Ben O’Connor delivered a masterclass in climbing to claim a stunning solo victory on stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France, conquering the fearsome Col de la Loze in the French Alps.
The “queen stage” from Vif to Courchevel, featuring over 5,500 meters of elevation gain across three hors catégorie climbs—Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine, and Col de la Loze—proved the perfect battleground for O’Connor’s resilience.
The Jayco AlUla rider seized his opportunity in a breakaway, initially joining forces with Einer Rubio (Movistar) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike). With 16km remaining on the grueling 26.4km final climb, O’Connor launched a decisive attack, dropping Rubio and powering through double-digit gradients and misty conditions to cross the finish line 1:45 ahead of race leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
This marked O’Connor’s second Tour de France stage win, following his 2021 triumph in Tignes.
“It’s a pretty cruel race,” said O’Connor, reflecting on his journey after overcoming crashes earlier in the Tour. “I’ve wanted another victory for so many years. Today was about pacing and keeping the speed—typical time trial stuff. It’s what I do best.”
Behind O’Connor, Pogacar strengthened his grip on the yellow jersey, outpacing Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 11 seconds to extend his overall lead to 4:26. Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) impressed, finishing fourth and closing to within 22 seconds of the podium.
Ben O’Connor gana la etapa reina del #TDF2025
Sigue el post en DIRECTO #TourRTVE24j https://t.co/lVvMh4bo0L pic.twitter.com/nsKHNcwMOX
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) July 24, 2025
