Stage 18 of the Tour de France: Australia's Ben O'Connor Conquers Challenging Alpine Summit

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Australia Ben O’Connor won stage 18 of the Tour de France with a world-class climb over three Alpine mountains overnight as defending champion Tadej Pogačar tightened his grip on the yellow jersey.

O’Connor, 29, took off alone 15km from the finish and navigated the mountain mist to win 1 minute and 45 seconds ahead of Pogačar atop the Col de la Loze.

Vingegaard crossed the line in third place, nine seconds behind the Slovenian.

“It was brutal, I’ve never lived anything so hard. The team did well and we had a good plan, but I couldn’t take any time off Tadej,” Vingegaard said.

Pogačar now holds a 4-minute 26-second lead over the Dane in the general classification with three days to go before the finish in Paris.

A cyclist riding through a mountain being cheered on by onlookers

There are just three stages remaining in the 2025 Tour de France. Source: AAP / Christophe Petit Tesson / EPA

Starting the day with a deficit of 4 minutes and 15 seconds, Vingegaard had attacked 71km out.

“Our tactics fell apart when they attacked so soon,” said Pogačar, explaining he simply tracked his rival on instinct.

Pogačar eventually dropped the Dane near the finish line to gain another 11 seconds on the Team Visma rider who won the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France.

O’Connor, from the Jayco-Alula team, said he was relieved to triumph again four years after his success in the Alps at Tignes.

“Putting your hands in the air is an extraordinary thing. It was about time for me being an Aussie rider in an Aussie team,” said a beaming O’Connor, who joined Jayco in January.

“I had to go from the bottom of the valley before the last climb. It was the only way to beat them.

Pogačar said O’Connor had put in a great ride.

“Congrats to Ben. How he rode today, that’s his victory.”

Three days remain

Team UAE’s Pogačar is now on the cusp of a fourth Tour de France title, after reversing the roles and sitting on Vingegaard’s wheel, wasting little energy.

He remained vigilant however.

“It’s not finished yet; we still have three days to go. These three weeks feel incredibly lengthy. By the time you reach the third week, everyone starts getting on your nerves. You need strong legs and a bit of luck, and only then does it work out,” Pogačar continued.

German breakout star Florian Lipowitz wilted near the end in his bid for both third place and the white jersey awarded to the best young rider.

The 22-year-old Scottish rider Oscar Onley closed to within 22 seconds.

Both riders are making their Tour de France debut.

The race ends Sunday in Paris with the finish line at the Champs-Élysées after three climbs to the Sacre Coeur Basilica along the cobbled lanes of Montmartre.

The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — live, free and exclusive — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub.