Spanish rider Carlos Rodríguez, riding for INEOS Grenadiers, clinched his third victory for Spain this season by triumphing in the 14th stage of the 110th Tour de France. The 151.8-kilometer course ran from Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil. Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma retained the yellow jersey despite a flurry of attacks from Tadej Pogacar of UAE Emirates. This performance highlighted Rodríguez’s rising form as he delivered a decisive moment with nine kilometers remaining, catching and passing the early breakaway in Morzine to secure the stage win. This marked Rodríguez’s third Spanish stage victory in this edition of the race, following strong efforts on stages 10 and 12.
The day proved grueling from the start, with a mountainous profile that caused a significant early split and even led to a temporary halt of the race for about half an hour. The peloton was tested further as competitors faced a number of injuries and withdrawals, including Antonio Pedrero of Movistar who had to abandon the race. In the sprint for the podium, Esteban Chaves of EF Education-EasyPost and Louis Meintjes of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty were among those who struggled to keep pace as Pogacar and Vingegaard battled for position and time bonuses. The result left Pogacar, winner of the Tour in 2020 and 2021, in second place at the finish, narrowly behind Vingegaard when the final seconds were tallied, while Rodríguez climbed into third overall with a gap of a few seconds separating the three leaders. Jai Hindley of Bora-Hansgrohe trailed the lead group, while other contenders like Simon Yates and Wout van Aert pressed their cases in the later stages of the race.
Scholarly analysis of the day notes that the 5.5-kilometer climb to start the action set the tone, while a vintage rain-soaked welcome helped define the day’s dynamics. Race organizers were forced to pause briefly to tend to affected riders and ensure safety before proceeding into the grind of the climb-heavy routes. The opening phase saw several attacks from a compact group of riders, with Col de Saxel, a third-category climb, serving as a launching pad for those seeking to establish a gap. A crash involving Romain Bardet of DSM-Firmenich on the descent led to his retirement from the race, removing a potential stage favorite from the rest of the day. In the select group that attacked early, Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek and Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Pro Cycling emerged as threats, attracting a chase train of about twenty riders toward the Col de Cou. The Col du Feu then allowed further gains for the fugitives, widening the gap over a minute as the peloton fractured under the pressure of the day’s ascents. Within the peloton, the pace intensified as climactic kilometers wore on, signaling a race that would reward the strongest climbers and tacticians alike.
By the time the group began to fracture again, eleven riders were dropped from the leading break, including Spaniards Mikel Landa, Gorka Izagirre, and Alex Aranburu. A regrouping of riders under the Jumbo-Visma banner produced a coordinated effort to pull back an advancing Ciccone, leading to a reassembly of a chasing group. With 59 kilometers remaining, Ciccone attempted a solo break, but team support from Jumbo-Visma neutralized the move and redirected the race toward a bigger move on the Col de la Ramaz. At the front, strategy and endurance converged as the leading group narrowed to a tight cluster of favorites. Wout van Aert took charge of pacing as the riders prepared for the long descent toward the Col de Joux Plane, an ascent that would test both legs and nerves alike.
On the climb of the Col de Joux Plane, Pogacar made a bold attack 3.7 kilometers from the summit. Vingegaard matched the move, resisting the surge and ultimately earning eight bonus points at the top. Rodríguez trailed the leading duo by about twenty seconds, with Hindley at roughly 1:30 and Simon Yates around three minutes back. With 10 kilometers remaining, British rider Adam Yates made contact with the chase and the two bridged to form a final assault on the stage’s conclusion. In a surprising turn, Rodríguez stayed patient, broke clear in the final kilometers, and crossed the line alone to secure the stage win, moving him into third place in the general classification behind Pogacar and Vingegaard. Hindley, Yates, and a number of other GC contenders remained within reach, but the day belonged to Rodríguez and his steady climb to the podium.
The race will resume with stage 15 on Sunday, followed by a scheduled rest day on Monday. The route covers 179 kilometers, with a course that favors mountaineering prowess as riders traverse from Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil toward Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc. The route features treacherous sections like the Côte des Amerands, with gradients reaching up to 17 percent, promising another brutal test of endurance and strategy for the GC contenders. The stage is expected to further reshuffle the standings as teams maneuver for the best possible outcomes with the final days of racing approaching. This summary reflects the day’s events as recorded by race officials and official timekeepers, with on-the-ground reporting from observers and teams involved in the event.
General classification of the Tour de France
- Carlos Rodríguez IGD 03:58:45
- Tadej Pogacar UAD +0:05
- Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen TJV +0:05
- Adam Yates UAD +0:10
- Sepp Kuss TJV +0:57
- Jai Hindley BOH +0:01:46
- Felix Gall ACT +0:01:46
- Peio Bilbao López de Armentia TBV +0:03:19
- Simon Yates JAY +0:03:21
- Guillaume Martin COF +0:05:57
- David Gaudu GFC +0:05:57
- Thomas Pidcock IGD +0:08:40
- Emanuel Buchmann BOH +0:09:14
- Rafal Majka ICJ +0:09:43
- Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas IGD +0:09:43
- Wilco Kelderman TJV +0:13:02
- Wout van AertTJV +0:13:02
- Felix Grossschartner IAD +0:13:02
- Chris Harper JAY +0:13:02
- Thibaut Pinot GFC +0:13:47