Tour de France 2025 live: Stage 20 route, latest updates and standings today on final chance for breakaway specialists – UK Times

184km of racing today and no doubt it’ll be frenetic – although the entire peloton is utterly shattered. Kasper Asgreen is the first to attack as Prudhomme waves his flag. Ineos and Tudor are up there too.

An unclassified rise out of Nantua leads swiftly onto the day’s first climb, the category-three Col de la Croix de la Serra, the longest of the day at 12.1km but a relatively forgiving 4.1%. That leads into the category-four Cote de Valfin (5.7km at 4.2%), with the intermediate sprint at Chaux du Dombief coming 72km into proceedings – an important landmark for Jonathan Milan, who will look to shore up his lead in the points classification.

The lumps and bumps continues, through the day’s punchiest, sharpest climb, the Cote de Thesy (3.6km at an average of 8.9%), with the final marked climb coming 20km from the finish at the Cote de Longeville (2.5km at 5.5%).

Stage 20 is almost underway… the riders are rolling out in Nantua, with 4.5km of neutralised parade before the official start.

One DNS today: Astana sprinter/lead-out man Yevgeniy Fedorov, who has abandoned the race with an intestinal infection.

This stage is one for both the puncheurs and rouleurs of the peloton, with the flatter finish favouring a powerhouse rider who can get over the climbs. Jonas Abrahamsen loves a breakaway and already has one victory to his name, on a similarly lumpy day out in Toulouse on stage 11.

From a British perspective, Fred Wright has been a constant in breakaways but hasn’t been able to hold on at the pointy end – but may fancy one last try tomorrow.

Kasper Asgreen is another breakaway artiste who excels on this sort of terrain, but with a second place alreaady to his name on stage 15, my bet is Victor Campenaerts.

He’s been Visma-Lease a Bike’s strongest domestique in the entire race, consistently outperforming out-and-out climbers in the Pyrenees and Alps, and my feeling is Visma will thank him by letting him go for a shot at glory of his own on the road to Pontarlier.

Sadly Oscar Onley’s valiant bid for third place on the podium took a hit, as he was distanced on La Plagne, while Florian Lipowitz took advantage by storming up the climb – towing Pogacar and Vingegaard behind him. But the Scot remains firmly in fourth overall, a phenomenal result in just his second Tour.

1. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 67:06:43
2. Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +1’03”
3. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +11’26”
4. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) +16’53”
5. Raul Garcia Pierna (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +1:49:09

Tadej Pogacar offered his verdict yesterday on a short but tough stage. UAE pushed a strong pace for the majority of it, and it looked like Pogacar was going for the stage win.

He said: “We did a really good job until the last climb. Then some teams, some riders, think they can sprint 19km of the climb. [He is likely referring to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, who set a fierce pace for Felix Gall as he looked to take time on GC].

“The pace was incredibly high at the start. I was thinking maybe Jonas wanted to win a stage, but then he was just holding on to my wheel.

“Arensman went on a good attack. I decided not to follow, set my rhythm. A defensive rhythm that I feel comfortable with. And yeah, in the end, it was like this. I am just happy it’s over, and two more days to Paris.

“I had to pull the whole climb in the end. Of course I came quite tired to the finish line. But also, it was tough, the last three days for me. I’m happy that today is over. We go tomorrow.”

Here’s what Thymen Arensman had to say after his seismic win yesterday: “I’m absolutely destroyed. I can’t believe it. Already to win one stage in the tour – unbelievable. From the GC group against the strongest riders in the world… feels like I’m dreaming.

“I don’t take no for an answer. It’s Tadej [Pogacar] and Jonas [Vingegaard] – everyone knows they are the strongest in the world, almost aliens. As a human, I still want to beat them. I tried to not look behind and go as fast as I could and it was enough. It’s just crazy.”

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) in 69:41:46
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike) +4:24
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +11:09
4. Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +12:12
5. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +17:12
6. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +20:14
7. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea – B&B Hotels) +22:35
8. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +25:30
9. Ben Healy (EF Education – EasyPost) +28:02
10. Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) +34:34

1. Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) in 5:03:47
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike) +2”
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) +2”
4. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +6”
5. Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +47”
6. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +1’34”
7. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +1’41”
8. Ben Healy (EF Education – EasyPost) +2’19”
9. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) +3’47”
10. Simon Yates (Visma – Lease a Bike) +3’54”

Primoz Roglic lit up the race with an early attack, riding clear with Valentin Paret-Peintre and Lenny Martinez, but the GC group kept them on a tight leash and the race came back together at the bottom of the race’s final hors-categorie climb to La Plagne.

The writing looked to be on the wall from early on, and when Pogacar jumped with 14km to go, only Vingegaard and Arensman could go with him.

Arensman eventually broke clear but as the kilometres ticked down his slim lead eroded, setting up a nerve-wracking finale – but he held off the GC riders by just two seconds to seal another phenomenal win, after stage 14’s on Superbagneres.