𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

There wasn’t any significant move in the general classification on Sunday’s stage 15, but Ineos Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodriguez enjoyed back-to-back days in the break and leapfrogged Ben Healy, who was back in the peloton, into ninth place overall.

And here’s what teammate Tadej Pogacar had to say: “I’m more happy for him than when I win – beyond happiness.”

ITV4 then asked him about his over-four minute lead heading into the third week.

“Normally the Tour second week is easier mountains, more for breakaways, the third week is always hardest. But this week was one of the hardest second weeks of the Tours that I’ve ridden,” he said, with the interview interjecting, “because of you!” at which he laughs.

“We still have big, big mountains to come. There’s still seven days or something to Paris and we need to fight until the end.”

Here’s what Tim Wellens had to say at the end of his brilliant solo victory on stage 15.

“It is a very special victory. Everybody knows the Tour de France but not many people win in the Tour de France so it was very beautiful.

“I felt super good today. On the last climb of the day I felt really good. I knew the others felt really good but I knew I had to go solo. At the top of the climb I found my moment and I felt I had the legs to keep it to the end.

“I knew I had to enjoy the moment and kept riding until the end so I had a big gap to enjoy it and maybe put my bike in the air after the finish – but I was so happy I forgot to do it!”

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) in 54:20:44
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike) +4:13
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +7:53
4. Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +9:18
5. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea – B&B Hotels) +10:21
6. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) +10:34
7. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +12:00
8. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +12:33
9. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +18:26
10. Ben Healy (EF Education – EasyPost) +18:41

1. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) in 3:34:09
2. Victor Campenaerts (Visma – Lease a Bike) +1:28
3. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) +1:36
4. Wout van Aert (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
5. Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers)
6. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe)
7. Paul Penhoet (Groupama FDJ)
8. Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies)
9. Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost)
10. Valentin Madouas (Groupama FDJ), all at same time

Tim Wellens had time to high-five fans inside the final kilometre as he soloed to victory on stage 15 of the Tour de France into Carcassonne with his team-mate Tadej Pogacar retaining the yellow jersey.

Wellens, 34, completed his set of Grand Tour stage victories, attacking from a reduced four-man breakaway with 44 kilometres remaining of the 169km stage from Muret.

The Belgian national champion quickly opened a sizeable gap before the long downhill run into the medieval city, where his margin of victory over compatriot Victor Campenaerts was 1:28.

Another earlier start today with an early finish too: 12.10pm local time for the neutralised start, 11.10am BST, with an expected arrival time of 4.45pm local time (3.45pm BST).

Isolated in the landscape, towering over the Rhone valley and on the periphery of the Alps proper, Mont Ventoux is something of an outlier among the Tour’s formidable ascents – but that makes it no less beastly.

15.7km long at an average gradient of 8.8%, reaching 1,910m above sea level, it has long been established in the annals of Tour history and plenty of riders will fancy writing their names into the history books with victory on its summit today.

Bonjour and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of stage 16 of the Tour de France!

We hope you’re feeling rested after yesterday’s day off, because the final week of this year’s race is an absolute blockbuster. Allez!