{"id":3169,"date":"2025-07-17T16:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T16:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/3169\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T16:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T16:03:11","slug":"as-it-happened-huge-time-gaps-as-gc-race-ignites-on-the-hautacam-at-stage-12-of-the-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/3169\/","title":{"rendered":"As it happened: huge time gaps as GC race ignites on the Hautacam at stage 12 of the Tour de France."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Refresh <\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:57:20.916Z<\/p>\n<p>We might have seen this kind of performance from Poga\u010dar a lot in recent years, but that was something else. His winning margin of 2:10 over Vingegaard is his biggest ever at a Grand Tour, improving upon the 2:07 he won the final mountain stage of last year\u2019s Giro d\u2019Italia.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:53:39.494Z<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.60%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/yt8HEuGZ52MnUyaykX28MA.jpg\" alt=\"Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates celebrates after winning stage 12 of the 2025 Tour de France cycling, from Auch to Hautacam (181 km), on Thursday 17 July 2025 in France. The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday 5 July in Lille, France, and will finish in Paris, France on the 27th of July. BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM (Photo by DIRK WAEM \/ BELGA MAG \/ Belga via AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/yt8HEuGZ52MnUyaykX28MA.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/yt8HEuGZ52MnUyaykX28MA.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:51:55.645Z<\/p>\n<p>Gall comes home 8th, while Rogli\u010d is further down in 9th. The Slovenian lost a lot of ground during the second half of the mountain.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:51:02.268Z<\/p>\n<p>Now Vauqueling arrives at the line with Evenepoel to take 6th and 7th respectively.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:49:57.673Z<\/p>\n<p>Johannessen outsprints Onley for fourth place, having caught up to the Scot earlier.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:49:13.107Z<\/p>\n<p>Lipowitz is only just behind him, coming home at 2:22.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:48:50.741Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard reaches the top, mouth open gasping for air. He&#8217;s lost 2:10 to the new yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:47:35.454Z<\/p>\n<p>All eyes now on Vingegaard, who looks to be really suffering.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:47:08.380Z<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s done it again! Win number three of this year&#8217;s Tour, 20 of his Tour career and 102 of his whole career. Poga\u010dar is simply unstoppable.<\/p>\n<p>POGACAR WINS<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:46:19.333Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar&#8217;s nearly at the finish, while Vingegaard is only just riding under the 1km go go banner.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:45:24.534Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar has looked super-human again, but it does at least look like he\u2019s trying &#8211; he\u2019s gurning as he nears the top of the mountain, and beginning to rock from side to side. He\u2019s putting everything into this.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:44:33.366Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar moves under the flamme rouge with a 1:55 lead ahead of Vingegaard.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:43:45.872Z<\/p>\n<p>Lipowitz has dropped Onley and is 20 seconds ahead of him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:43:19.038Z<\/p>\n<p>The roles have been well and truly reversed from the Hautacam three years ago, when Vingegaard dropped Poga\u010dar to all but seal victory at the 2022 Tour.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:42:00.442Z<\/p>\n<p>1:40 for Poga\u010dar now, with 2km left to ride.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:41:17.522Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel makes contact with one of the many flags being flown on the roadside, and gestures to the fan in annoyance.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:39:05.566Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard is beginning to go backwards now. Onley and Lipowitz are back to within 45 seconds of him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:38:39.293Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar&#8217;s lead grows to 1:30, with 3km left to climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:37:57.860Z<\/p>\n<p>Huge crowds greet Poga\u010dar as he continues to motor up the mountain.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:37:16.599Z<\/p>\n<p>Onley has dragged himself back to Lipowitz&#8217;s wheel. These two riders are third and fourth on the road, and really proving that they&#8217;re the real deal after an impressive first half of the Tour.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:36:28.313Z<\/p>\n<p>Lipowitz has dropped Onley.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:35:41.027Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard is visibily suffering now. His deficit has grown to 1:20.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:34:23.075Z<\/p>\n<p>Still Poga\u010dar&#8217;s lead over Vingegaard increases, now up to 1:10.<\/p>\n<p>5KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:33:38.510Z<\/p>\n<p>Lipowitz attacks again, and this time has gone clear with Onley.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:33:17.482Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel has caught and passed Vauqulin. He&#8217;s riding his own tempo and limiting his losses.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:32:47.064Z<\/p>\n<p>Onley, Johannessen and Rogli\u010d have managed to stay with Lipowitz.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:31:18.988Z<\/p>\n<p>Attack from Lipowitz in the chase group.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:30:52.799Z<\/p>\n<p>Vauquelin has been dropped from the chase group, and Evenepoel is about to catch him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:29:29.841Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard might be well off Pog\u2019s level, but he\u2019s also climbing much quicker than the rest. He\u2019s almost a minute ahead of the 3rd group on the road.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:28:38.830Z<\/p>\n<p>Almost a minute now for Poga\u010dar over Vingegaard, with just over 6km left to climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:28:03.009Z<\/p>\n<p>Everyone in this chase group is 25 or younger, with the exception of the 35-year-old Rogli\u010d.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:26:15.855Z<\/p>\n<p>Jorgenson is one of the day\u2019s big losers. He\u2019s somewhere further down the mountain.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:25:41.185Z<\/p>\n<p>The five-man Rogli\u010d chase group is 1:37 behind Poga\u010dar, while Evenepoel is coming back to them, just a few seconds behind, with Gall on his wheel.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:24:36.168Z<\/p>\n<p>Over 40 seconds now for Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:24:19.010Z<\/p>\n<p>Vauquelin has made it into the Rogli\u010d chase group. The Frenchman is battling hard and looking great yet again.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:21:35.216Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard is losing more ground, now nearly 30 seconds behind. This could be a huge blow in the race for the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:20:52.822Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is 20 seconds behind that group.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:20:26.978Z<\/p>\n<p>Behind Vingegaard, Rogli\u010d, Lipowitz, Onley, Gall and Johannessen have formed a group, about 15 seconds behind.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:19:17.203Z<\/p>\n<p>Clearly Poga\u010dar is suffering no after-effects from this crash yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:18:39.881Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard is losing some ground. He&#8217;s 13 seconds behind now.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:17:10.152Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar catches and passes Armirail. The difference in speed is remarkable.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:16:42.755Z<\/p>\n<p>Vingegaard can still see his rival, but he\u2019s about 10 seconds behind.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:16:07.299Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar accelerated to drop Vingegaard, but the Dane is digging deep. There\u2019 s still 11.5km left to climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:15:21.101Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard are the only riders able to stay with Narv\u00e1ez, and now the Slovenian attacks and drops them both!<\/p>\n<p>POGACAR ATTACKS<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:14:12.435Z<\/p>\n<p>Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez has taken over from Wellens, and accelerates&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:13:35.754Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel has been dropped again. This mountain will be a case of him limiting his losses &#8211; how bad will the damage be?<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:12:58.640Z<\/p>\n<p>Kuss has also been dropped. Vingegaard is left with just Jorgenson.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:12:29.664Z<\/p>\n<p>Riders are being dropped on the mountain straight away &#8211; including Simon Yates.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:11:39.686Z<\/p>\n<p>Wellens leads the peloton on the mountain, 1:30 later.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:10:20.271Z<\/p>\n<p>Armitail has started climbing the Hautacam. He&#8217;s in for a world of pain!<\/p>\n<p>HAUTACAM<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:07:05.249Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail is taking a bidon from his car. This has been a fine ride, but 2 minutes doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019ll be enough on a mountain as hard as the Hautacam.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:03:47.248Z<\/p>\n<p>That quartet has been caught, leaving Armirail as the only rider left in front of the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:03:06.425Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail has 2 minutes on the peloton, which is about to catch Skjelmose, Storer, Rubio and Woods.<\/p>\n<p>20KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T15:01:18.358Z<\/p>\n<p>There are now about 20 riders in the peloton, including all of the top ten (apart from Healy) now Evenepoel has rejoined.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:59:59.563Z<\/p>\n<p>Just 10km to go until the riders begin the first hors category climb of the race.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:59:17.983Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail seems to be the only breakaway rider still in with a chance of winning this stage. He\u2019s 2:15 ahead of the peloton, while the chase group behind is just 25 seconds ahead.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:57:13.633Z<\/p>\n<p>UAE also have Narv\u00e1ez in the peloton as well as Wellens and Adam Yates to support Poga\u010dar. The virtual yellow jersey looks very well protected.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:56:02.966Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail is on a real flyer today. He\u2019s grown his lead to 1:30. He may pay for his efforts come the mighty finishing climb, however.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:55:19.801Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is back! Now it&#8217;s just the small matter of the Hautacam for him to survive.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:53:22.559Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is almost back in the peloton\u2026<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:52:53.805Z<\/p>\n<p>The peloton is now being led by Wellens, who has dropped back from the break.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:52:25.762Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail leads the chasers by 1 minute still, while the peloton is 2:20 behind.<\/p>\n<p>30KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:51:42.880Z<\/p>\n<p>Ben Healy has his EF teammate Sweeny with him, here handing him a bidon as he suffers in the heat and on the uphills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/xLyDJMei8Yu9rQmHq36aES.jpg\" alt=\"HAUTACAM, FRANCE - JULY 17: (L-R) Harry Sweeny of Australia and Ben Healy of Ireland and Team EF Education - EasyPost - Yellow leader jersey compete during the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 12 a 180.6km stage from Auch to Hautacam 1519m \/ #UCIWT \/ on July 17, 2025 in Hautacam, France. (Photo by Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/xLyDJMei8Yu9rQmHq36aES.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/xLyDJMei8Yu9rQmHq36aES.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:48:55.416Z<\/p>\n<p>Adam Yates has taken over at the front of the peloton for his UAE, now his twin bother and rival Simon is finished.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:48:21.246Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is fighting to save his GC hopes. He\u2019s just 25 seconds behind the peloton, as they reach the top of the climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:47:27.659Z<\/p>\n<p>Simon Yates is finished. He\u2019s been dropped, and already caught by Evenepoel, and sat himself on the Belgian\u2019s wheel.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:46:56.781Z<\/p>\n<p>Skjelmose is 2nd to the top followed by Storer, then Woods and Ruibo just behind. They&#8217;re a whole minute behind Armirail though.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:46:10.126Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail leads the race over the climb.<\/p>\n<p>KOM &#8211; COL DES BORDERES<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:45:35.119Z<\/p>\n<p>Jorgenson hasn&#8217;t given up, and has dragged himself back into the peloton, which only consists of about 15 riders.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:44:14.722Z<\/p>\n<p>Simon Yates is pressing on for Visma despite Jorgenson being dropped.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:43:53.183Z<\/p>\n<p>Vauquelin is back in the peloton, having been dropped earlier.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:43:20.400Z<\/p>\n<p>Jorgenson has been dropped out of the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:42:58.436Z<\/p>\n<p>At the front, Armirail has built a big lead of over 30 seconds over Skjelmose, Woods and Storer. He&#8217;s flying today, on terrain you wouldn&#8217;t expect him to.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:41:53.388Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is inching his way back &#8211; he&#8217;s now about 25 seconds behind the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:40:54.085Z<\/p>\n<p>The riders are climbing the penultimate climb of the day the category three Col des Bord\u00e8res (3.3km ay 8.1%).<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:39:21.252Z<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/9imQ8g57mDnX6ZpnmnKBme.jpg\" alt=\"The lead breakaway cycles in the ascent of Col du Soulor during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/9imQ8g57mDnX6ZpnmnKBme.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/9imQ8g57mDnX6ZpnmnKBme.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:37:16.045Z<\/p>\n<p>Armirail has attacked and now leads the race alone.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:36:49.226Z<\/p>\n<p>As they descend, Woods has been joined by Skjelmose and Armirail at the front. They lead the peloton by about 2 minutes &#8211; will that be enough for them to have a chance of the stage win?<\/p>\n<p>40KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:35:21.389Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel passed Healy at some point on that climb, and is still within a minute of the peloton. Could yet he make it back into the peloton and save his Tour? If it&#8217;s the heat he&#8217;s suffering with rather than his legs, he might yet be able to recover.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:33:34.918Z<\/p>\n<p>At last Healy reaches the top, 2:45 after the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:30:34.318Z<\/p>\n<p>Visma lead the 14-man peloton over the summit, two minutes after Woods.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:29:07.440Z<\/p>\n<p>Skjelmose reaches the summit 5 seconds later, then the group of Rubio Armirail and Storer about 15 seconds behind.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:28:23.499Z<\/p>\n<p>Woods reaches the summit. That&#8217;s the first long climbing effort of this Tour done.<\/p>\n<p>KOM &#8211; COL DU SOULOR<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:27:46.419Z<\/p>\n<p>Woods is nearing the summit of the climb, where he should take all the KOM points.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:26:12.242Z<\/p>\n<p>Storer, Armirail and Rubio are in a group behind Skjelmose.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:25:16.031Z<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s got a gap. Skjelmose is the 2nd rider on the road, about five seconds behind.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:24:34.720Z<\/p>\n<p>Back at the front, Woods has put in a big attack.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:24:06.120Z<\/p>\n<p>The make up of the front group is: Poga\u010dar, Adam Yates, another UAE rider, Vingegaard, Kuss, Simon Yates, Jorgenson, Roglic, Lipowitz, Onley, Johannessen, Gall, and two other riders.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:22:53.576Z<\/p>\n<p>K\u00e9vin Vauquelin is not among the riders in the peloton. He must have been dropped.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:21:21.945Z<\/p>\n<p>The &#8216;peloton&#8217; is down to just 14 riders.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:20:37.796Z<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar still has a couple of teammates with him in the group of favourites.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:19:51.249Z<\/p>\n<p>That Evenepoel gap is back to the yellow jersey group &#8211; he&#8217;s actually over a minute behind the Pogacar\/Vingegaard group. This is looking very bad for the Belgian.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:18:54.836Z<\/p>\n<p>An update on Evenepoel &#8211; he&#8217;s now 40 seconds behind the peloton. He hasn&#8217;t cracked completely, but is slowly losing time.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:18:23.587Z<\/p>\n<p>The front group is getting bigger, with Storer and Rubio joining them.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:17:52.538Z<\/p>\n<p>Visma have regrouped and are leading the peloton again, with Yates, Kuss and Jorgenson all with Vingegaard.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:17:08.356Z<\/p>\n<p>This climb is throwing up all kinds of surprises. Few of the elite climbers on paper you\u2019d expect to have been the strongest in the mountain are at the front of the race.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:16:26.170Z<\/p>\n<p>Aur\u00e9lien Paret-Peintre has made his way to the front group, to join his Decathlon teammate Armirail.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:15:10.953Z<\/p>\n<p>Vima have slowed down, to allow Jorgenson to rejoin.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:14:44.342Z<\/p>\n<p>At the front, Skjelmose has Woods and Armirail with him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:14:16.764Z<\/p>\n<p>Jorgenson has also been dropped, despite Visma setting the pace. This is carnage!<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:13:43.193Z<\/p>\n<p>The yellow jersey has been dropped out of the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>BEN HEALY DROPPED<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:13:11.014Z<\/p>\n<p>Back at the front, Skjelmose has attacked. He&#8217;s clearly not struggling in the heat, despite losing time yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:12:31.863Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is with his team car taking a bidon. It&#8217;s very hot out there &#8211; perhaps he suffering in the heat?<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:11:17.601Z<\/p>\n<p>The peloton is down to just more than 20 riders. Evenepoel is the only rider from the top ten missing.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:10:23.319Z<\/p>\n<p>Enric Mas has now been dropped out the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:10:00.550Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel has Soudal teammate Van Wilder with him to pace him, but&#8217;s losing more ground slowly. He&#8217;s now 25 seconds down.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:07:32.481Z<\/p>\n<p>This is looking bad for Evenepoel. He&#8217;s 20 seconds down.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:07:16.119Z<\/p>\n<p>Benoot is the rider leading the peloton, having dropped back from the breakaway.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:06:59.232Z<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Visma who are still setting the pace, but it\u2019s still a large peloton, featuring perhaps around 30 riders &#8211; including the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:06:24.637Z<\/p>\n<p>News must be filtering through &#8211; we can see Poga\u010dar talking on the team radio.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:05:43.346Z<\/p>\n<p>A big development in the GC race, as Remco Evenepoel is dropped out the back of the peloton!<\/p>\n<p>EVENEPOEL DROPPED<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:05:00.699Z<\/p>\n<p>And now even Ben O\u2019Connor is dropped. On paper he was arguably the strongest climber in this group, so that\u2019s a big surprise.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:04:29.139Z<\/p>\n<p>Martin is the latest strong climber dropped from the break. That&#8217;s another disappointment for the French.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:03:45.937Z<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually Laurance rather than Arensman doing the work for Ineos. Rodr\u00edguez should still have Arensman to work for him once Laurance is done.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:02:34.519Z<\/p>\n<p>Bad news for Lenny Martinez, who\u2019s also been dropped. His polka-dot jersey is now under threat.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T14:02:07.427Z<\/p>\n<p>Arensman is leading the break for his Ineos leader Carlos Rodr\u00edguez. Buchmann is one of the riders dropped as a result.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:59:51.730Z<\/p>\n<p>Alaphilippe has been dropped out of the break. He isn&#8217;t quite climbing well enough at this Tour to compete in a stage like today&#8217;s, despite his form at the Tour de Suisse.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:58:19.650Z<\/p>\n<p>Here come Visma-Lease a Bike! They take over at the front of the peloton as they start the mountains, in a long line led by Campanaerts.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:57:43.469Z<\/p>\n<p>The break has already been halved, with only about 25 riders left.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:57:15.126Z<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile in the peloton, Marc Soler takes over for UAE as they near the start of the climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:56:15.794Z<\/p>\n<p>It averages a tough 7.6%, but it&#8217;s the fact it&#8217;s 11.8km long that makes it different from anything the riders have faced so far at this Tour.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:55:30.176Z<\/p>\n<p>Here we go, the breakaway riders are officially on the climb!<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:55:07.911Z<\/p>\n<p>He hasn&#8217;t lasted long though, swinging off just as they&#8217;re about to start the climb.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:54:44.548Z<\/p>\n<p>Now Schmid takes over for Jacyo, still looking fresh despite his efforts finishing second-place yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:53:48.012Z<\/p>\n<p>Durbridge is working on the front for O\u2019Connor, dropping riders including Van der Poel.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:52:43.865Z<\/p>\n<p>The breakaway group is shedding riders on the foothills of the climb. Many of the non-climbers and those who have done the pace-seeing have been dropped already.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:52:06.660Z<\/p>\n<p>The gap has gone up on the approach to the climb. As they near the start, it\u2019s risen to over two minutes.<\/p>\n<p>60KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:50:00.801Z<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/XW7yF4PdmGCPe46irFfvfj.jpg\" alt=\"The pack of riders (peloton) cycles during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/XW7yF4PdmGCPe46irFfvfj.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/XW7yF4PdmGCPe46irFfvfj.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:48:54.355Z<\/p>\n<p>Excitement is building. We\u2019ll soon be climbing the Col du Soulor, which is the first mountain of this year\u2019s race. The Tour de France proper is about to get underway!<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:42:50.403Z<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s Jonas Vingegaard riding in the peloton. While he and Visma went along with Ben Healy\u2019s call to wait for Poga\u010dar yesterday, you imagine they must be planning to test the Slovenian\u2019s shape in the aftermath of that fall today. Will they wait until the Hautacam, or try something on this upcoming mountain?<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/bA3y3qQDmav7z96yqxtUJj.jpg\" alt=\"Team Visma - Lease a bike team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard cycles in the ascent of Cote de Labatmale during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/bA3y3qQDmav7z96yqxtUJj.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/bA3y3qQDmav7z96yqxtUJj.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:40:01.502Z<\/p>\n<p>The road has started to go uphill a little, as we near the official start of the mountain. Still the gap remains 1:45.<\/p>\n<p>70KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:30:37.865Z<\/p>\n<p>For an idea of just how big this break is &#8211; you can pretty much see all of the 51 riders present in this image here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MdQtrdizG2vZnyBD9gYLBB.jpg\" alt=\"Tudor Pro Cycling Team's Italian rider Matteo Trentin (L) leads the pack of riders (peloton) during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MdQtrdizG2vZnyBD9gYLBB.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MdQtrdizG2vZnyBD9gYLBB.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:27:18.052Z<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re still in the same holding pattern, with the gap remaining at 1:45. That&#8217;s likely to change when they start climbing the category one Col du Soulor in about 20km, the foothills of which they&#8217;re approaching now.<\/p>\n<p>80KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:23:06.191Z<\/p>\n<p>That moves Van der Poel up to second place in the points classification. If he continues to pursue it from now until Paris, he could pose a real threat to Milan\u2019s green jersey. Here are the updated rankings:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">1 Milan 231<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">2 Van der Poel 173<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">3 Poga\u010dar 163<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">4 Girmay 154<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">5 Merlier 150<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:21:17.519Z<\/p>\n<p>Rex won the sprint for the 20 points, but Van der Poel finished ahead of Lidl&#8217;s Nys to take 17 points for himself.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:20:35.583Z<\/p>\n<p>Yes he does &#8211; it was a sprint between himself and Laurenz Rex (on behalf of Girmay) and one of the Lidl-Trek riders (on behalf of Milan).<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:19:06.952Z<\/p>\n<p>The intermediate sprint is coming up, in less than a kilometre. With Van der Poel go for the points?<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:18:09.836Z<\/p>\n<p>Fred Wright moves to the front to take the one KOM point. Curiously, his teammate and rider in the polka-dot jersey, Lenny Martinez, did not make a move to take the point &#8211; perhaps he&#8217;s resting himself to ensure he&#8217;s in the mix to take the greater number of points available on the later, bigger summits today.<\/p>\n<p>KOM &#8211; CORE DE LABATMALE<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:14:33.704Z<\/p>\n<p>As they climb, the break leads by 1:45.<\/p>\n<p>90KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:14:10.750Z<\/p>\n<p>The riders are climbing up a categorised hill for the first time &#8211; but it\u2019s small fry compared to what\u2019s to come. This C\u00f4te de Labatmale climbs for only 1.3km at 6.8%.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:09:47.550Z<\/p>\n<p>Coquard is back up and riding, but has a lot of ground to make up to get into the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:09:23.706Z<\/p>\n<p>Swift was the Ineos rider, and he hasn\u2019t pressed on, and is back in the group. That might be a sign that cohesion is breaking down a little.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:08:23.284Z<\/p>\n<p>Some movement in the front group, as one of the Ineos riders accelerates and gets a gap.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:07:28.612Z<\/p>\n<p>Bryan Coquard has a problem, seemingly with his wrist. We haven\u2019t seen him go down, but he\u2019s had to stop and drop out of the break, while a medic sees to him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T13:01:51.462Z<\/p>\n<p>Still the gap remains the same, at 1:45 as we move into the second half of the stage.<\/p>\n<p>100KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:57:08.328Z<\/p>\n<p>With the gap still hovering at just below 2 minutes, Carlos Rodr\u00edguez has jumped two places on the virtual GC from 12th to 10th, leapfrogging Gall and Johannessen.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:55:15.392Z<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s Ben Healy, enjoying what will surely be his last day in the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UQgAfiPkpiVs6L58GUqfDC.jpg\" alt=\"EF Education - EasyPost team's Irish rider Ben Healy wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey cycles with the pack of riders (peloton) during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UQgAfiPkpiVs6L58GUqfDC.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UQgAfiPkpiVs6L58GUqfDC.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:49:44.762Z<\/p>\n<p>The gap&#8217;s gone up a bit, to 1:40. This fight is going to go on for a long time, with domestiques being used up before the climbing starts come the final phase of the race.<\/p>\n<p>110KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:46:41.642Z<\/p>\n<p>Tadej Poga\u010dar is also now at the team car for something &#8211; nothing medical, however. He&#8217;s looking fine on that front.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:45:24.022Z<\/p>\n<p>The advantage is swinging towards the peloton. The gap\u2019s going down, and is now back to nearly 1:30.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:42:03.482Z<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is getting paced back into the peloton by Eenkhoorn, having dropped back to his team car. He looks relaxed.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:36:48.097Z<\/p>\n<p>Still the gap remains about the same, at 1:45. The pace is very high, with both the lead group and the peloton riding hard.<\/p>\n<p>120KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:31:20.588Z<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no sign that Tadej Poga\u010dar is suffering from his fall yesterday. The real tests are to come later, however, where we&#8217;ll really see how he&#8217;s feeling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3y3Nmg9oiuabzL5KvoRCFd.jpg\" alt=\"UAE Team Emirate - XRG team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar cycles with the pack of riders (peloton) during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3y3Nmg9oiuabzL5KvoRCFd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3y3Nmg9oiuabzL5KvoRCFd.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:26:33.748Z<\/p>\n<p>In terms of the King of the Mountains classification, Lenny Martinez has a chance to extend his lead having gotten into the break. There are a lot of points on offer, with a category four, two, one and hors climbs on the menu.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:25:01.220Z<\/p>\n<p>Only one team has missed the break completely &#8211; Picnic PostNL. This move is also dangerous for their GC man, Oscar Onley, but there\u2019s no sign of them working in the peloton for now.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:24:20.750Z<\/p>\n<p>The race is in a holding pattern for now, with the break&#8217;s lead hovering at just under two minutes.<\/p>\n<p>130KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:20:46.805Z<\/p>\n<p>Mathieu van der Poel is also, yet again, in the break. This surely won\u2019t be another stage win for the Dutchman, but he does have the chance to pick up some points at the intermediate sprint if he fancies it. None of his green jersey rivals are present in the group.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:18:57.896Z<\/p>\n<p>The peloton, which is still being led by EF, Uno-X Mobility and UAE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pinVt2ZZp3wrMK7MV8CkQA.jpg\" alt=\"Uno-X Mobility team's Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund (C) cycles ahead of the pack of riders (peloton) alongside Lidl - Trek team's Italian rider Jonathan Milan wearing the best sprinter's green jersey (4th R) and UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's German rider Nils Politt (3rd R) during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pinVt2ZZp3wrMK7MV8CkQA.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pinVt2ZZp3wrMK7MV8CkQA.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:17:01.377Z<\/p>\n<p>Pablo Castrillo has had a puncture. He\u2019s one of three Movistar riders in the break who might fancy their chances of a stage win, along with Rubio and Romeo.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:14:45.280Z<\/p>\n<p>The peloton has managed to peg the gap again at 1:50. They\u2019re just about keeping this in control, but it feels perilous.<\/p>\n<p>140KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:10:35.255Z<\/p>\n<p>While Ineos have five riders in the break, three teams have four riders: Cofidis, Tudor and Bahrain, including their respective leaders Martin, Alaphilippe and Buitrago.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:08:02.405Z<\/p>\n<p>Ineos leading the big breakaway group. This could be a potentially great day for them, if they can propel Rodr\u00edguez back into the top ten on GC, and possibly higher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:72.07%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/KNTEzsU4StDieGkaUnB2FU.jpg\" alt=\"HAUTACAM, FRANCE - JULY 17: (L-R) Connor Swift of Great Britain and Tobias Foss of Norway and Team INEOS Grenadiers during the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 12 a 180.6km stage from Auch to Hautacam 1519m \/ #UCIWT \/ on July 17, 2025 in Hautacam, France. (Photo by Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/KNTEzsU4StDieGkaUnB2FU.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/KNTEzsU4StDieGkaUnB2FU.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:06:01.252Z<\/p>\n<p>The front group is still moving quicker than the peloton. Thor lead has grown to 1:50.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:05:19.178Z<\/p>\n<p>EF are also working with UAE and Uno-X Mobility at the front of the peloton. Healy has a negligible chance of keeping the yellow jersey today, but the team still feel obliged to ride in its defence nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:03:24.947Z<\/p>\n<p>Each of the top three GC teams have one rider in the break &#8211; Benoot for Visma, Wellens for UAE, and Schachmann for Soudal-QuickStep.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T12:02:30.037Z<\/p>\n<p>Uno-X Mobility are back at the front of the peloton leading the chase. They are presumably working for Tobias Halland Johannessen, whose 10th place on GC is under threat from this group.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:59:57.421Z<\/p>\n<p>Politt\u2019s work has pegged the gap at 1:30, but there\u2019s still a great deal of cohesion in the lead group, with other teams working with Ineos at the front.<\/p>\n<p>150KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:59:11.061Z<\/p>\n<p>As well as having the most dangerous GC man, Ineos are also the best represented in this group with five riders &#8211; Swift, Foss, Laurance and Arensman are there with Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:57:39.332Z<\/p>\n<p>Now Nils Politt takes over at the front of the peloton for UAE, as the deficit reaches 1:30.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:56:07.600Z<\/p>\n<p>Back in the peloton, it\u2019s Uno-X Mobility who are leading, rather than any of the major GC teams. It seems UAE and Visma aren\u2019t worried about the threat posed by Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:55:06.345Z<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s lots of collaboration in this front group. Ineos are especially keen, pressing on with their GC leader Carlos Rodr\u00edguez present.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:53:45.487Z<\/p>\n<p>After Carlos Rodr\u00edguez, the next highest ranked rider on GC in the break is Guillame Martin (10:44 down), followed by O\u2019Connor (who is 11:50) and Skjelmose (12:45).<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:51:21.361Z<\/p>\n<p>And the gap continues to grow &#8211; it\u2019s now up to one minute.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:50:11.919Z<\/p>\n<p>This group has a decent gap, too, of about 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>160KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:49:51.186Z<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of quality climbers, and therefore potential stage winners, also present, who aren\u2019t threats on GC. Such as: Ben O\u2019Connor, Thymen Arensman, Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago, Michael Storer and Aleksandr Vlasov.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:48:00.131Z<\/p>\n<p>Carlos Rodr\u00edguez is in this front group. He\u2019s 12th on GC, at 5:44.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:46:51.634Z<\/p>\n<p>This front group seems to be about 50 riders big. Is it the peloton, or a breakaway group? It\u2019s certainly big enough to the former, but has none of the main GC riders in it &#8211; at least who have been spotted yet.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:45:45.323Z<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s been a split in the peloton, with a big group slipping off the front. It seems the main GC contenders are in the peloton behind.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:42:35.112Z<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s brought back quickly, but several counter moves are made in response.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:41:02.291Z<\/p>\n<p>The attacks stopped for a moment, but Victor Campanaerts has reignited the race with a move.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:39:33.062Z<\/p>\n<p>The scene at the start from Auch today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6RoB3tnBtbvqVLToTvWAhY.jpg\" alt=\"AUCH, FRANCE - JULY 17: Fans prior to the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 12 a 180.6km stage from Auch to Hautacam 1519m \/ #UCIWT \/ on July 17, 2025 in Auch, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6RoB3tnBtbvqVLToTvWAhY.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6RoB3tnBtbvqVLToTvWAhY.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:38:18.889Z<\/p>\n<p>Neither Thomas nor O&#8217;Connor have managed to go clear, while the four-man group featuring Lutsenko has also been brought back.<\/p>\n<p>170KM TO GO<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:37:12.618Z<\/p>\n<p>Ben O&#8217;Connor counter-attacks. The terrain is pretty flat for now, but the climbers are trying to get into the break, aware of what&#8217;s to come.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:36:36.856Z<\/p>\n<p>Geraint Thomas is attacking from the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:34:05.766Z<\/p>\n<p>Alexandre Delettre and Pascal Eenkhoorn are the two riders with Lutsenko. They\u2019ve also been joined by Marco Haller.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:33:17.888Z<\/p>\n<p>Alexey Lutsenko attacks and has a gap, with a few riders accompanying him.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:31:42.828Z<\/p>\n<p>Gachignard has been brought back, and the attacks continue, with Visma-Lease a Bike involved.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:31:08.113Z<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Gachignard is the first rider to gain a gap, and currently leads the race.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:30:28.381Z<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s an intermediate sprint about 90km into the stage, before we reach the Pyrenees. The green jersey contenders may sense an opportunity to gain some points if they can get into the break, before they drop away on the climbs.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:28:36.206Z<\/p>\n<p>Several more riders are now trying attacks, including green jersey contenders Milan and Girmay.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:28:16.258Z<\/p>\n<p>In fact, that Uno-X Mobility rider was in fact Abrahamsen &#8211; his appetite is insatiable.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:27:37.121Z<\/p>\n<p>There won\u2019t be a repeat of that feat, however &#8211; the move with the Uno-X Mobility rider was shut down pretty much straight away.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:26:38.121Z<\/p>\n<p>And it&#8217;s d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu from yesterday &#8211; once again it\u2019s an Uno-X Mobility rider who is first to attack, right from the flag. Yesterday that man was Jonas Abrahamsen, who went on to spectacularly win the stage.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:25:31.203Z<\/p>\n<p>And we&#8217;re off!<\/p>\n<p>OFFICIAL START<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:25:14.387Z<\/p>\n<p>Just a few hundred metres until Christian Prudhomme emerges from his car to fly the flag.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:24:22.727Z<\/p>\n<p>The finish of yesterday\u2019s stage was disrupted by a protester. He wore a t-shirt saying \u2018Israel out of the Tour\u2019, and according to the Le Parisien shouted \u2018Israel on the Tour, the Tour is complicit\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/political-protestor-tackled-at-tour-de-france-finish-in-toulouse-as-abrahamsen-schmid-duo-sweep-across-the-line-to-conclude-stage-11\/\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/political-protestor-tackled-at-tour-de-france-finish-in-toulouse-as-abrahamsen-schmid-duo-sweep-across-the-line-to-conclude-stage-11\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Political protestor tackled at Tour de France finish in Toulouse as Abrahamsen-Schmid duo sweep across the line to conclude stage 11<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tCRUwdfJuAvTKBpzfjtUzT.jpg\" alt=\"A Tour de France staff member attempts to intercept an individual running at the finish line area as Uno-X Mobility team's Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen (C) cycles ahead of Team Jayco AlUla team's Swiss rider Mauro Schmid (R) to the finish line to win the 11th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 156.8 km starting and finishing in Toulouse, southwestern France, on July 16, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tCRUwdfJuAvTKBpzfjtUzT.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tCRUwdfJuAvTKBpzfjtUzT.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:15:41.581Z<\/p>\n<p>There was a sombre atmosphere at the unofficial start, as riders paid respect to Samuele Privitera, the young Italian rider who died after crashing at the Giro della Valle d\u2019Aosta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/hagens-berman-jayco-rider-samuele-privitera-passes-away-after-crash-on-stage-1-of-giro-della-valle-daosta\/\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/hagens-berman-jayco-rider-samuele-privitera-passes-away-after-crash-on-stage-1-of-giro-della-valle-daosta\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hagens Berman Jayco rider Samuele Privitera dies after crash on stage 1 of Giro della Valle d\u2019Aosta<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T11:12:42.822Z<\/p>\n<p>The riders are on the move, setting off the unofficial start in Auch for the neutralised zone.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:57:50.168Z<\/p>\n<p>A dressing on Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s left arm after yesterday&#8217;s crash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">We wonder what the topic of conversation is between these two this morning&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.67%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/gizJxmEZCDxAoHCwdBL6TL.jpg\" alt=\"Team Visma - Lease a bike team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard (L) and UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar await the start of the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE \/ AFP)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/gizJxmEZCDxAoHCwdBL6TL.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/gizJxmEZCDxAoHCwdBL6TL.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Loic VENANCE\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:52:18.988Z<\/p>\n<p>Want to find out even more about today&#8217;s route? Here&#8217;s an in-depth preview of today&#8217;s stage:<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:48:04.543Z<\/p>\n<p>While today&#8217;s ascent of the Hautacam isn&#8217;t just a two-horse race between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Poga\u010dar, there is history here between the two main yellow jersey contenders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">On the last visit to the Pyrenean climb in 2022, Vingegaard increased his stranglehold on the race and dropped Poga\u010dar on the hors cat\u00e9gorie climb&#8217;s slopes.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:41:50.687Z<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s only one non-starter this morning: Cees Bol (XDS Astana) has departed the Tour due to sickness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Find a full list of all the riders to leave the Tour de France so far <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/tour-de-france-abandons-all-of-the-riders-who-have-left-the-2025-race-so-far\/\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/tour-de-france-abandons-all-of-the-riders-who-have-left-the-2025-race-so-far\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:30:49.627Z<\/p>\n<p>To gear up for today&#8217;s mountain stage, we spoke with ex-pro Dan Martin about what the Hautacam climb entails and how it might ignite the GC battle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:67.87%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A3a2ayoDKnn3RAUGAn4gtb.jpg\" alt=\"Pogacar and Vingegaard on the stage to Hautacam in 2022\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A3a2ayoDKnn3RAUGAn4gtb.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A3a2ayoDKnn3RAUGAn4gtb.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Read: <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/hautacam-is-probably-the-hardest-climb-in-the-pyrenees-dan-martin-predicts-major-fireworks-in-opening-tour-de-france-mountain-stage\/\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/hautacam-is-probably-the-hardest-climb-in-the-pyrenees-dan-martin-predicts-major-fireworks-in-opening-tour-de-france-mountain-stage\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#8216;Hautacam is probably the hardest climb in the Pyrenees&#8217; \u2013 Dan Martin predicts major fireworks in opening Tour de France mountain stage<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:27:17.344Z<\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s start town of Auch was the hometown of Team Sky and Ineos directeur sportif Nico Portal, who sadly died from a heart attack on March 3, 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Portal was the British team&#8217;s lead DS from 2013 until his death, guiding the team to six of the next seven yellow jerseys at the Tour de France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Geraint Thomas and Ineos Grenadiers staff shared memories of their late colleague on social media earlier this morning.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:12:46.267Z<\/p>\n<p>The team presentation and rider sign-on for stage 12 is underway in Auch.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udd34 Follow live from Auch the presentation and the start of stage 12! \ud83d\udd34 Suivez en direct d&#8217;Auch la pr\u00e9sentation et le d\u00e9part de la 12\u00e8me \u00e9tape du #TDF2025 ! https:\/\/t.co\/SMgEhLzNJH<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cantworkitout\/status\/1945780515987935419\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">July 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:08:24.156Z<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, Poga\u010dar was unscathed from the crash. Meanwhile, yellow jersey Ben Healy called for the GC group to wait up for the Slovenian as a show of respect, ensuring he didn&#8217;t lose any time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Read more from yesterday&#8217;s action:<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T10:03:05.637Z<\/p>\n<p>But there was plenty more drama unfolding behind too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">As world champion Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) hit the deck inside 5km to the line.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T09:57:01.451Z<\/p>\n<p>Stage 11 was won by Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), who edged out Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) in a two-up sprint to the line after the pair attacked from the early break.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WJqNcW3myHr4QLCU64js88.jpg\" alt=\"Uno-X Mobility team's Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen cycles to the finish line to win the 11th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 156.8 km starting and finishing in Toulouse, southwestern France, on July 16, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO \/ AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO\/AFP via Getty Images)\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WJqNcW3myHr4QLCU64js88.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WJqNcW3myHr4QLCU64js88.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Read more: <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/tour-de-france-2025\/stage-11\/results\/\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/tour-de-france-2025\/stage-11\/results\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tour de France 2025 stage 11: Jonas Abrahamsen edges Mauro Schmid in two-up sprint from breakaway<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T09:50:48.821Z<\/p>\n<p>But before we dive further into what today&#8217;s stage has in store for us, let&#8217;s rewind to yesterday&#8217;s chaotic events in and around Toulouse.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T09:45:06.151Z<\/p>\n<p>Here is what&#8217;s on the menu for the peloton today, with a first summit finish on the hors cat\u00e9gorie climb to the legendary Hautacam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:78.45%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Nvci7D4DLCmceB68EjZ6eA.png\" alt=\"Profiles of the 2025 Tour de France stages and climbs\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Nvci7D4DLCmceB68EjZ6eA.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Nvci7D4DLCmceB68EjZ6eA.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: ASO)<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-17T09:41:37.930Z<\/p>\n<p>The start of today&#8217;s stage is still over an hour and a half away, with the neutralised start due at 13:10 local time in Auch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">There&#8217;s plenty to get through between now and then, though.<\/p>\n<p>2025-07-03T13:18:34.612Z<\/p>\n<p>Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews&#8217; live coverage of stage 12 of the 2025 Tour de France as the race heads into the Pyrenees and a first summit finish.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Refresh 2025-07-17T15:57:20.916Z We might have seen this kind of performance from Poga\u010dar a lot in recent years, but&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-3169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}