Racing

Tour de France Daily | Stage 15 | Powless rolls the dice

Ben Healy remains in the top ten in the race for the yellow jersey, Valgren sprints to ninth

July 20, 2025

Neilson Powless attacked right after the commissaire’s flag dropped at the start of stage 15 of the 2025 Tour de France.

The American powered away solo on the road out of Muret, driving into the crosswind, while the peloton split behind him. With a hot wind blowing across the fields of Occitanie, it was chaos in the pack, with crashes and echelons disrupting the chase. Neilson held out alone until a strong group of 14 riders bridged up to him to form the day’s breakaway. It was a great move, so Neilson rolled through, spinning his legs and doing no more than his share of the work, to try to save his strength in the 35-degree heat. He still had to get over three tough climbs on the route to Carcassonne.

Another chase group, including his teammate Michael Valgren, was hot on their wheels.

Neilson crossed the first two climbs, the Côte de Saint Ferriol and Côte de Sorèze well, but paid for his earlier efforts when the attacks went up the Pas du Sant. He couldn’t hold the winning wheel.

Neilson dropped back to help Valgren chase down the descent to the finish by Carcassonne castle, where Valgren sprinted to ninth on the stage.

A few minutes later, Ben Healy lead the peloton over the finish line. The Irishman remains in the top ten on the general classification going into the second rest day, thanks to a big effort from his teammates Kasper Asgreen, Vincenzo Albanese, and Harry Sweeny who rode the front of the peloton to keep in the running.

Our guys get a break tomorrow, before the Tour resumes Tuesday with a summit finish up the famous Mont-Ventoux.

Read our team’s thoughts from the finish line of Stage 15 of the Tour de France.

Neilson Powless

It was a super fast day. I kind of got stuck on my own out there for a little in the beginning. And then a group came across, which I was happy about.

I was able to get away with them and slip into the day’s break. Unfortunately, we had a passenger with Tim Wellens. He said he wasn’t going to pull when he came up from the car. Everyone kept asking him why. We all knew that our only chance to really get away was to keep pushing. So, we just carried him. And he proved the strongest in the end.

Andreas Klier, Sports Director

We were with Neilson in the break, and we were with Michael in the break. And they didn't have the legs to follow the best five, six riders at a certain moment of the bike race.

We were not so sure if the winner would actually come from the first break, until we saw Wellens moving. And once he moved you, you could see, okay, he is on a day similar to the one Ben had. He had a great day. I would say that the best rider won. It was a great, great performance. And then, we were sprinting for place three, but didn’t manage.

The others in the back rode Ben home to the finish line, because Carlos Rodriguez was up in one of the groups ahead. He gained a few minutes. Now we are looking forward to the rest day.

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