Hugo Houle becomes only the second Canadian to win a Tour de France stage

Time is running out for defending champion Tadej Pogacar as Jonas Vingegaard maintained his advantage over the UAE Team Emirates rider with just five stages to go in the Tour de France.

The Slovenian made a valiant attempt to shake off Vingegaard but the Belgian, led by his Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout van Aert, retained his lead of two minutes and 22 seconds after Stage 16 on Tuesday.

The defending champion attacked twice on the ascent to the Port de Lers and once in the descent but yellow jersey holder Vingegaard held firm.

Hugo Houle was the stage winner, becoming only the second Canadian to register a stage victory in the Tour de France since Steve Bauer in 1988.

A late sprint secured second place for France's Valentin Madouas, with Houle's Israel-Premier Tech teammate and countryman Michael Woods third.

An emotional Houle pointed to the air as he crossed the line and dedicated the victory to his brother Pierrik, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2012.

“This one is for my brother,” he said. “I never won a race so I guess it's the right place to win my first race.

“I was suffering but I made it and it means a lot to me. I had one dream, win a stage for my brother who died.

An emotional win for