Carlos Rodriguez won his first career Tour de France stage to move up to third overall as Jonas Vingegaard fought to keep the yellow jersey out of the clutches of Tadej Pogacar in Morzine.

At the end of a dramatic 152km stage 14 from Annemasse that began with an almost half-hour delay following a huge crash in the peloton, Rodriguez rode away on the descent to the finish to take a second consecutive win for the Ineos Grenadiers, with Vingegaard and Pogacar locked together behind.

There was controversy at the top of the final climb, the Joux Plane, where a motorbike blocked Pogacar’s efforts to race away from Vingegaard and take vital bonus seconds at the top, but the Slovenian did grab a couple back by coming in second ahead of his rival.

Although he was beaten to the finish line, those bonus seconds on top of the mountain meant that Vingegaard picked up a second over Pogacar, his advantage in yellow now 10 seconds.

Pogacar had attacked with 3.7km of the final climb remaining, initially distancing Vingegaard but never able to get more than 20 metres clear.

The defending champion rode back up to him still with 1,700 metres to the summit and when Pogacar attacked again with 500 metres left, he had not noticed two motorbikes struggling to part the huge crowds and was forced to knock it back, allowing Vingegaard to get three more bonus seconds.

As the pair eyed each other Rodriguez, having been left around a minute behind following Pogacar’s acceleration, paced his way back on and then rode by to go clear on the descent.

“It’s incredible,” the Tour debutant said. “I have no words. Being here was a dream and getting a victory is incredible in the best race in the world. It was always something I focused on and to achieve now a victory I’m super happy…

“It was also a goal to gain some time and we accomplished it so I’m very happy on that side. I have to be happy and enjoy this victory but also think and recovery a little bit for tomorrow as that is going to be a big day also.”

Jai Hindley started the day in third place overall but was caught in that early crash and was dropped five kilometres from the top of the final climb.

The Australian came in one minute 46 seconds after Rodriguez took the win, losing third place to the 22-year-old Spaniard by one second.

However, it was not all good news for the Ineos Grenadiers, with Tom Pidcock distanced on the penultimate climb and slipping out of the top 10 overall.

Adam Yates is up to fourth as he stuck with his team-mate Pogacar, but his twin brother Simon dropped down to seventh after also losing contact on the penultimate climb.

Michal Kwiatkowski held on to take a solo win on stage 13 of the Tour de France on the Grand Colombier as Tadej Pogacar’s bid to snatch the yellow jersey from Jonas Vingegaard fell narrowly short.

Former world champion Kwiatkowski admitted he could not believe the position he was in as he emerged from a breakaway to take his second career Tour stage win, delivering for the Ineos Grenadiers a year after Tom Pidcock took a Bastille Day win on the Alpe d’Huez.

All eyes had been on UAE Team Emirates and Pogacar, who sought to control this 138km stage from Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne aiming to repeat Pogacar’s stage win the last time the Tour finished here in 2020, and looking to overhaul Vingegaard’s slim advantage in yellow.

But although Pogacar was able to distance Vingegaard a little in the final few hundred metres, launching his attack just as Kwiatkowski came home, he picked up only four seconds, plus four bonus seconds for third place, meaning Vingegaard kept yellow by nine seconds.

UAE were left to rue allowing as many as 19 riders up the road on the flat start, a group that proved too big and powerful to bring back.

After sixteen riders hit the final climb with four minutes of an advantage, Kwiatkowski was initially distanced by a group of four riders that included Tour debutant James Shaw.

But he rode back to them and then straight past still with 11km to the summit, quickly opening up a sizable gap and winning by 47 seconds from fellow escapee Maxim Van Gils.

The last time the Tour visited the Grand Colombier in 2020, Kwiatkowski was nursing a struggling Egan Bernal who abandoned the race two days later, but this time he could savour very different emotions.

“When I entered the break I thought, ‘this is just a free ticket to maybe the bottom of the climb’ or something like that, I never thought this group will fight for the stage win because UAE were pulling pretty hard,” Kwiatkowski said.

“But it is not easy to chase 19 guys on the flat for more than 100km… I think UAE let too many guys in the front and I found the best legs I ever had in my life. I didn’t believe that was possible but here I am.”

Although Pogacar hoovered up the last of the bonus seconds on the line to keep the pressure on Vingegaard, the two-time Tour winner would have hoped for more on a climb which plays to his strengths.

“It’s very nice to take some more seconds, but hats off to the breakaway and Michal Kwiatkowski for today,” Pogacar said.

Instead there was relief for Vingegaard, whose team-mates enjoyed an easier day after the chaos of Thursday’s stage 12.

“The aim was to keep the yellow jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I still have it, so I’m happy. Tadej is more explosive than me and this stage suited him more, so I’m really glad to still be in yellow.”

Pogacar and Vingegaard both picked up time on the rest of the overall contenders, with third-placed Jay Hindley now two minutes and 51 seconds back, and the gap to Carlos Rodriguez in fourth nearing five minutes.

Although Ineos lost Ben Turner to illness, there was more good news as Pidcock came home fifth on the stage, 13 seconds behind Pogacar, to strengthen his hold on eighth. Adam Yates is fifth and twin brother Simon sixth, with all three Brits within six minutes of yellow.

“I think Bastille Day should be renamed Ineos day,” Pidcock said. “Two pretty iconic climbs, two pretty special wins.

“At one point we were talking about Kwiato coming back from the break to help with positioning for the final climb because UAE were not giving the break any time, and then he wins the stage. It always happens when you least expect it.”

Michal Kwiatkowski held off the charge of Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates squad to take a solo win on stage 13 of the Tour de France as Jonas Vingegaard just clung on to the yellow jersey.

A year after Tom Pidcock took a Bastille Day stage win on the Alpe d’Huez, Kwiatkowski delivered for the Ineos Grenadiers on the Grand Colombier.

The former world champion caught and immediate passed four other members of the day’s break – including James Shaw – to go alone with 11km of the 17km climb remaining and had enough in reserve to stay clear of the main group of favourites.

Just as Kwiatkowski was crossing the line, Pogacar launched an attack to try to shake Vingegaard, his sights set on taking the yellow jersey.

The Slovenian managed to open up a few bike lengths and rolled in third, picking up four bonus seconds although not enough time to move into the race lead, Vingegaard’s 17-second gap at the start of the day now reduced to just nine.

Pogacar’s UAE squad had sought to control what had been a 19-strong breakaway with designs on repeating his stage victory on this mountain from 2020.

But having hit the foot of the climb four minutes behind the surviving escapees, they could not reduce that gap quickly enough, with Kwiatkowski’s margin of victory 47 seconds from fellow breakaway rider Maxim van Gils and 50 seconds from Pogacar.

Last time the Tour visited the Grand Colombier in 2020, Kwiatkowski was nursing a struggling Egan Bernal who abandoned the race two days later, but this time he could savour a second career Tour stage win.

“When I entered the break I thought, ‘this is just a free ticket to maybe the bottom of the climb’ or something like that, I never thought this group will fight for the stage win because UAE were pulling pretty hard,” the Pole said.

“But it is not easy to chase 19 guys on the flat for more than 100km… I think UAE let too many guys in the front and I found the best legs I ever had in my life. I didn’t believe that was possible but here I am.”

Ion Izagirre took a superb solo victory at the end of an explosive stage 12 of the Tour de France to Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Eleven days after Victor Lafay ended a 15-year wait for a stage win for the Cofidis team, Izagirre doubled up with a perfectly-timed attack from the breakaway, also giving him his second career Tour stage victory seven years after his first in Morzine.

The Basque rider, 34, went solo during the final climb, still with 31 kilometres remaining of the 169km stage through wine country from Roanne that was again raced at a ferocious pace.

The much-reduced peloton came in more than four minutes after Izagirre. Jonas Vingegaard retained his 17-second lead over Tadej Pogacar as the Alps loom this weekend, but only after putting a big effort in over the first part of the stage which he admitted could come with a price to pay in the days ahead.

The stage was always seen as one for the breakaway, but it was a war of attrition from the off as the peloton was quickly whittled down to a few dozen riders by a series of attacks.

With his Jumbo-Visma team-mates Wout van Aert and and Tiesj Benoot seemingly determined to be in any move, Vingegaard was repeatedly left isolated in the yellow jersey, forced to chase down moves as Jai Hindley, third overall, followed the wheels to protect his own position.

It was not until 85 kilometres to go that a 15-strong group got away, but their lead over a peloton reduced to just 39 riders never grew rapidly – fatigue seemingly having set in for everybody.

And having taken half the stage to form, the break lasted less than 40km as a fighting force. Mathieu van der Poel attacked from that front group along with Andrey Amador on the penultimate climb of the Col de la Croix Montmain, soon leaving Amador behind to set out alone with 47km left.

But it was too much for the Dutchman, who was caught midway up the final climb of the Col de la Croix Rosier as the front group swelled to eight.

Izagirre had led the chase, but still had the power left to launch the stage-winning move as others did not react, instead eyeing his team-mate Guillaume Martin.

By the time they did consider a counter, Izagirre had gone, winning the stage by 58 seconds from Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson.

When Pello Bilbao won Tuesday’s stage 10, it was a first Spanish stage winner in five years. Two days later there was another, both from Basque riders thriving in a race which began in their home region.

“I felt strong in the last kilometres,” Izagirre said. “Many things went through my mind. It’s all very emotional. It’s a very Basque Tour de France. It started at home for us and we took two stage wins. I’m happy to follow the line drawn by Pello Bilbao.”

The Ineos Grenadiers had done much to pace the main contenders in the latter part of the stage, ensuring that Thibaut Pinot’s presence in the breakaway did not threaten Tom Pidcock’s eighth place overall as the Frenchman moved up as far as 10th.

The Tour now heads into the Alps with Friday’s stage a 138km test that ends with the climb of the Grand Colombier, where Vingegaard may find out if there is anything to pay for Thursday’s efforts.

“Every race day is full on, and today’s was no exception,” the Dane said. “From your perspective, I’m sure this is being a great Tour de France. Today’s stage has been very hard.

“The consequences of this difficulty will be seen in the third week. Everything is building up for a very hard Tour de France. I’m ready for a big battle tomorrow and hope for having my best legs.”

Mark Cavendish expects to need several weeks to get back on the bike after having surgery on his broken right collarbone.

Cavendish went under the knife on Wednesday after being forced out of what is due to be his final Tour de France following a crash on Saturday.

The 38-year-old Manxman said the operation had been more complicated than expected given he had dislodged some metalwork from a previous operation when he fell on his right shoulder during stage eight of the Tour.

“It obviously hasn’t been the ideal way to finish the Tour de France, but that’s part of the beauty and brutality of cycling!” Cavendish said in a social media post from hospital.

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“But I’ve felt incredibly lifted thanks to all you beautiful souls living my journey with me.”

Cavendish announced in May his plan to retire at the end of this season, although he has been offered a contract extension by Astana-Qazaqstan in the wake of the crash, keeping alive the possibility of his taking outright the Tour de France stage win record he holds jointly with Eddy Merckx on 34.

Cavendish made no indication regarding his long-term plans, but his estimate regarding a possible return appeared to rule out the chance of him racing at the UCI World Championships next month, days after he was named in British Cycling’s long list for the event.

“It’ll take a bit longer than the standard couple of weeks for a collarbone, just due to the screws that were in there from a previous injury,” Cavendish said. “But we’re still only looking at a number of weeks, so happy days!

“Right then, time for rehab. Let’s get on with it!”

Ion Izagirre soloed to victory at the end of an explosive stage 12 of the Tour de France to Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Eleven days after Victor Lafay ended a 15-year wait for a stage win for the Cofidis team, Izagirre doubled up with a perfectly-timed attack from the breakaway.

The Basque rider, 34, went solo during the final climb, still with 31 kilometres remaining of the 169km stage through wine country from Roanne that was again raced at a ferocious pace.

The much-reduced peloton came in more than four minutes after Izagirre, with Jonas Vingegaard retaining his 17-second lead over Tadej Pogacar as the Alps loom this weekend, but only after putting a big effort in over the first part of the stage which could come with a price to pay in the days ahead.

The stage was always seen as one for the breakaway, but it was a war of attrition from the off as the peloton was quickly whittled down to a few dozen riders by a series of attacks.

With his Jumbo-Visma team-mates Wout Van Aert and and Tiesj Benoot seemingly determined to be in any move, Vingegaard was repeatedly left isolated in the yellow jersey, repeatedly forced to chase down moves as Jai Hindley, third overall, followed the wheels to protect his own position.

It was not until 85 kilometres to go that a 15-strong group got away, but even as a peloton by then reduced to just 39 sat up, their lead never ballooned, the efforts of the first half of the stage perhaps leaving them with little energy left to apply themselves.

Having taken half the stage to form, the break lasted less than 40km as a fighting force. Mathieu Van Der Poel attacked from that front group along with Andrey Amador on the penultimate climb of the Col de la Croix Montmain, soon leaving Amador behind to set out alone with 47km left.

But it was too much for the Dutchman, who was caught midway up the final climb of the Col de la Croix Rosier as the front group swelled to eight.

Izagirre had led the chase, but still had the power left to launch the stage-winning move as he arrived at the line 58 seconds clear Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson in second and third.

The Ineos Grenadiers had done much to pace the main contenders in the latter part of the stage, ensuring that Thibaut Pinot’s presence in the breakaway did not threaten Pidcock’s eighth place overall as the Frenchman moved up as far as 10th.

The Tour now heads into the Alps with Friday’s stage a 138km test that ends with the climb of the Grand Colombier.

Jasper Philipsen’s outstanding Tour de France continued on Wednesday as he sprinted to his fourth stage victory on stage 11 in Moulins.

For once Philipsen did not have the best lead-out at the end of a flat stage, but he coolly slotted in behind Dylan Groenewegen and came past the Dutchman in the final 100 metres to extend his sizeable advantage in the points classification.

The sprint finish to the 180km stage from from Clermont-Ferrand meant no change in the fight for the yellow jersey, in which Jonas Vingegaard leads by 17 seconds from Tadej Pogacar.

Philipsen had profited from the huge talents of Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mate Mathieu van der Poel in the previous three flat bunch sprints, but, with his fellow Belgian not a factor in the finale of this one, Philipsen instead surfed the wheels to continue his dominance.

Groenewegen opened up his effort early but had to settle for second as Philipsen came by, with Phil Bauhaus in third a day after his Bahrain-Victorious team-mate Pello Bilbao won stage 10 from a breakaway.

Philipsen has now won all four of the flat bunch sprints in this Tour, having been second to Mads Pedersen on the more challenging uphill sprint into Limoges on stage eight.

“It’s an incredible Tour so far,” said Philipsen. “I can’t realise how good it’s all going, I’m just super proud, really happy with my shape. To get through the final without problems is also a big challenge and we managed to do it already four times in a row so I’m super happy.

“So I can also win without (Mathieu)! But of course he makes it more easy. I had to find my wheel a little but, also finding the space it’s technical and a bit dangerous for crashing. I’m happy I can find a good wheel of Groenewegen and he opened up early so I could go over.

“There are maybe more sprint opportunities, but also there will be guys going for the break, but I’m already so happy to take four and hopefully looking towards Paris I can keep this jersey. I think I made a good gap now (in the points classification) which gives me comfort going into the Alps.”

There was a seven-second gap between the first 17 riders over the line and a second group that included Vingegaard, but with Pogacar in close attendance the gaps at the top of the general classification remained the same.

Jai Hindley remains third, two minutes and 40 seconds down, with Carlos Rodriguez more than four minutes down in fourth. Adam Yates, Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock remain sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively.

Pello Bilbao pointed to the sky in memory of his late team-mate Gino Mader as he celebrated his first career Tour de France stage win in Issoire on Tuesday.

Bilbao triumphed from a breakaway, a first Spanish stage win in five years, sparking emotional scenes less than a month after Mader died following a high-speed crash at the Tour de Suisse.

The pair were close friends, with Mader even having adopted a stray dog from the city of Bilbao and naming him Pello. In his podium interview, the Basque rider said the memory of Mader was “the only reason” for his win.

“It was hard to prepare the last two weeks with him in mind, but staying with my family at home helped me a lot, just to keep calm, be positive and put all my positive energy to try to do something nice in the Tour,” he said.

“I wanted to do it in the first Basque stages, that was so special for me but it was not possible so I just waited for my moment.

“I was maybe thinking my position in the overall was going to be a problem but I decided to a make an all-in move and in the end it was the right movement.

“My first victory in the Tour in 13 years as a pro is such a special moment for me.”

It was also an expensive one. Following Mader’s death, Bilbao had pledged to replicate the Swiss rider’s charitable gesture – donating one euro to environmental causes for every rider he finishes ahead of on each stage, also promising to double the donation if he won a stage.

Bilbao had already run up a bill of more than 1,200 euros in the opening week and will not mind having cost himself much more with a victory which also propelled him up the general classification to fifth, four and a half minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard who still leads by 17 seconds from Tadej Pogacar.

The 167km stage from Vulcania through the Massif Central looked custom-designed for a breakaway as racing resumed in sweltering temperatures after Monday’s rest day, but things were never so simple on a day when the attacks raged from the start to the finish.

Vingegaard and Pogacar were both involved in some of the early moves, splitting the main peloton, before 14 riders eventually got away.

But it was only occasionally a cohesive group. Krists Neilands launched an attack at the foot of the final climb and crested it with an advantage of 30 seconds, but that tumbled on the descent towards town and he was caught by a chasing group of five with three kilometres left.

Bilbao felt confident he was the fastest and let Zimmerman move to the front before launching his sprint with a couple of hundred metres left.

“With cold blood I let Zimmerman make his sprint and I went on the wheel, then it was just full gas for the last 200 metres thinking of nothing,” he said. “I crossed the line and I just put out all the energy inside of me and remembered the reason for this victory, a special one – for Gino.”

The main peloton came to the line a little under three minutes later with no change in the top four in the standings, while Bilbao jumped up six places with Adam Yates, Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock now sixth, seventh and eighth overall respectively.

Mark Cavendish is due to have surgery on his broken right collarbone on Wednesday after being forced out of the Tour by a crash on Saturday.

The 38-year-old has previously announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but has been offered a one-year contract extension by Astana-Qazaqstan.

Pello Bilbao took his first career Tour de France stage win from a breakaway in Issoire and dedicated the victory to his late team-mate Gino Mader.

Bilbao beat Georg Zimmermann to the line as six riders made it to the finish to contest the stage win, sparking emotional scenes as he and his Bahrain Victorious team remembered Mader, who died aged 26 following a high-speed crash at the Tour de Suisse last month.

The main peloton came to the line a little under three minutes later with Jonas Vingegaard retaining the yellow jersey and his 17-second advantage over Tadej Pogacar, but Bilbao’s win saw him move up to fifth overall.

Following Mader’s death, Bilbao had pledged to replicate the Swiss rider’s charitable gesture – donating one euro to environmental causes for every rider he finishes ahead of on each stage, also promising to double the donation if he won the stage.

And in his podium interview, the Basque rider said the memory of Mader was “the only reason” for his win.

He said: “It was hard to prepare the last two weeks with him in mind, but staying with my family at home helped me a lot, just to keep calm, be positive and put all my positive energy to try to do something nice in the Tour.

“I wanted to do it in the first Basque stages, that was so special for me but it was not possible so I just waited for my moment. I was maybe thinking my position in the overall was going to be a problem but I decided to make an all-in move and in the end it was the right movement.

“My first victory in the Tour in 13 years as a pro is such a special moment for me.”

The 167km stage from Vulcania through the Massif Central looked custom-designed for a breakaway, but things were never so simple on a day when the attacks raged from the start to the finish.

Vingegaard and Pogacar were both involved in some of the early moves, splitting the main peloton, before 14 riders eventually got away.

But it was only occasionally a cohesive group. Krists Neilands launched an attack at the foot of the final climb and crested it with an advantage of 30 seconds, but that tumbled on the descent towards town and he was caught by a chasing group of five with three kilometres left.

Bilbao felt confident he was the fastest and let Zimmerman move to the front before launching his sprint with a couple of hundred metres left.

“With cold blood I let Zimmermann make his sprint and I went on the wheel, then it was just full gas for the last 200 metres thinking of nothing,” he said.

“I crossed the line and I just put out all the energy inside of me and remembered the reason for this victory, a special one – for Gino.”

Tom Pidcock believes he is learning more about himself and his capabilities on a bike as he tests himself in the general classification at the Tour de France.

The 23-year-old Olympic mountain bike champion went into Monday’s rest day seventh overall, five minutes 26 seconds off yellow having picked up time on a number of rivals as he finished fourth amongst the overall contenders after a breakaway triumphed on Sunday’s stage atop the Puy de Dome.

Pidcock, who memorably won the stage on the Alpe d’Huez on his Tour debut last summer, began this year’s race wanting to see if he had the discipline and consistency to stay high on the general classification, not having a bad day across the full three weeks.

As he sat exhausted at the top of the mountain on Sunday he had said he still wanted a stage win “and then I’ll be happy”, but when he spoke on Monday Pidcock was looking at the bigger picture.

“I’m enjoying it,” the Ineos Grenadiers rider said. “I’m getting a bit better. With each test I’m improving and staying near the front, it’s actually motivating me.

“Before if you’d said racing for top 10 I wouldn’t really be so bothered but actually now I’m really enjoying the challenge and each little win.

“I wouldn’t normally have the patience and focus required for three weeks riding the GC, it’s not really in my characteristics but now I’m kind of enjoying it. It’s my first actual time riding with senior pros in a proper stage race like this, it’s all kind of new and I’m enjoying it…

“I’m growing in confidence and just exploring my limits.”

After Michael Woods won from a breakaway, Sunday’s stage saw Tadej Pogacar take eight seconds out of defending champion and race leader Jonas Vingegaard’s advantage in their battle for yellow.

But Simon Yates and Pidcock were the next riders over the line, a result that moved the Yorkshireman up two places from ninth overall.

“Yesterday was a great day and if I can replicate that again, that’s fantastic,” Pidcock said. “The next two weeks now, there are some pretty tough days ahead, back-to-back days and three days in the Alps and it’s going to be a big test.

“Week two into week three is where cracks start to show. My goal is to be consistent. Personally, in my head, it’s becoming more of a challenge and a target to see where I can go on GC because I’m enjoying it.

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“If that means I don’t get a stage win maybe that’s the case but I feel I can learn a lot about myself if I fully commit to the GC now.”

Pidcock has ambitions to one day challenge for yellow himself in the Tour, but for now the former world cyclo-cross champion continues to compete across different disciplines – and will be back on his mountain bike at next month’s world championships in Scotland.

How these next two weeks go will tell Pidcock a lot about what he might be able to do in the future.

“As soon as we finish this race I’m going to be going to try and win the mountain bike worlds, which is not very normal for all the people I’m racing against, it’s a bit strange,” he said when asked if this Tour was making him change the way he thinks about balancing his goals.

“I don’t know. We’ll see in a week’s time.”

Michael Woods charged up the Puy de Dome to beat Matteo Jorgenson to a breakaway victory on stage nine of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar clawed back a few more seconds on race leader Jonas Vingegaard.

Woods took almost two minutes out of Jorgenson on the steep gradients of the dormant volcano, making its first appearance in the Tour in 35 years, rounding the American with 450 metres remaining to take his first career Tour de France stage at the age of 36.

More than eight minutes later, the main contenders made it to the summit of this famous climb, with Pogacar using an attack inside the last 1,500 metres to claw back eight seconds on Vingegaard, whose advantage in yellow is down to 17 seconds going into Monday’s rest day.

“It’s not a victory but a small victory,” Pogacar said. “I’m super happy today, it was super nice. It was quite relaxed until the last climb, then I felt my legs immediately were good so I was just waiting for the final 1.5km.

“I just went and when I started with an attack I could see the shadow of (Vingegaard). I could see he was full gas behind me so I pushed more and the gap opened. Then I had to continue all the way to the top.”

Vingegaard fought to limit his losses, but Pogacar’s form will be a concern after he also picked up time with his victory on stage six.

“I guess it will be quite a battle, the next two weeks,” Vingegaard said. “I didn’t have the best day. I think the rest day will do me good.”

After Vingegaard, British duo Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock were the next riders home, with Yates recovering a little of the losses caused by a late crash on Saturday, and Pidcock putting in an encouraging ride that lifted him to seventh overall.

The Olympic mountain bike champion has the goal of testing himself in the general classification this year, taking patience over the three weeks, but the 23-year-old’s comments after the stage suggest he is wrestling with his racer’s instinct.

“Finishing fourth out of the (general classification) riders is great but no one will remember that in a few days,” Pidcock said.

“I want to try and win a stage, I want to try and get my hands in the air and then I’ll be happy but being close on GC makes it tricky to do that.”

Woods and Jorgenson were among 14 riders who went clear early on the 182.5km stage from Saint Leonard de Noblat, the former hometown of the late, great Raymond Poulidor, who got as close as he ever did to winning the Tour on the Puy de Dome in 1964 by cutting his deficit to Jacques Anquetil to 14 seconds.

The narrow road that spirals its way to the summit has plenty of Tour history but none since 1988, for so long deemed too narrow to safely accommodate the modern race.

With fans barred from the final four kilometres it made for a strange but dramatic finale on its return, but one Jorgenson will not remember fondly.

The 24-year-old American broke clear of his fellow escapees with a little under 50km to go, with marked man Woods caught in a group that ended up third on the road.

Jorgenson started the steepest section of the climb, where screaming hoards of fans gave way to silence and suffering, with 80 seconds advantage over three chasing riders, while Woods and company were another 25 seconds back.

But the Canadian went on a charge as the road went up, eating into the gap and catching Jorgenson within the last 500 metres. At the end of his resources, Jorgenson was passed by both Pierre LaTour and Matej Mohoric to end the day fourth as Woods celebrated.

“I’m still having a pinch myself moment,” the Israel-Premier Tech rider said. “I can’t believe I did it. I’m really proud of myself, I’m really proud of my team, it’s special…

“I’m 36, turning 37 this year, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve always talked about winning a stage at the Tour de France and I’ve finally achieved it.”

Canadian Michael Woods charged up the Puy de Dome to beat Matteo Jorgenson to a breakaway victory on stage nine of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar clawed back a few more seconds on race leader Jonas Vingegaard.

Woods took almost two minutes out of Jorgenson on the steep gradients of the dormant volcano, making its first appearance in the Tour for 35 years, rounding the American with 450 metres left to take his first career Tour de France stage at the age of 36.

The two were part of a 14-strong group who had gone clear early on the 182.5km stage from Saint Leonard de Noblat, hitting the final climb with an advantage of more than 15 minutes on the peloton.

By the time the main contenders crossed the line, some nine minutes after Woods, Pogacar had put in an attack inside the last 1,500 metres to claw back eight seconds on Vingegaard, whose advantage in yellow is down to 17 seconds going into Monday’s rest day.

British duo Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock were the next riders home, with Yates recovering a little over the losses caused by a late crash on Saturday, and Pidcock putting in an encouraging ride that lifted him to seventh overall as he tests himself in the general classification.

Jorgenson had raced clear of the rest of the breakaway with a little under 50km to go as a series of attacks started. Woods could not follow the move and ended up in a third group on the road, but bided his time.

Jorgenson started the steepest section of the climb, with just over four kilometres with gradients averaging 12 per cent, with 80 seconds over three riders behind and another 25 or so over Woods, but that gradually whittled down.

After Woods passed him, so did Pierre LaTour and Matej Mohoric as Jorgenson came in fourth.

Woods said: “I’m still having a pinch myself moment. I can’t believe I did it. I’m really proud of myself, I’m really proud of my team, it’s special…

“I’m 36, turning 37 this year, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve always talked about winning a stage at the Tour de France and I’ve finally achieved it.”

Behind, Pogacar and Vingegaard kept up a strong pace that gradually dropped rivals one by one. Simon and Adam Yates stuck with them, as did the Ineos Grenadiers pair of Pidcock and Carlos Rodriguez, but when Pogacar put in a dig with 1,500 metres to go, it quickly changed.

Vingegaard briefly followed but when Pogacar looked over his shoulder he saw a short gap opening and redoubled his efforts.

Jai Hindley, third overall, paced his way up after being dropped to minimise his losses and now sits two minutes and 40 seconds off yellow, still more than a minute and a half clear of Rodriguez in the last podium position.

Adam Yates is fifth, four minutes 39 down, just in front of brother Simon and Pidcock in seventh.

“Finishing fourth out of the (general classification) riders is great but no one will remember that in a few days,” said Pidcock.

“I want to try and win a stage, I want to try and get my hands in the air and then I’ll be happy but being close on GC makes it tricky to do that.”

Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win is over after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish left what he has said will be his final Tour in the back of an ambulance, on his way to hospital in Perigueux with a suspected broken collarbone.

A seemingly innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his last appearance in the race he loves, with Cavendish braking to avoid an incident in front but hitting the deck around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges, unable to get up as he held his shoulder in agony.

Mads Pedersen took the stage win, powering up the slight rise to the line and holding on to deny the hard-charging Jasper Philipsen a fourth victory of this Tour, but there was only a muted sense of celebration afterwards, with Philipsen paying an eloquent tribute to the master sprinter.

“For me it was a pleasure to be able to race with Mark,” the former world champion said. “I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton. It’s so sad that such a legend has to finish the Tour like this…

“I wish all the best for Mark. Hopefully I can do the last race he’s going to do to honour a legend who stops in cycling.”

Cavendish’s former team-mate Mark Renshaw, brought in by the Astana-Qazaqstan team as a consultant to help a team with little sprinting pedigree prior to Cavendish’s arrival this year, admitted to crying in the team car when he realised it was over for his friend.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said: “It is an emotional day. He was so sad just after the fall. He is the best sprinter in the history of the Tour de France and he wanted to try to win the 35th stage.

“He was second yesterday and for two or three seconds we thought he would succeed in his goal, and today it’s over. He is sad, we are sad, the Tour de France is sad.”

It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins – barring a decision to keep racing.

Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to skip when he was trying to apply full power.

While hugely disappointed, Cavendish afterwards spoke optimistically regarding his form and that of his team, saying “I think so” when asked if he had the shape to win.

It is not just the opportunity of the record that Cavendish – who moved level with Merckx in 2021 – has lost with Saturday’s crash.

His love affair with the Tour began before he won his first stage back in 2008 and he could be seen throughout the opening week taking the opportunity to soak up the admiration of fans at the roadside.

In recent years when it came to finding new teams, and battling illness and depression, Cavendish fought to end his storied career on his terms, and the timing of his retirement announcement in May was made with the Tour in mind.

Whether he had taken a stage win or not, Cavendish would have loved to have ridden into Paris one final time, but that moment is now gone.

As Pedersen celebrated the win, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Jai Hindley all finished in the front group to ensure no change at the top of the general classification before Sunday’s stage on the Puy de Dome, but Simon Yates lost 47 seconds after a late crash.

That saw the Lancastrian drop from fourth to sixth overall, with brother Adam up to fifth.

Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win ended after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish’s outstanding Tour career ended in the back of an ambulance, the anguish on his face clear to see after an innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his final appearance in the race he loves.

Cavendish went down hard and held his shoulder after a crash in the peloton around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.

It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins.

Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Jasper Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to jump when he was trying to apply full power.

Cavendish won his first Tour stages back in 2008, taking four in total, and chalked up 20 in his first four participations.

He enjoyed four stage wins in 2021, equalling Merckx’s record with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.

Mark Cavendish hung his head in disappointment after watching Jasper Philipsen blast by him at the last to deny the Manxman a record-breaking Tour de France victory on the line in Bordeaux.

The script seemed perfect for Cavendish to take a 35th career Tour stage win and move clear of Eddy Merckx – 16 years to the day after he made his Tour debut in London in 2007, and in Bordeaux, scene of his 14th win the last time the Tour visited in 2010 and for so long the race’s home of sprinting.

And when he burst down the right-hand side, hugging the barriers, to power into the lead with 200 metres to go it looked like it was going to happen for the 38-year-old, his head down, teeth gritted and legs pumping.

But, with the line in sight, Cavendish’s gears jumped twice and he had to drop back into the saddle, the moment’s pause enough to allow Philipsen to come by and claim a third win from as many sprint stages in this year’s Tour – five from five dating back to last year.

“I was in quite a good position, I looked far back but I was OK in where I wanted to be,” Cavendish said of the twisty run to the long finishing straight. “It was a long straight finish and Cees (Bol) had moved me up with good speed in the last K. I was on the right wheels.

“I kicked a little earlier than I would have liked but still about the same as I did in 2010. But once I kicked, started, the gears jumped from 11 to 12 and I had to sit down, the cadence just whacked up, then it goes back to 11.

“I tried to stand up and it went back to the 12 so I had to sit down, there’s nothing you can do except kind of hope.

“I’m bitterly disappointed, majorly disappointed but we keep on trying. Again we saw an improvement out of the boys so we can be positive.”

Cavendish had stopped for a rear wheel change with around 57km of the stage remaining, a precursor to the mechanical problems that followed. But asked if he could challenge Philipsen on a fully-functioning machine, he said: “I think so.”

The sprint finish to the 170km stage from Mont-de-Marsan meant no major changes at the top of the general classification, in which defending champion Jonas Vingegaard leads from Tadej Pogacar by 25 seconds.

But all eyes had been on the quick men as the race returned to the city which, prior to the Champs-Elysees, was the king of sprinting in the Tour.

And Philipsen is, so far at least, the king of sprinting in this edition, with his Alpecin-Deceuninck lead-out train once again delivering him to the perfect position, navigating what was a very technical final four kilometres disrupted by construction work before the long boulevard finish.

“I think we can’t be proud enough of our team achievement,” the Belgian said. “Without them it would never be possible to get the third stage win already. I’m just really proud of them and how we worked together, how we found each other in the final.

“That leads to success and I’m super happy and proud… I never had to do a big effort before I could launch my sprint and that’s how we win.

“If you told me (three stage wins) one week ago I’d think you were crazy. So far it’s a dream Tour for us and hopefully we can add another one.

“(Cavendish) was really strong. I would also have loved to see him win, I think everybody would, but I’m sure he will keep on trying. He’s up there, in good condition, and it will be hard.”