Australian Ben O'Connor has claimed Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France, taking down current race leader Tadej Pogačar.
In his first stage win since 2021, O'Connor won the notorious Alpine Mountain stage, standing alone atop the Col de la Loze.
The victory sees the Aussie move into the top ten, trailing the leader Pogačar by just over 29 minutes.
Australian Ben O'Connor claims victory in 'brutal' Tour de France mountain stage
Ben O'Connor is once more a Tour de France victor, winning Stage 18 early Friday Australian time.
Through 171.5 km across the Alpines, O'Connor beat out the competition to claim glory, a return to form for the Aussie who finished fourth overall in the 2021 Tour de France.
"Putting your hands in the air is an extraordinary thing. It was about time for me being an Aussie rider in an Aussie team," O'Connor said after the win.
"I had to go from the bottom of the valley before the last climb. It was the only way to beat them.
"[The TDF is] a pretty cruel race, I've just found myself on the deck in the first two days a few times, but not really for my own fault. Stage one here, it wasn't my fault. I was just taken out.
"In Copenhagen [in 2022], same thing: sprint finish, crash in front of me, nowhere to go. And then you had the crash in 2021.
"So the first couple days really haven't treated me well at all in this race before.
"Getting it done today means a lot to me, I'm very proud of myself and very proud of the team."
O'Connor and the rest of the Tour de France field are now just three days from the finale in Paris, with Pogačar looking more and more likely to finish with the yellow jersey.