paris, so it’s a day for Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard to show exactly what they’ve got in the tank. For everyone else, it’s damage limitation.
After an absolutely brutal day in the mountains yesterday, the Tour de France riders are in for a 10.9km individual time trial (ITT), complete with an 8km, category one climb with an average gradient of 7.9%. So, not your usual flat ITT.
Of course, all eyes will be on the GC contenders, namely Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) who is leading in the yellow jersey with a 3min 31sec gap on second placed Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
It could all go as expected – Pogačar gained substantial time on Vingegaard during stage five’s flat ITT – but today could also throw up some suprises. Away from the duelling duo, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) is 1min 14secs behind Vingegaard, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is in fourth place and Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) is in fifth place.
Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Felix Gall (Decathlon-Ag2R La Mondiale) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) round out the top 10 on GC.
Today’s stage will start at 1.10pm CEST (12.10pm BST) with the first rider, last placed Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) rolling down the ramp, and is scheduled to wrap up after Pogačar takes his turn at about 5.05pm CEST (4.05pm BST). As always, get in touch with your predictions, questions and thoughts on today’s stage via the email linked above.
Here’s a recap of yesterday’s stage:
