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Tour de France 2022 - How to watch Stage 17 on Wednesday, TV and live stream details, timings and route map

The first of back-to-back summit finishes in the Pyrenees is this achingly beautiful and brutally arduous ring-of-fire to Peyragues via the Col d’Arpin, Hourquette d’Ancizan and Col de Val Louron-Azet. Near the top of the Peyresourde, the riders will swing to the right and join the road to this Tour’s third airstrip finale at Peyragudes. Alejandro Valverde (2012) and Romain Bardet (2017) are the only previous winners on this gravity-defying ramp.

Vingegaard retains Tour de France lead as Canada’s Houle rules stage 16

FOIX, France: Canadian rider Hugo Houle broke down in tears after winning stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, dedicating his first professional triumph to his late brother. Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo retained the overall lead from defending champion Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas of Ineos as the Tour entered the Pyrenees. But the day belonged to 31-year-old Houle, riding for the Israel-Premier Tech team, as the rider from Quebec triumphed in the sweltering heatwave which has swept France. “It sounds incredible, but I know my brother helped me,” said an emotional Houle of his younger sibling Pierrik who was killed by a hit-and-run driver a decade ago. “He went to run in the snow and was hit and left dead by the roadside. It took me three hours to find him. “It was my dream to win a stage of the Tour de France since he left us,” added Houle who had started competing in triathlon with his brother before devoting himself to cycling.

Tour de France 2022: Numbers are nothing if Ineos Grenadiers can’t deliver the killer blow for Geraint Thomas

There is something admirable – immensely satisfying, even – in watching Geraint Thomas ride his own tempo, stick to his numbers, and claw his way back into contention, time after time, in a Tour de France in which he occupies the third step on the podium. But as pleasing as it is to see this wily form of conservatism trump the all-out brazenness of Tadej Pogacar, it’s not going to see the Welshman to a second Tour triumph four years after the first.

Geraint Thomas survives scare to stay in contention after Hugo Houle takes shock stage win at Tour de France

Hugo Houle won stage 16 of the Tour de France from a breakaway in Foix to give Canada a first stage victory since 1988.

Hugo Houle solos to Stage 16 win as Jonas Vingegaard shuts down Tadej Pogacar attacks at Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) promised to attack in the final week of the Tour – and the Slovenian two-time champion was true to his work with no fewer than four pulsating accelerations on the penultimate climb of Stage 16 as the Tour de France entered the sweltering foothills of the Pyrenees on Tuesday. Race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) was able to close each of his rival's attacks while Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) rode back in contention on the final descent as the top three riders of this Tour came home together in Foix almost six minutes after Canada’s Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) took an emotional win.

‘Bang!’ – Tadej Pogacar launches furious uphill and downhill attacks on Jonas Vingegaard at Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) entered “knockout blow mode” with a series of furious attacks on Stage 16 at the Tour de France in a bid to crack Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) in the yellow jersey. As the group of GC favourites cantered up the penultimate Cat. 1 climb to Port de Lers, Pogacar suddenly exploded away.

Tour de France 2022, stage 16: Live updates as Jonas Vingegaard comes under repeated attack from Tadaj Pogacar

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Tour de France 2022, stage 16: Live updates as Pyrenees await tired peloton

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Tour de France 2022 - How to watch Stage 17 on Wednesday, TV and live stream details, timings and route map

Vingegaard retains Tour de France lead as Canada’s Houle rules stage 16

Tour de France 2022: Numbers are nothing if Ineos Grenadiers can’t deliver the killer blow for Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas survives scare to stay in contention after Hugo Houle takes shock stage win at Tour de France

Hugo Houle solos to Stage 16 win as Jonas Vingegaard shuts down Tadej Pogacar attacks at Tour de France

‘Bang!’ – Tadej Pogacar launches furious uphill and downhill attacks on Jonas Vingegaard at Tour de France

Tour de France 2022, stage 16: Live updates as Jonas Vingegaard comes under repeated attack from Tadaj Pogacar

Tour de France 2022, stage 16: Live updates as Pyrenees await tired peloton