
Fri Jul 18 12:30:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The Tour de France continues with a challenging 10.9km individual time trial (ITT) from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes, featuring a significant uphill climb. Luke Plapp initially set a fast time, but other riders like Lenny Martinez are also performing well. The stage is crucial for GC contenders like Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Sprinter Bryan Coquard is competing despite a fractured finger and will withdraw after the stage for surgery.
**News Article:**
**Tour de France: Plapp Sets Early Pace in Grueling Peyragudes Time Trial**
Loudenvielle, France – The Tour de France continued today with a demanding 10.9km individual time trial from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes, a stage highlighted by a steep uphill climb. Australian ITT champion Luke Plapp (Jayco-Alula) set an early benchmark, finishing in 24 minutes 58 seconds.
However, other riders are also making their mark, including Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) who has set off strongly. The stage is of utmost importance for general classification contenders, particularly Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who are expected to battle for supremacy on the challenging course.
In other news, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) is showing incredible resilience by participating in today’s ITT despite sustaining a fractured finger during yesterday’s stage. He plans to undergo surgery after completing the time trial and will withdraw from the race to recover. “This is my last bib on this Tour and I want to make the most of this climb,” he said before the start, emphasizing his commitment to the stage despite his injury.
Early finishers include Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in 29min 13secs, with Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Caps) previously holding the hot seat. As the stage progresses, all eyes are on the top GC contenders to see who will conquer the challenging Peyragudes climb and gain a crucial advantage in the overall standings.