Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), part of a strong breakaway that emerged on the climb to the Col du Tourmalet, reigned supreme in Stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France, fending off race leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the finish. Arensman was part of a strong breakaway that emerged on the climb to the Col du Tourmalet. He tamed the Col d’Aspin and attacked his rivals on the ascent of the Col de Peyresourde. After a 37-km solo ride, he was able to celebrate his second Grand Tour stage win, having previously conquered Sierra Nevada at La Vuelta 2022, on a day that saw him be the only early attacker to resist the return of the bigger GC contenders.
Pogacar finished at the front of the group of GC contenders, besting Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the final metres of the climb to Superbagnères. However, he had to settle for second, finishing behind Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers). Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is now the third man in the overall standings, after Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) retired early in the stage.
This final stage in the Pyrenees was the most brutal on paper with four major climbs to tackle – Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde, Superbagnères – and 4,950 metres of elevation en route to Superbagnères. After Bryan Coquard withdrew due to a hand injury, 170 riders remained at the start in Pau.
Despite the drizzle falling on the peloton early in the stage, there were many contenders for a breakaway. The ultra-mountainous profile does not particularly suit Jonathan Milan, but the intermediate sprint just before the climb to Tourmalet encouraged him to attack. He didn’t succeed, nor did the very active Valentin Madouas, Fred Wright, Michael Woods and Bruno Armirail, whose moves were systematically reeled in, either by Visma-Lease au Bike or by Lidl-Trek, who took control of the race.
Lidl-Trek controlled the bunch for Milan, who rushed for the 20 points in the sprint (km 70.1). But behind them, their Danish climber Mattias Skjelmose, who had suffered a heavy fall at km 53 was forced to withdraw.
The first slopes of the Tourmalet climb immediately eliminated the sprinters, and much more surprisingly Remco Evenepoel, who is among the first to dropped under the pace set by UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the head of the Yellow Jersey group.
Meanwhile, an attack develops 15 kilometres from the summit in two stages. First, a group consisting of Rubio, Muhlberger (Movistar), Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), V. Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step), O’Connor (Jayco-AlUla), Healy (EF Education Easypost) and Johannessen (Uno-X) get away. And then a counter-attack develops with Kuss, S. Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ca. Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Vlasov (RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Storer (Tudor), Costiou (Arkéa-B&B), Mas, Castrillo (Movistar), Higuita (XDS Astana), Jegat (TotalEnergies) and Woods (Israel-Premier Tech).
The polka dot jersey goes solo for the last 6 kilometres of ascent. Over the top, he has opened a gap of 1’45” over his closest pursuers and 3’30’ over the yellow jersey peloton.
Despite losing half his advantage on the descent following the Tourmalet, the polka dot jersey Martinez is still on his own over the top of the second climb, Col d’Aspin (km 119.3). But the threat from Kuss and V. Paret-Peintre, who had set off in pursuit, materialises as they catch at the bottom of the descent to Arreau (km 131).
The other chasers did not give up, and as they enter the climb to the Col de Peyresourde, the group comes together again, with eight riders remaining. Thymen Arensman proved to be the most inspired and strongest on this climb, attacking 4.5 kilometres from the summit.
Arensman crossed the Col de Peyresourde with a 1’20” lead over his closest rivals, including Martinez, who secures the polka dot jersey by taking second place, and 3’30’ over the Yellow Jersey group, which begins its chase under the impetus of UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Entering the final climb, the Ineos Grenadiers rider keeps his hopes alive with a 2’15‘’ lead over his closest pursuers and 3’05” over the yellow jersey group. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is the first of the GC contenders to attack, with 8 km to go. Then Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) sets off 4 km later.
Vingegaard and Pogacar trade a few attacks until the Slovenian gets the better of his Danish rival in the final stretch, opening a gap of 4” on the line. But Arensman had already finished a minute earlier, for a maiden Tour victory in his maiden participation. Fifth on the day, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) takes the white jersey as well as the third place in the overall standings left vacant by Evenepoel.
Pogacar: “I think we did a good job”
“Arensman did a super race and he did one hell of a ride, he was the strongest of a super-strong break,” race leader Pogacar told media after the stage. “But we managed great, too, without making stupid mistakes. I think we did a good job.
“When you’ve been riding super hard for 2.5 hours and come to the top of the Tourmalet, you think, oh, now we’ll descend easy and have time to recover,but instead, there was really thick fog on the top, it was misty and there was a slippery road, you come when you are a bit tired and you still need to focus on downhill, basically you see 20 metres ahead. But we went really conservatively.”
Arensman: “Unbelievable!”
“I wanted to experience the Tour de France – the biggest race in the world – and then to win a stage in my first Tour in this way is unbelievable.
“I got sick at the Giro but I think still after being sick I had a good preparation. Going to my first Tour I just wanted to experience everything and I had to be really patient in the first week as it was all pretty punchy. I had to wait until the mountains. Then the first opportunity I got I was already second on the Mont-Dore stage. That was already an amazing experience, but this is unbelievable.
“Also the way I did it I think today, but also Carlos in that group. He was also super strong and he did a really good job for me. I think I just had amazing legs and the shape of my life. I heard the gap with the GC group on Peyresourde and I thought with Tadej and Jonas that three or three-and-a-half minutes is probably not enough, I have to move. Maybe it’s suicide, maybe it’s not. I can’t believe I held them off. I was really fading on the second half of the last climb, but I think with all the spectators they gave me a few more watts and I could just hold them off. It’s unbelievable!”
Stage 14 Brief Results:
- Thysen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) @ 04h 53′ 35″
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) @ 1’08”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) @ 1’12”
- F. Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) @ 1’19”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) @ 1’25”
General Classification After Stage 14:
-
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) @ 50h 40’28”
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Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) @ 04’13”
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Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) @ 7’53”
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