Tadej Pogacar dedicates Tour de France win to teenaged Italian cyclist who died in crash
Privitera, 19, crashed during the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta in the Italian Alps. The Hagens Berman Jayco rider reportedly came off his bike during a descent, losing his helmet and colliding with a gate. He was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
After pulling away from the rest of his rivals to win atop the towering Hautacam climb in the Pyrenees on Thursday, reclaiming the yellow jersey in the process, Pogacar paid tribute to Privitera.
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 17:32
Poor old Ben Healy had a great run but his stint in yellow is over. He’s crossed the line 13’38” down on Pogacar, falling down to 11th on GC, 13’19” down.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 17:25
Once again Visma’s tactics will come in for some fierce scrutiny now. As Pete Kennaugh points out on ITV4, why was Wout van Aert wasting energy in the break yesterday, when this stage was so crucial? Why did Visma pile on the pressure on the Col du Soulor, at the expense of their three most crucial mountain domestiques? Was the decision to snap away at Pogacar throughout the opening week with constant little attacks, in fact severely short-sighted?
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 17:12
Pogacar dedicates stage 12 win to late 19-year-old cyclist
“We did a super job, the team rode really well, chapeau also to Ben Healy and EF, they showed really big spirit and also Uno-X they fight for their own GC, it was hard today for everybody. But in the end we were super strong. We had this stage in mind for a long time,” Pogacar continues.
He now dedicates the win to Samuele Privitera, a 19-year-old rider for Jayco-AlUla’s development team, Hagens Berman Jayco, who died yesterday after a fall on the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, an under-23s race in Italy.
“This stage can go for Samuele, to all his family. It was really sad, it was the first thing I read in the morning, and I was thinking in the last kilometre about him and how tough this sport can be, and how much pain it can cause.” Well said.
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 17:07
Let’s hear from the stage winner and new yellow jersey. Pogacar is asked about revenge on the same climb he was hammered by Vingegaard in 2022.
“I knew the first time I rode Hautacam that it’s a super nice climb, I was always looking forward to ride this climb,” he says. “Then it came in ‘22, I was trying with my head through the wall to get back the yellow jersey but Jumbo was too strong back then. I almost forgot about this, I was looking forward to today, then all the people were coming to me saying this is the revenge time, blah blah blah.
“Then when we approached the bottom of the climb it was just reverse story of a few days ago, one Belgian guy on the front, our team in the front, I’m super happy to take time and to win on this climb.” He’s referring to Wout van Aert, who was the key domestique for Visma back then (as he is now), and now Tim Wellens, riding for UAE.
Asked about how he’s feeling after yesterday’s crash, he says, “For sure you don’t know how the body reacts after the crash. But it was not a bad crash, I feel my hip only if I do acrobatics but here I’m just riding the bike, not flexing.”
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 17:02
Stage 12 resultsTadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), in 4:21:19Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +2’10”Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +2’23”Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +3’00”Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), +3’00”Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels), +3’33”Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +3’35”Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), +4’02”Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +4’08”Cristian Rodriguez (Arkea – B&B Hotels) +7’26”
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 16:56
Vingegaard crosses the line 2’11” back, with Lipowitz barely 10 seconds off his pace.
Onley sprints with Johannessen for fourth place and it’s the Norwegian who takes it; further back, Vauquelin beats Evenepoel in a mini-sprint too.
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 16:50
Pogacar has more than got his revenge for his defeat on Hautacam in 2022. The tables are turned, the roles are reversed, and the Slovenian reigns supreme over this Tour de France.
He doesn’t even celebrate at the line, powering to the top, eking out every second he can get.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 16:47
1.6km to go: Evenepoel gesticulates angrily at a fan who waves a giant flag right in his face. Don’t behave like idiots, people.
Up ahead, Pogacar has the energy and consciousness to tell a camera motorbike passing him that he’s got a fan’s cardboard sign stuck to the bike.
The flamme rouge is in sight for the defending champion.
Further down the mountain, Lipowitz is hauling back Vingegaard: he’s only around 35 seconds behind him now.
Flo Clifford17 July 2025 16:43