Is stage 18 into Col de la Loze Jonas Vingegaard's final opportunity to take back the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar?
Cycling
Stage 18 of the Tour de France features 5500 meters of climbing and three HC ascents. The Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Loze will be perhaps the race's most brutal combination of climbs, and perhaps the biggest opportunity for Jonas Vingegaard to dethrone Tadej Pogacar.
In the past Pogacar has been dropped by Sepp Kuss on both ascents of Loze back in 2020 and 2023, and the American - in great form - can prove to be a headache once again in the long Alpine ascent where two years ago Pogacar completely cracked and gave way to Jonas Vingegaard's second Tour win.
In 2025 the context is quite different, with Pogacar coming in to the race as the defending champion after a dominant 2024 edition and a just-as-strong 2025 Tour until the third week. However on stage 16 the levels seemed more matched, and perhaps there is a more even level between the two strongest climbers in the peloton.
Vingegaard put in a monster performance on Mont Ventoux, and even though Pogacar attacked him in the finale of the climb, he was unable to make the difference. Hence more hope has been created in the Team Visma | Lease a Bike camp that the difference can be made in the Alps, with two monster stages on the menu.
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The 19 kilometers of the Col de la Madeleine, averaging almost 8%, is a climb where serious damage can be done but it's the summit finish, at over 2300 meters of altitude, where the biggest hits can be done in the fight for the overall classification.
The climb is 26.5 kilometers long at 6.4% and should take over an hour to complete even for the very best, whilst featuring very steep gradients in it's finale. 4:15 minutes separate the two in what can be a stage that will go down in history.

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
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- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
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MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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