In a dramatic, rain-lashed Stage 19 finish at La Plagne, Dutchman Thymen Arensman claimed his second win of this year’s Tour de France, edging out title rivals Jonas Vingegaard and defending champion Tadej Pogacar by two seconds. Exhausted and emotional, Arensman crossed the line, collapsing into the barriers as tears of relief streamed down his face.

Arensman, riding for Ineos under returning director Dave Brailsford, launched his decisive move at the base of the final climb—mirroring the tactic that delivered Ben O’Connor victory on Stage 18—but this time had to hold off a late charge from the race favourites. “To stand clear of Jonas and Tadej feels like a dream,” the 25-year-old climber said afterwards.

Meanwhile, Pogacar opted for caution rather than confrontation in the Alps, content to mark his closest rival and protect his overall lead. With two days remaining before the traditional Paris finale, the 26-year-old Slovenian holds a commanding 4 minutes 24 seconds advantage over Vingegaard. “When Thymen went off, I set my own pace—he deserved the win today,” Pogacar reflected.

German debutant Florian Lipowitz continued to impress, cementing third place overall and leading the young rider classification for Bora-Hansgrohe. Despite the stage being shortened to 93 km overnight due to a localized cattle infection, the peaking battle in the high Alps set the stage for a final testing day through the Jura on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s grand finish on the Champs-Élysées.