Vingegaard’s Bold Attack Lights Up Brutal Tour de France Stage 18
What a stage it’s been—an unforgettable day of drama, strategy, and relentless mountain warfare in Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France. As the peloton rolled out from Vif, few could have predicted just how explosive things would become as the riders faced the queen stage of this year’s Tour, packed with three brutal HC climbs: the Col du Glandon, the Col de la Madeleine, and the towering Col de la Loze.
From the very start, it was clear this stage would be a turning point. The tension was palpable, especially with Jonas Vingegaard trailing Tadej Pogacar by over four minutes in the general classification. And when the road tilted skyward, Vingegaard’s team, Visma-Lease a Bike, executed a masterclass in pressure. One by one, they whittled down the peloton, isolating Pogacar and forcing him to ride on instinct.
As they hit the Col de la Madeleine, the attacks came. Victor Campenaerts set the tempo, Sepp Kuss took over, and then—boom—Vingegaard launched a vicious attack with 4.5km still left on the climb. It was game on between the two giants of modern cycling. With Pogacar on his wheel, the duo began to reel in the breakaway riders, leaving the rest of the field scrambling.
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Primoz Roglic, riding for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, showed flashes of his old brilliance, pushing hard while his teammate and podium contender Florian Lipowitz began to fade. Roglic, now seemingly the team’s best bet, proved his stamina as the gaps widened. Meanwhile, Tadej Pogacar found himself momentarily isolated, radioing for support as the Visma train powered on.
Further back, the king of the mountains competition saw more fireworks. Lenny Martinez took maximum points atop the Col du Glandon but was later reeled in and dropped, possibly facing a penalty for a controversial “sticky bottle” incident. Thymen Arensman wasn’t far behind, hungry for KOM points and eyeing the prestigious Souvenir Henri Desgrange prize atop the Col de la Loze.
With around 70km to go, it was an elite front group: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic, Gall, Arensman, O’Connor, Rubio, and Jorgenson. This was no ordinary group ride—it was a high-altitude dogfight among the strongest climbers in the world.
This wasn’t just a stage; it was a full-scale battle, a demonstration of raw power, courage, and team tactics. Whether Vingegaard did enough to close the gap in GC remains to be seen, but what’s certain is that Stage 18 was Tour de France drama at its purest.
And with the Tour nearing its grand finale in Paris, this battle is far from over.
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