Ben O'Connor conquers Stage 18 at Tour de France

Ben O'Connor conquered the Col de la Loze to win Stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday in the French Alps.

The mountainous 171.5-kilometer trek from Vif marked the second career stage win and first since 2021 for the 29-year-old Australian.

Three-time and defending champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia finished second and retained the yellow jersey, stretching his overall lead to 4:26 ahead of rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark. Germany's Florian Lipowitz remains in third, more than 11 minutes off Pogacar's pace.

Pogacar was 1:45 behind O'Connor on Thursday, while Vingegaard was another nine seconds behind in third place.

Stage 19 on Friday is a 129.9-kilometer ride through the mountains from Albertville to La Plagne. The 21-stage competition concludes in Paris on Sunday.