{"id":5300,"date":"2025-07-24T17:58:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/?p=5300"},"modified":"2025-07-24T17:58:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:58:19","slug":"ben-oconnor-dominates-stage-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/ben-oconnor-dominates-stage-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben O\u2019Connor Dominates Col de la Loze to Win Stage 18 of Tour de France 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c\"]{padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4328c7-5c\"><strong>A Solo Show on the Queen Stage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ben O\u2019Connor (Jayco AlUla) delivered a masterclass in climbing on Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France, conquering the legendary <strong>Col de la Loze<\/strong> after a daring long-range solo. The Australian climber timed his move perfectly on the 26.4 km ascent, shaking off breakaway companions and holding off a surging GC group to claim his second career Tour stage \u2014 and his second Grand Tour win this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He crossed the line <strong>1&#8217;45&#8221;<\/strong> ahead of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma\u2013Lease a Bike) a further <strong>9 seconds<\/strong> adrift.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_4aab17-6d\"><strong>Top 5 \u2013 Stage 18:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa <strong>Ben O\u2019Connor<\/strong> (Jayco AlUla)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +1&#8217;45&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0 Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1&#8217;54&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +1&#8217;58&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf4 Einer Rubio (Movistar) +2&#8217;00&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See all standings after <a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/tour-de-france-2025\/stage-18-results\/\">stage 18 results<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75\"]{padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_f2622b-75\"><strong>Key Moments \u2013 How the Stage Was Won<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_73b4be-31\"><strong>The Long Climb to Glory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At 26.4 km with a 6.5% average gradient, the <strong>Col de la Loze<\/strong> was always going to be decisive. O\u2019Connor, already decorated with stage wins in every Grand Tour, attacked with 16 km to go \u2014 and never looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Einer Rubio (Movistar) was the last to see O\u2019Connor\u2019s wheel before the Jayco rider turned on the gas, growing his gap from seconds to minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_9eaeae-d5\"><strong>Pogacar vs. Vingegaard: A GC Standoff Erupts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GC group, initially marshaled by Adam Yates and Marc Soler, saw a fierce acceleration from Jonas Vingegaard inside the final 2 km. But Tadej Pogacar matched every move \u2014 and <strong>eventually countered<\/strong>, dropping the Dane with <strong>500 meters to go<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While O\u2019Connor soaked in the win, Pogacar\u2019s final surge earned him second on the stage and, crucially, <strong>maximum mountain points<\/strong> \u2014 a strategic KOM gain to accompany his yellow jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_b2daa6-14\"><strong>Lipowitz and Jorgenson Crumble, GC Group Holds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier attackers <strong>Florian Lipowitz<\/strong> (Red Bull\u2013Bora-Hansgrohe) and <strong>Matteo Jorgenson<\/strong> (Visma) faltered on the Loze slopes, swept up by the GC group led by Narv\u00e1ez and Yates. As the fireworks erupted behind, O\u2019Connor flew ahead \u2014 a calm, calculated predator among the chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_51a11e-31\"><strong>What It Means<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ben O\u2019Connor<\/strong> claims his <strong>second career Tour de France stage win<\/strong> and completes a rare trifecta: stage wins in <strong>all three Grand Tours<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><strong>Tadej Pogacar<\/strong> increases his <strong>King of the Mountains lead<\/strong>, tightening his grip on yellow and polka-dot jerseys alike.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jonas Vingegaard<\/strong>, while still in podium position, may be running out of terrain to make a decisive strike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_ba4b33-50\"><strong>Post-Stage Quote \u2013 O\u2019Connor (Jayco AlUla)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s just magic. I love these brutal climbs \u2014 they let the legs do the talking. Today, I had the legs, and I wasn\u2019t going to waste them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-md, 1.25rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5300_1f4586-82\"><strong>Up Next \u2013 Stage 19 Preview<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/tour-de-france-2025\/stage-19-route\/\">Stage 19<\/a> brings a <strong>rolling transitional day<\/strong>, offering a breakaway opportunity or a tactical reset before the final GC tests. But after the carnage of the Loze, many will just be praying for survival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Solo Show on the Queen Stage Ben O\u2019Connor (Jayco AlUla) delivered a masterclass in climbing on Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France, conquering the legendary Col de la Loze after a daring long-range solo. The Australian climber timed his move perfectly on the 26.4 km ascent, shaking off breakaway companions and holding&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tour-de-france-2025"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Tour de France 2025"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/franceletour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/stage-18-2025-ben-oconnor-wins-col-de-la-loze-1024x536.webp",1024,536,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Gautier Durfort","author_link":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/author\/gautier-durfort\/"},"comment_info":2,"category_info":[{"term_id":32,"name":"Tour de France 2025","slug":"tour-de-france-2025","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":32,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Full battle coverage of the Tour de France 2025, Stage guides, live results &amp; route maps. Track every climb, sprint, and yellow jersey battle.","parent":0,"count":76,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":32,"category_count":76,"category_description":"Full battle coverage of the Tour de France 2025, Stage guides, live results &amp; route maps. Track every climb, sprint, and yellow jersey battle.","cat_name":"Tour de France 2025","category_nicename":"tour-de-france-2025","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5304,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300\/revisions\/5304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franceletour.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}