"'Thymen Arensman Triumphs in a Single Win' - Cyclist Thymen Arensman Secures Victory at La Plagne in Stage 19 of the Tour de France"
Thymen Arensman, a 25-year-old Dutch climber from Ineos Grenadiers, stunned the cycling world with a solo victory on stage 19 of the Tour de France at La Plagne. Arensman's triumph came against formidable opponents, including Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, who were unable to catch him despite a valiant effort.
The stage, shortened to 93 km due to an outbreak of cattle infection, still featured a demanding 19.4 km hors catégorie ascent to La Plagne at 2050 m altitude. Arensman launched a bold solo attack with about 13 km remaining on the final climb, quickly gaining a gap as Vingegaard and Pogacar matched each other's pace rather than chasing aggressively.
Arensman's endurance and climbing prowess enabled him to fend off the two strongest riders of the race, finishing just ahead in a narrow victory. After crossing the line, Arensman was visibly exhausted, collapsing into the roadside barriers.
Pogacar acknowledged the quality of Arensman’s win, noting he “let him go” and set his own rhythm, focusing on securing overall victory.
Meanwhile, the fight for the final spot on the podium is still in play. Jonas Vingegaard trails Pogacar by 4:24 in the overall classification.
The stage also saw other notable performances. Paret-Peintre bridged the gap to the leaders and surprised Martinez at the summit, taking maximum points in the mountains classification. Rain started to fall as the breakaway began the descent, with Roglič capitalizing on the reluctance of the other two riders to descend quickly.
Tim Wellens put the hammer down in the valley road and began to eat into Roglič's advantage, but was caught as the riders came inside 20 kilometres to go. Oscar Onley finished stage 19 in 5th place, while Florian Lipowitz finished in 4th. Tadej Pogacar finished third on stage 19, and Matteo Jorgenson and Wout van Aert started to suffer on the steep ramps of the Col du Pré.
Arensman's victory was a repeat of his success at Superbagnères on stage 14, making it his second win of the race. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) joined Roglič after a group that included Valentin Paret-Peintre, Tobias Foss, Einer Rubio, Victor Campenaerts, and Bruno Armirail.
As the Tour de France heads into its final stages, the race for the overall victory promises to be as exciting as ever.
[1] Tour de France Official Website [2] CyclingNews [3] VeloNews [4] CyclingTips
Sports enthusiasts were thrilled by Thymen Arensman's victories in two stages of the Tour de France, with his solo triumph on stage 19 at La Plagne, and his previous victory at Superbagnères on stage 14. The fight for the overall victory in the race is still intense, as Jonas Vingegaard trails Tadej Pogacar by 4:24 in the overall classification.
