Tour de France Stage Update: Pogacar’s Move, Lafay Wins, and GC Picture

Pogacar accelerates in Tur’s grind and Lafay claims the stage.

Exhibition Lopez-Egea

Lafay, aged 27, emerged as the stage winner in a 208.9-kilometer run that stretched from Vitoria to San Sebastián during the 110th Tour de France. The British rider Matthew van der Poel did not win this day, while Geraint Thomas showed form from the peloton, but it was Lafay who crossed the line first in a dramatic sprint finish that highlighted the unpredictable nature of the race. Pogacar, coming off a Giro d’Italia title in 2021 and aiming for more grand tour glory, secured another significant result this season, signaling his readiness for the challenges ahead. The field battled hard in a stage designed to test every bit of climbing and sprinting potential before the race moved deeper into the Basque Country. (Source attribution: Tour de France organizers, event press notes)

In the final kilometers the Belgian Wout van Aert, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, and Lafay himself were among the riders chasing the win as the road tightened and the pace intensified. Pogacar showed his usual punch, trying to distance rivals in the closing meters, while Lafay timed his sprint to perfection to secure the stage victory and extend his team’s momentum on a day that reinforced the unpredictable drama that makes the Tour de France such a global spectacle. (Source attribution: Official race coverage)

With the bonuses from this Sunday’s action, Pogacar moved within eleven seconds of the overall leader Jonas Vingegaard, who held the yellow jersey for the moment. The competition remained tight at the top, underscoring how every stage can shift the balance of power in the general classification as the race advances toward the Pyrenees and beyond. (Source attribution: Race leader board updates)

The Tour de France will resume the following day with a stage that leans toward sprinters, offering a long, relatively flat route suited to speed specialists. Riders will also enter French terrain through the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department as they cover 193.5 kilometers between Amorebieta-Etxano and Bayonne. The course includes four categorized climbs, two third-category and two fourth-category, along with an intermediate sprint, providing further opportunities for breakaways and late-stage strategic play. (Source attribution: Stage preview notes)

General classification of the Tour de France

1. Adam Yates IAD 09:09:18

2. Tadej Pogacar UAD +0:06

3. Simon Yates JAY +0:06

4. Victor Lafay COF +0:12

5. Wout van Aert TJV +0:16

6. Jonas Vingegaard TJV +0:17

7. Michael Woods IPT +0:22

8. Mattias Skjelmose TFS +0:22

9. Jai Hindley NOH +0:22

10. Mikel Landa TBV +0:22

11. Carlos Rodriguez IGD+0:22

12. David Gaudu GFC+0:22

13. Wilco Kelderman TJV +0:22

14. Dylan Teuns IPT +0:43

15. Romain Bardet DSM +0:43

16. Steff Cras ON +0:43

17. Thomas Pidcock IGD +0:43

18. Emanuel Buchmann BOH +0:43

19. Peio Bilbao TBV +0:43

20. Egan Arley Bernal IGD +0:43