The end is near, and the overall win is, barring a Pogi disaster, essentially wrapped up. That doesn't mean that the closing stages of this year's Tour de France have been boring, however, with Milan trucking towards Paris in green and Visma doing their best over the last two mountain stages to force a comeback for the ages.

This episode sees Levy and Peter Cossins dig that idiotic fan trying to poach the stage 17 finish on his bike before a security guard knocked him into next week, and why Lenny Martinez (deservedly) lost the polka dot jersey after not one but three of the stickiest bottles.

They also get into Ben O'Connor's emotional win on top of Courchevel, and Thymen Arensman's big-brain moves that allowed him to barely beat Vingegaard and Pogacar to the line for his second solo masterpiece of the Tour.

Also, do you know how the French cows managed to shorten stage 19?

• Outrageously Sticky Bottles Bury the Polka Dot Dreams of Martinez at the Tour de France
• ‘All About Managing Your Efforts’: Ben O’Connor’s Resounding Queen Stage Win at Tour
• Tour de France Stage 19 Shortened Due to Contagious Disease Outbreak Amongst Local Cattle
• ‘I Ran Out of Energy’: Lipowitz and Red Bull’s Tactical Gamble Fails at Tour de France
• The Cruel Realities of Racing the Tour de France, the Hardest Endurance Event on the Planet
• UPDATE: More Sources Point to Evenepoel-Red Bull Move: Will the Blockbuster Deal Finally Happen?

See the latest from the Velo Podcast up now, or the latest from the Tour de France.

Further reading