When defending champion and three-time winner Tadej Pogacar hit the tarmac in the final 4km of today’s stage of the Tour de France, he was just outside the buffer zone earmarked by the race organisers as the place where time gaps would not be taken into consideration after a crash or mechanical problem on a flat finish.

Ireland’s Ben Healy is still leading the Tour de France after Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen attacked from the start and won the 11th stage while race favourite Tadej Pogacar crashed near the finish on Wednesday.

Simon Yates won the first mountain stage of the 2025 Tour de France and Ben Healy shook up the standings by taking the overall lead from Tadej Pogačar