Arensman wins Tour de France's toughest stage
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Tour de France continues on Friday with Stage 7, a 197 km trek through Brittany featuring rolling terrain and a dramatic finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne.
Tour de France contender Remco Evenepoel has abandoned the race during Saturday's Pyrenean stage. The Belgian cyclist, wearing the white jersey for best young rider, struggled early in Stage 14 from Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères.
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman won the Tour de France's toughest stage after a long solo effort over mammoth climbs and defending champion Tadej Pogacar increased his overall lead on Saturday.
Two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard on today's final: "It's just, in general, a very hard climb. It's 13.5km so it's a very long climb. It will take between 30 and 40 minutes to climb it so, in general, I think today will be a hard day."
Stage 7 unfolds across a picturesque expanse of northwestern France, starting in the historic port city of Saint-Malo and winding its way through the departments of Ille-et-Vilaine and Côtes-d'Armor.
A three-week Grand Tour will always contain natural ebbs and flows, and, for much of Monday’s stage between Valenciennes and Dunkirk, it looked as if the peloton had declared an unofficial rest day, with the riders happy to cruise back towards the coast after a weekend of wind, rain and intensity.
Oscar Onley has emerged from his first full Tour de France GC battle in the Pyrenees feeling more than satisfied with how he has managed to limit the gaps on the top pre-race favourites, to the point where he is running just one place short of a provisional podium placing.