On Sunday, Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG) secured a victory in Stage 15 of the 112th Tour de France. The Belgian national champion broke away alone with over 40 kilometres remaining in the 169.3-kilometre transition stage from Muret to Carcassonne and crossed the finish line with a lead of nearly one and a half minutes over his compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma–Lease a Bike), who finished in second place., reports 24brussels.
Former world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) sprinted to third place, narrowly ahead of Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike). Meanwhile, yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) finished safely with the main peloton, over six minutes behind Wellens. The results did not alter the general classification standings.
First Tour Win
This marks Wellens’ first Tour de France stage win and his 41st professional victory. Previously, the Limburg rider won two stages each in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. In late June, he claimed his first Belgian national road title in Binche. This victory is notable as the fifth for Belgium in this Tour, following those of Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier, and Remco Evenepoel.
On Monday, the peloton will take a second rest day during this year’s Tour. Racing will resume on Tuesday with a mountain stage, where the riders will depart from Montpellier and cover over 150 kilometres of flat terrain before ascending the legendary Mont Ventoux, classified hors catégorie, featuring a challenging 15.6 km climb at an average gradient of 8.7%.
