Having managed to isolate himself at the front, the Australian runner triumphed on the roof of the Tour after the 18th stage, during which the yellow jersey resisted without trembling with his Danish rival.
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We were waiting for the victory of one of the first two in the general classification at the top of this 2025 Tour de France, but it was nothing. Already winner in Tignes in 2021, Australian Ben O'Connor won the Queen stage, the 18th of this edition, at the top of the Col de la Loze and its 2,304 meters above sea level, Thursday, July 24. After having left company to the group of favorites in the lead in the valley, with the Colombian Einer Rubio (Movistar) and the American Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike), the runner of Jayco Alula isolated himself 15 kilometers from the finish to win.
Behind, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG), second on the line, was content to resist his rival Jonas Vingegaard, where he had known the greatest failure of his career two years earlier. Despite the big maneuvers started by the Visma-Lease A bike from the second of the three out-categories of the day, the Col de la Madeleine, the Slovenian yellow jersey responded with serenity to the attacks of its Danish runner-up, to finally pick it in the last hectometers.
He thus retains more than four minutes ahead of him three days to join Paris. To remove the last doubts around his fourth coronation on the big loop, he will have to avoid a big disappointment, Friday, on the last alpine stage between Albertville and La Plagne.
