2025 Tour de France Stage 18 Results & Recap
Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
O'Connor Claims Queen Stage
Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) claimed the most significant victory of his career on Thursday, soloing to a dramatic win atop Courchevel’s Col de la Loze on Stage 18 of the Tour de France — the queen stage of this year’s race.
O’Connor launched his decisive attack with 17 kilometers remaining on the brutal HC ascent, shaking loose Einer Rubio (Movistar) with a sharp acceleration. From there, he powered ahead alone, gradually increasing his lead over a fractured field and resisting late efforts by the general classification group to claw him back.
The Australian's margin topped out at over three minutes on the steepest ramps of the climb — gradients rising to 12 percent — as chaos took place behind him. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) gave chase but eventually faded, leaving O’Connor to soak in the cheers and claim both the stage and the day’s most combative rider honors.
Behind, race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) remained cool and unflinching. UAE set the pace deep into the climb, with Adam Yates and Jhonatan Narváez taking extended pulls. Pogačar marked all key threats — including Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Primož Roglič (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) — and never looked in danger. The yellow jersey remains firmly on his shoulders.
Jonas Vingegaard briefly lit up the GC group with an attack early on the Loze, and Visma was active throughout, but the Dane ultimately could not shake Pogačar. Notably, American Matteo Jorgenson helped animate the stage in its earlier phases and contributed to Visma’s tactics, despite clearly suffering on the final climb.
The day’s route featured over 5,000 meters of climbing and three HC ascents — Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine, and the punishing Loze. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) grabbed maximum points on the Glandon in his fight for the polka dot jersey, but later lost touch with the leaders.
As rain fell near the finish, O’Connor crested the final kilometer with enough time to realize that victory was his once more.
Pogačar, still leading Vingegaard by more than four minutes, took another step toward Paris by finishing second and claiming more bonus seconds, while Vingegaard had to be content with third place.
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