Belgian Rider Tim Wellens Wins Stage 15 of Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe Comes Third and Celebrates Wrongly

Tim Wellens wins stage 15 of the Tour de France, beating Victor Campenaerts by 1:28. Julian Alaphilippe wrongly celebrated thinking he had won, finishing third. Wellens' victory is "very special" and a rare opportunity for a domestique to win a stage. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar leads the overall standings by 4:13 over Jonas Vingegaard.

Tim Wellens, a rider for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has claimed his first-ever stage win at the Tour de France, finishing Stage 15 on Sunday. The Belgian rider won the stage in a solo victory, beating Victor Campenaerts of Visma-Lease a Bike by 1 minute and 28 seconds. Julian Alaphilippe of Tudor Pro Cycling finished third, but mistakenly celebrated thinking he had won the stage [1].

Wellens' victory is a significant achievement for the Belgian rider, who has been a domestique in the past. The win marks the 113th stage victory in all three Grand Tours. This stage win is considered "very special" by Wellens, who stated that it is an opportunity not many riders get to experience [2].

The stage from Muret to Carcassonne was marked by a chaotic start with a crash in the peloton that affected several riders, including Alaphilippe and Lipowitz. Despite the early setback, Alaphilippe continued racing with a dislocated shoulder. The stage saw Wellens make a bold move, attacking with 27 miles to go and maintaining his lead throughout the descent and final climb [1].

The victory has had little impact on the overall standings. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar maintained his lead over Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13. Pogačar and his rivals were part of a large group that finished 6:07 behind Wellens. Despite the stage win, the general classification remains relatively unaffected [1].

References:
[1] https://www.espn.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/45782270/poga%C4%8Dar-teammate-tim-wellens-wins-tour-de-france-stage-15
[2] https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/tour-de-france/tim-wellens-claims-first-ever-tour-de-france-stage-win-in-a-solo-victory-on-stage-15