The Tour de France comes to a head with one final Alpine stage - and it’s now or never for Jonas Vingegaard to seize Tadej Pogacar’s crown

Stage 18 featured three extremely difficult ascents, including the 26.4-kilometer daunting climb of the Col de La Loze up to the finish. At 2,304 meters of altitude, La Loze is the highest summit in this year’s Tour.

Ben O’Connor won Thursday’s monster Alpine stage to the ski resort of Courchevel as three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar responded to attacks from Jonas Vingegaard and dropped him to cement his grip on the yellow jersey.

Ben O'Connor stormed to a sensational victory in Stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday, as Jonas Vingegaard's attempt to dethrone Tadej Pogacar imploded in spectacular fashion on the race's most brutal Alpine battleground.

Analysis of the latest day's action in the 2025 race - 171km from Montpellier up to the summit of the iconic Mont Ventoux

The two-time champion was frustrated as he was brought down in the finish area at the top of the legendary climb

Jonas Vingegaard remains adamant that he is still in with a chance of beating Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar despite losing a further nine seconds to the UAE Team Emirates-XRG racer in the closing metres of the brutally difficult Col de la Loze ascent on stage 18 on Thursday.

Tour de France organizers have shortened Stage 19 of the competition to avoid a herd of cows which have suffered an outbreak of disease.