Stage 14

The road

At the start

Le Markstein, over the new Col du Haag

Tom Pidcock's day in the Belfort breakaway has lifted him to fourth, nine seconds behind Evenepoel, and squeezed seven riders inside ninety seconds of Vingegaard; Pogačar leads them all by 3:36. Ramses Debruyne does not start. The Vosges give the Grand Ballon early, then the Col du Haag on its Tour debut — 11.2 kilometres at better than seven per cent, six flat kilometres from Le Markstein.

How it was won

1. 1119 km to go

   Thirty-eight go clear over the Grand Ballon

   Carapaz makes the first move and Healy follows; by the top of the Grand Ballon a monstrous 38-rider break is away, with Pidcock in it just nine seconds off the podium — which is precisely why the peloton refuses to give them room.

2. 284 km to go

   The break splits itself apart

   Carapaz, Paret-Peintre, Healy and the Halland Johannessen brothers have already gapped the rest; over the Col du Page a punctured Arensman is dropped, Rubio bridges, and the leaders hold 1:50 on Pidcock's group with the bunch at 3:20.

3. 317 km to go

   Decathlon light the Col du Haag

   The Haag is making its Tour debut and it is brutal: 11.2km at 7.2% with a double-digit final kilometre. Decathlon fight for the front at the bottom and burn so hard that Pogačar is left with only Del Toro, while Pidcock is spat out the back.

4. 411 km to go

   Lipowitz draws out Vingegaard

   Carapaz's lead has stubbornly refused to drop below fifty seconds until Florian Lipowitz attacks with 11km to go. Vingegaard responds, and the Dane's pressure puts Lipowitz's own leader Evenepoel in trouble and brings the Ecuadorian to heel.

5. 57 km to go

   Through a sea of fans

   Moments later, on the steepest slopes with the crowd closed in around him, Pogačar simply goes. There is no counter, only fragments — the chase shatters into pieces behind the yellow jersey.

6. 66 km to go

   Twenty-four seconds at the summit

   He crests the Haag 24 seconds clear with only the flat closing 6km left — plenty, against a group that has stopped believing.

7. 7At the line

   Le Markstein, and a fourth win

   Pogačar rides in alone for his fourth stage of the race and stretches his overall lead to 4:30, Del Toro out-sprinting Seixas and Vingegaard for second.

The result