As it happened: Tadej Pogačar delivers GC blow as Tour de France hits the Pyrenees on stage 14

By
last updated

Yellow jersey extends his lead by 43 seconds at Pla d'Adet after dropping Jonas Vingegaard on summit finish

Refresh

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 14 of the 2024 Tour de France!

We hit the mountains once again today, with the stage set to kick off in two hours.

Three big climbs on the menu today, including the Col du Tourmalet, the Hourquette d'Ancizan, and Pla d'Adet.

A look at the map of today's stage as the race heads south towards the mountains from Pau.

It's not the only big mountain stage going on today. Over in Italy, the women's peloton are tackling the Passo Lanciano and Blockhaus on a decisive day in their opening Grand Tour of 2024.

The Col du Tourmalet: 30 facts about the Tour de France's most-visited climb

Tour de France 2024 stage 14 preview: 'Too close to call' - leader Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard face major Pyrenean mountain duel

Take a look back at Friday's stage 13 results and the current GC picture below.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Tom Pidcock is out of the race this morning. His team announced that he's heading home to recover from COVID-19.

Yesterday saw Juan Ayuso leave the race early on stage 13. The Spaniard abandoned from a top-10 position having also tested positive for COVID-19.

Tom Pidcock abandons 2024 Tour de France due to COVID-19 symptoms

Teams and riders are at the start now and signing on before the roll-out in Pau.

Pidcock follows Ayuso and Primož Roglič as a major name leaving the race in the past 24 hours. The Slovenian abandoned from sixth overall following his crash on Thursday's stage 12.

Yesterday's stage was one of the quickest road stages in Tour de France history, ending with a reduced bunch sprint in Pau as Jasper Philipsen beat Wout van Aert to the line.

Near-miss in Pau latest confirmation of rising Tour de France form for Wout van Aert

Half an hour to the stage start now.

How to watch stage 14 of the 2024 Tour de France

The peloton will roll out to start the stage in 15 minutes.

Yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar heading to the start.

Guillaume Boivin of Israel-Premier Tech joins Tom Pidcock on the non-starters list today.

Eurosport reporting that Geraint Thomas is unwell and being monitored by his Ineos Grenadiers team today.

Here we go! The riders are on the way to the official start, rolling through the neutral zone.

5km left of the neutral zone.

2.5km...

152km to go

Attacks from the start on this flat ground. Victor Campenaerts and Mathieu van der Poel lead the way.

Amaury Capiot is off the rear immediately. He went down hard after being hit by Maxim Van Gils in the finish line crash yesterday.

Up front it's Bryan Coquard who has a small gap.

Capiot back at the team car and he looks upset. It's hard to see him making the finish today.

He has stopped at the side of the road now with his Arkéa-B&B Hotels team car. Race over for Amaury Capiot.

148km to go

More attacks flow at the front.

It might take some time for the break to get established here with lots of teams and riders keen on getting up the road.

138km to go

Riders only making small gaps off the front before getting caught again.

The opening 70km is run on flat roads today.

Capiot ending his race earlier on.

130km to go

An average of 50kph over the opening 22km.

The peloton rolling out to start stage 14.

126km to go

Campenaerts, Girmay, Philipsen, Frank van den Broek among those trying to make a move.

Simon Geschke has been among the attackers.

Still, the attacks fly with no real separation from the peloton.

118km to go

The Tourmalet is today's opening climb...

Coquard and Van der Poel lead a new move with Lotto men Arnaud De Lie and Cedric Beullens.

112km to go

News coming through that Geraint Thomas had also tested positive for COVID-19 but is racing on today.

15 seconds for the group.

100km to go

He has Magnus Cort, Kevin Vauquelin and Raul Garcia Pierna with him.

The four have made it across and now there's eight out front.

A larger group of around 15 men chasing.

Meanwhile, the peloton is at a minute down.

90km to go

Girmay, Campenerts, Geschke, Ben Healy, Michal Kwiatkowski, Alexey Lutsenko, Louis Meintjes all in the chase group.

Coquard leads the way over the intermediate sprint before the Tourmalet climb begins.

Girmay got seven points to Philipsen's six there.

80km to go

Four minutes for the break as they start the climb.

Philipsen, Girmay, De Lie, and Beullens drop back from the move.

19 up front now as the chase group catches the four leaders.

78km to go

Van der Poel leading the attack.

EF's Sean Quinn among the rider driving at the front of the break.

Campenaerts, Vauquelin, and Garcia Pierna among those dropping from the break.

Rui Costa and Fabien Grellier also dropping away.

73km to go

Juul-Jensen and Geschke the latest to drop from the break...

69km to go

Sean Quinn leading the break.

6km to the top of the Tourmalet for the breakaway men.

UAE Team Emirates in charge of the peloton all the way up so far.

Coming close to the top and David Gaudu makes a move!

The Frenchman takes Oier Lazkano with him.

63km to go

It's the Movistar man who takes the prize for the Souvenir Jacques Goddet at the top, not the French climber...

Meanwhile, Louis Vervaeke is out of the race. He had tested positive for COVID-19 and was off the back early on today.

Nils Politt continues to lead the peloton for UAE. They're 3:40 down on Lazkano and Gaudu.

On the long descent now. Hopefully no spills here.

Lutsenko off the rear of the break on the way down.

Lazkano and Gaudu back in the main group.

50km to go

Another abandon today – Alberto Bettiol of EF.

The riders down in the valley road now after a quick descent.

A shot of the break on the way up.

5km to the next climb for the breakaway.

40km to go

The Giro d'Italia Women raced up the Blockhaus earlier today with a big GC battle on the way up. Here's our report of stage 7 of the race.

Still, Nils Politt leads the peloton.

Three minutes for the breakaway now.

38km to go

Van der Poel, Quinn, Lutsenko losing contact in the break.

34km to go

Jai Hindley and Oscar Onley off the back.

5km to the top of this climb...

The break's lead is coming down and down. Under two minutes now.

Soler now on the front for UAE.

29km to go

Gaudu leads Lazkano over the top.

25km to go

Down the descent and into the valley now for the leaders.

Still UAE lead the peloton behind.

The peloton climbing earlier today.

Four men left for UAE ahead of Pogačar. Around 25 left in the group.

15km to go

They're nearing the start of the final climb now...

10km to go

Gaudu and Healy attack the break at the start of the climb.

The break splits apart and now Healy is leaving Gaudu behind on the way up.

1:10 back to the peloton.

Egan Bernal battling to hang on at the rear.

Pavel Sivakov working for UAE now.

A scenic view of the Pyrenees.

9km to go

Still 1:10 back to the peloton.

Soudal-QuickStep with a couple of men up there behind UAE.

And now Sivakov gives way for Almeida to take over.

Healy now with 30 seconds on the chase.

8km to go

Kwiatkowski caught.

Healy, Gaudu, Lazkano, Meintjes left up front.

Pogačar and Adam Yates midway down the group.

Healy now has 40 seconds on the chasers.

Lazkano drops back and is passed by the GC group.

Gaudu and Meintjes remain.

7km to go

Yates is seventh overall at 6:59.

Yates quickly passes Gaudu and comes across to Meintjes.

Now Matteo Jorgenson takes it up at the front.

Mikel Landa next in line ahead of Evenepoel, Vingegaard, and Pogačar.

7km to go

Yates is at 40 seconds.

Jorgenson continues to push.

Meintjes caught now.

Healy and Yates remain up the road.

6km to go

Yates closing in bit by bit.

He's at 20 seconds now. The GC group at 46.

Jorgenson still leads.

5km to go

The GC group now at 41 seconds.

Are we all waiting for Pogačar to launch across to Yates here?

Yes, because he has just attacked!

4.6km to go and Vingegaard tries to follow.

Pogačar has a gap!

It's significant! Evenepoel is chasing with Vingegaard.

It looks like Pogačar has 4-5 seconds here.

Yates catches Healy just as the yellow jersey comes up. They both blow past Healy.

UAE have the strongest team in the race – a hors catégorie team – but they've worked this perfectly.

Vingegaard has Evenepoel with him in the chase.

4km to go

Now Pogačar pushes on again and Yates is done.

The Briton latches on to Vingegaard and Evenepoel.

Now Vingegaard pushes through the packed crowds and leaves Evenepoel behind.

The gap still around 8 seconds here.

Evenepoel at 15 seconds.

3km to go

This is the first of four summit finishes at this Tour, remember...

2.5km to go

16 seconds to Vingegaard now. 24 to Evenepoel.

Carlos Rodriguez next on the road at 34 seconds.

Vingegaard looked like he might close the gap but he's not gaining any time now.

2km to go

2km to go

Masses of fans on the road to the top.

1.5km to go

Just 165 metres between the duo.

A short downhill for Pogačar before the road heads up to the finish line.

1km to go

Evenepoel at 45 seconds. Rodriguez at 57.

Now Vingegaard begins the final kilometre.

It's this man's day today.

34 seconds!

The final 500 metres for Pogačar.

Evenepoel a minute down now.

Four hours and a minute of racing done as Pogačar hits the final 300 metres.

A big blow in the yellow jersey battle today.

Finish

Jonas Vingegaard takes second place at 39-40 seconds down.

Remco Evenepoel will be third.

The Belgian comes home at 1:10 down.

Rodriguez fourth at 1:20.

Ciccone, Yates, Buitrago lead the remainder of the GC men home.

The top 10 on the stage today.

A 43-second time gain for Pogačar. That's big.

A happy and tired Tadej Pogačar after that win.

Win number 79 of Pogačar's career. 13 stage wins at the Tour de France.

Pogačar thanks Yates for that piece of teamwork on the final climb today.

A big celebration on Pla d'Adet.

The new-look GC tonight.

Here's what Tadej Pogačar had to say after the stage...

Celebration for Pogačar as he crosses the line to win today.

His great rival Vingegaard comes home in second.

Third place for Evenepoel today.

Tour de France: Tadej Pogačar solos to stage 14 victory on Pla d’Adet, consolidates his lead

Latest on Cyclingnews