![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2094.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Simon YATES (TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.\nThe Soulor\u2019s Brutal Arithmetic<\/p>\n
The first categorized climb of the day\u201411.8 kilometers at 7.3%\u2014would prove to be the scene of the first major elimination. As Visma-Lease a Bike hit the front with characteristic ferocity, the race exploded into fragments. Michael Woods, the Canadian climber, soloed over the summit at kilometer 134.1, but the drama was unfolding behind him.<\/p>\n
Remco Evenepoel, the young Belgian who had arrived with podium ambitions, was already in distress halfway up the ascent. The 2022 Vuelta champion\u2019s legs felt heavy from the start, as he would later confess: \u201cI didn\u2019t have the best feeling from the very start of the race. Even on the flat sections, my legs felt heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n More shocking still was the sight of Ben Healy, the Irishman who had worn yellow with such panache, being distanced on the slopes. The EF Education-EasyPost rider, who had captured hearts with his fearless racing, was paying the price for his earlier efforts. \u201cChapeau to Ben Healy and EF for trying to defend the jersey,\u201d Poga\u010dar would later acknowledge.<\/p>\n At the summit, the damage was clear: Evenepoel trailed by 45 seconds, while Healy was already 2\u201945\u201d adrift. The yellow jersey was slipping away with each pedal stroke.<\/p>\n Armirail\u2019s Pyrenean Poetry<\/p>\n As the race descended toward the Col des Bord\u00e8res, Bruno Armirail made his move. The Frenchman from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, a son of the Pyrenees, accelerated away from his companions with the kind of local knowledge that can\u2019t be taught. \u201cI gave it everything on the Soulor and on the descent, on roads I know very well,\u201d he would later explain.<\/p>\n By the summit of the Col des Bord\u00e8res at kilometer 145.7, Armirail had opened a 50-second gap. The crowd roared their approval as he descended toward Hautacam, carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. \u201cI was cheered on the whole time I was alone. It was like a dream come true, just like last year when I took the lead on the Col du Tourmalet. I had goose bumps.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind him, the GC contenders regrouped on the descent, the brief respite allowing them to gather their strength for the final reckoning. But there would be no mercy on the slopes of Hautacam.<\/p>\n The Moment of Truth<\/p>\n As the road kicked upward toward the final climb, UAE Team Emirates-XRG moved to the front with surgical precision. The team that had dominated the spring classics was now showing their mountain credentials, with Jhonatan Narvaez setting a brutal pace that shed riders with each kilometer.<\/p>\n Then, with 12.5 kilometers to go, Narvaez delivered his leader perfectly. Poga\u010dar\u2019s acceleration was immediate and devastating. There was no gradual increase in pace, no warning signs\u2014just the sudden, violent snap of a rider transcending his limitations.<\/p>\n Nobody could follow. Not Vingegaard, despite his past mastery of this climb. Not Evenepoel, struggling with his own demons. Not any of the supposed contenders who had harbored hopes of victory. Armirail, caught and dropped in the space of a few hundred meters, could only watch as the Slovenian disappeared up the mountain.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the very first time I got to ride on that climb, I was looking forward to racing here and it came in the Tour de France 2022,\u201d Poga\u010dar would later reflect. \u201cAt the time, I was giving everything to get back the Yellow Jersey but Jumbo were too strong. I had almost already forgotten about this, I was just looking forward to today, but all the people came telling me it was revenge time and blah blah blah.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sweet Taste of Redemption<\/p>\n As Poga\u010dar powered toward the summit, his lead growing with each kilometer, the significance of the moment was not lost on him. This was the climb where he had lost 1\u201904\u201d to Vingegaard three years ago, where his Tour had effectively ended. Now, with each pedal stroke, he was rewriting that history.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we approached the bottom of the climb, it was the reverse story. It was one Belgian guy again on the front, but it was Tim [Wellens] and our team was setting the pace,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt was a really really hard day and I also had 2022 a bit in the back of my mind. But today we were on the happy side of history. We had this stage in mind for a long time. We did a super job with the team and I\u2019m super happy to win here and to take time on my rivals. Also, chapeau to Ben Healy and EF for trying to defend the jersey, and also Uno-X, who fought for their own GC.\u201d<\/p>\n The crash from the previous day seemed a distant memory as Poga\u010dar dominated the ascent. \u201cYou never know how the body reacts after a crash but it was not too bad a crash. I feel my hip only if I do acrobatics but here I\u2019m just riding my bike.\u201d<\/p>\n The Slovenian crossed the line with his arms raised, claiming his 20th stage victory, his eighth in the Pyrenees, and his first at Hautacam. More importantly, he had opened a gap of 2\u201910\u201d on Vingegaard, who could only manage second place, with Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe completing the podium at 2\u201921\u201d.<\/p>\n But the victory carried deeper meaning for the champion, who dedicated his triumph to Samuele Privitera, the young Italian cyclist who had passed away yesterday, after a crash during Giro della Valle d\u2019Aosta. \u201cThis victory also goes to Samuele [Privitera] and his family. [The news of him passing away] was the first thing I read in the morning and I was thinking about him in the last kilometres, and how tough this sport can be and how much pain it can cause.\u201d<\/p>\n As the dust settled on Hautacam, the Tour\u2019s hierarchy had been brutally reshuffled. Poga\u010dar had reclaimed the yellow jersey, building a lead of 3\u201931\u201d over Vingegaard in the general classification. Evenepoel, despite his struggles, held third at 4\u201945\u201d, while Healy\u2019s heroic stint in yellow had ended with a deficit of over 10 minutes.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar remained measured in victory, aware that the race was far from over. \u201cThe Tour is not over. Tomorrow there\u2019s also a time-trial and the next day is another difficult stage, ahead of some tricky days. We need to stay calm and continue with this pace.\u201d<\/p>\n The Belgian\u2019s assessment was stark: \u201cTadej was head and shoulders above everyone else today. There are still ten days of racing left, but he\u2019s taken a big step towards winning the Tour de France. Some teams rode today as if they were there to support him and UAE, which is not the right way to do things. The mentality needs to change, especially when the Yellow Jersey is already so far ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n For Evenepoel, the day had been a battle against himself as much as his rivals. \u201cI didn\u2019t have the best feeling from the very start of the race. Even on the flat sections, my legs felt heavy. On the climbs, I tried to find my rhythm and do a kind of 50-kilometre time trial. It was a long battle against myself, with my head and my legs. It\u2019s not that I raced smart \u2013 it was just the only way to race today, I couldn\u2019t race any other way. I fought with the Paris podium in mind. After all, the gaps to Tadej [Poga\u010dar] were very big, but with the others it was okay. I hope to be better tomorrow so I can do something with the time trial. I want to stay calm and, day by day, forget about this bad day.\u201d<\/p>\n Bruno Armirail, who had given the French fans something to cheer about with his bold attack, reflected on his day in the spotlight: \u201cOf course, I had marked this stage, but first I had to manage to break away. Then there were so many riders, and some very good ones, that I couldn\u2019t imagine getting away on my own. But I gave it everything on the Soulor and on the descent, on roads I know very well. I quickly felt that my legs were strong, so it was really enjoyable even though I didn\u2019t have much hope of winning the stage. I was cheered on the whole time I was alone. It was like a dream come true, just like last year when I took the lead on the Col du Tourmalet. I had goose bumps, but it would have been even better with the win.\u201d<\/p>\n The Frenchman was already thinking ahead to the next challenge: \u201cIt\u2019s true that we have a time trial tomorrow and I left some energy today, but it\u2019s a course where I won\u2019t be able to play a leading role anyway. Even though I\u2019m a good climber, I think I\u2019ll be more likely to finish in the top 10 or 15 than in the top 5. In any case, you have to take things as they come, day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n As the riders descended from Hautacam into the Pyrenean twilight, the ghosts of 2022 had been laid to rest. But in their place, new questions emerged: Could anyone challenge Poga\u010dar\u2019s supremacy? Would the mountains continue to favor the Slovenian? With ten days of racing remaining, the Tour de France was far from over, but the balance of power had shifted decisively on the slopes where champions are made and broken.<\/p>\n By the Numbers<\/p>\n 20: POGA\u010cAR EQUALS NICOLAS FRANTZ 2\u201910\u201d: POGA\u010cAR STRIKES BACK 3: LIPOWITZ FOR GERMANY 152: BRUNO SOLO 2009: BIG FIGHT WITHIN THE YOUNG RIDERS 7: HAUTACAM, A GOOD SIGN FOR POGA\u010cAR? 38: MICHAEL THE FIGHTER 6-0: VINGEGAARD\u2019S BLACK SHEEP 3: BACK IN YELLOW 17: IT WAS WRITTEN SOMEWHERE Stage 12 Results<\/p>\n Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) 4:21:19 General Classification<\/p>\n Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) 45:22:51 Jersey Holders<\/p>\n Yellow Jersey (General Classification): Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) (Visited 58 times, 61 visits today)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HAUTACAM, France (17 July 2025) \u2014 The ghosts of Hautacam had haunted Tadej Poga\u010dar for nearly three years.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1909,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85,2845],"class_list":["post-1908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-tour-de-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2088.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Michael WOODS (ISRAEL \u2013 PREMIER TECH) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2099.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Remco EVENEPOEL (SOUDAL QUICK-STEP) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2101.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Jhonatan NARVAEZ, Adam YATES, Tim WELLENS (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG)\u00a0\u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2104.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Tadej POGACAR, Jhonatan NARVAEZ (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2100.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Tim WELLENS (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250717TDF2111.jpg\")
<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Tadej POGACAR (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.
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<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Tadej POGACAR (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.
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<\/a>17\/07\/2025 \u2013 Tour de France 2025 \u2013 \u00c9tape 12 \u2013 Auch \/ Hautacam (180,6 km) \u2013 Tadej POGACAR (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG) \u2013 Photo \u00a9 A.S.O.
\nThe New Reality<\/p>\n
Tadej Poga\u010dar raises his arms for the 20th time on the Tour, tying Luxembourg\u2019s Nicolas Frantz for the 6th place among the riders with the most wins. His next target: the 22 victories of Frenchman Andr\u00e9 Darrigade. Tadej Poga\u010dar has now won at least 3 stages in 5 of his first 6 Tours. A record he shares with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Mark Cavendish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought about 2022\u2033, admitted Tadej Poga\u010dar after his victory. Three years ago, the stage that finished in Hautacam was won by Jonas Vingegaard with a 1\u201904\u201d lead over the Slovenian. He took his revenge at the same place by winning with a 2\u201910\u201d lead at the summit.<\/p>\n
Recently 2nd in Paris-Nice, Florian Lipowitz is competing in his first Tour and earned his first top-3 finish by being 3rd in Hautacam. He is the first German on the podium in a mountain stage since Lennard Kamna\u2019s victory in Villard-de-Lans in 2020 (stage 16).<\/p>\n
In the breakaway, Bruno Armirail then tried his luck by going solo, before being caught by Tadej Poga\u010dar. His 152-kilometer attempt earned him the combativity award for the second time in 2025, after being rewarded in stage 2. France already has 7 combativity awards in 2025 (Armirail x2, Matt\u00e9o Vercher x2, Lenny Martinez, Ewen Costiou, Mathieu Burgaudeau), as many as in 2020.<\/p>\n
The best young rider classification is fiercely contested. Remco Evenepoel now leads ahead of Florian Lipowitz (+49\u2033) and K\u00e9vin Vauquelin (+55\u2033). This is the first time the podium has been so close after 12 stages since 2009, 16 years ago! At the time, Tony Martin was in the lead ahead of Andy Schleck (+49\u2033) and Vincenzo Nibali (+54\u2033).<\/p>\n
This is the 7th time that a Tour finish has been judged in Hautacam, where Tadej Poga\u010dar had never won. The last winners here \u2013 Vincenzo Nibali in 2014 (stage 18), Jonas Vingegaard in 2022 (stage 18) \u2013 went on to win the Tour three days later, but they were already leading the general classification before the start. The last time the Yellow Jersey changed at Hautacam was in 2008, when Cadel Evans snatched it from Kim Kirchen. The Australian, however, lost it later.<\/p>\n
Michael Woods was first at the summit of the Col du Soulor. At 38 years, 9 months, and 5 days, he is the oldest rider to lead a Cat.1 climb since Jens Voigt at Mont Revard in 2013 \u2013 the German was 41 years, 10 months, and 3 days. In 2010, Christophe Moreau conquered the Col du Tourmalet and the Col d\u2019Aubisque (HC) at 39 years, 3 months and 8 days, a week after doing the same at the Col de la Colombi\u00e8re (Cat.1). They are the three oldest riders to have achieved these feats on such challenging summits since World War II.<\/p>\n
Jonas Vingegaard is now on a strike of 8 stage podiums without a victory. Six of these 8 podium finishes are 2nd place behind Tadej Poga\u010dar. The Slovenian leads the Dane 6-0 in their last doubles. Four in 2024 (Saint-Lary-Soulan, Plateau de Beille, Col de la Couillole, Nice) and two in 2025 (M\u00fbr-de-Bretagne, Hautacam). The 14th Poga\u010dar-Vingegaard Tour 1-2 (in either order) recorded today is a new record for two riders. The Slovenian has won 11 times ahead of the Dane, While Vingegaard has only won three times ahead of his black sheep.<\/p>\n
Since the start, Tadej Poga\u010dar had taken the Yellow Jersey twice, but also lost it twice. He took it for the third time today. The last rider to do so was Greg LeMond in 1989: the American wore the Yellow Jersey from stages 5 to 9, lost it to Laurent Fignon, then regained it for stages 15 and 16, lost it again to the Frenchman, before finally winning it on the final day. Only two other riders have experienced similar numbers: Andr\u00e9 Darrigade in 1956 (16th at the finish) and Eddy Merckx in 1974 (winner).<\/p>\n
This Thursday, July 17, marked Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2019s 117th stage. on the Tour. By winning for the 20th time, he has a 17% success rate!<\/p>\n
\nJonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +2:10
\nFlorian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:23
\nTobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +3:00
\nOscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +3:00
\nK\u00e9vin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +3:33
\nRemco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +3:35
\nFelix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) +4:02
\nPrimo\u017e Rogli\u010d (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +4:08
\nCarlos Rodriguez (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +7:26<\/p>\n
\nJonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +3:31
\nRemco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +4:45
\nFlorian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:34
\nK\u00e9vin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +5:40
\nOscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) +6:05
\nPrimo\u017e Rogli\u010d (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +7:3
\nTobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +7:44
\nFelix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) +9:21
\nMatteo Jorgenson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +12:12<\/p>\n
\nGreen Jersey (Points Classification): Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
\nPolka-dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
\nWhite Jersey (Best Young Rider): Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n