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That\u2019s the lot for today. Merci for reading, and for your emails. Can anyone stop Pogacar? It\u2019s looking highly unlikely. Bye for now.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tuck into our snap stage 12 report here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.28 EDT<\/p>\n On or near the podium, Macron and Pogacar shake hands. The handshake lasts a remarkable amount of time. Macron maybe making sure the photographers have got the shot? I time it at 31sec. New record?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Roglic, seventh on GC, is asked about the pace that Visma-Lease a Bike set on the Hautacam.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just fast. Way too fast for me. It was a big battle in the last 7km to come to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do feel now?\u201d asks another reporter.<\/p>\n \u201cTired.\u201d<\/p>\n Roglic smiles.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have the legs, you have to go,\u201d Roglic says of his teammate Lipowitz, who finished third on the stage and moved up to fourth in GC. \u201cHe had the legs today so yes, great job from him.\u201d<\/p>\n As team leader, how does Roglic feel to see Lipowitz ride so well? Roglic looks a little puzzled.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy. I\u2019m really happy. I hope he keeps the level to the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n And what about his socks today, or lack thereof?<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it\u2019s hot, no? So I work on it for the summer, a bit, without the lines, no?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.33 EDT<\/p>\n Armirail, who led into the last climb, finished 17th on the stage, 10min 46sec behind Pogacar.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>KOM standings: top 5<\/p>\n 1) Pogacar 27pts Share<\/a>Top 10 GC after stage 12<\/p>\n 1) Pogacar 45hr 22min 51sec Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.11 EDT<\/p>\n Grischa Niermann of Visma Lease A Bike speaks to TNT Sports: \u201cJonas was feeling well, but on the last climb Pogacar was clearly the best, and he also suffered a lot. It was a very hard day and in the end the best rider won.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was for sure not Jonas\u2019s best day. He is still the best of the rest. But congratulations to Tadej and to UAE, they showed who is the strongest rider here.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Was Pogacar out for revenge? \u201cI knew first time I rode Hautacam, for recon, it\u2019s a super nice climb,\u201d Pogacar says. \u201cThen it came in 2022. I was trying with my \u201chead through the wall\u201d to get back the yellow jersey, but Visma were too strong back then. I forgot about this, I was just looking forward to today, but then all the people were saying [before this stage]: \u2018It is revenge time, blah blah blah.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we approached the bottom of the climb, it was just a reverse of a few years ago, one Belgian guy on the front, Tim [Wellens] \u2026 I\u2019m super happy to win on this climb, and to take time.<\/p>\n Did he have doubts after yesterday\u2019s crash? \u201cFor sure you don\u2019t know how the body reacts after the crash. It was not too bad. I feel my hip but only when I do acrobatics. But here I am just riding the bike. I sweat a bit more, but maybe it\u2019s good.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did a super job. The team rode really well. yeah, chapeau also to Ben Healy and EF. They were trying to defend the jersey, they showed big spirit, and also Uno-X, they fight for their own GC, so it was a hard day for everybody. But in the end we were super-strong. We had this stage in mind a long time, and we did it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this stage can go today for Samuele [Privitera, the 19-year-old Italian cyclist who died yesterday] and 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 this tough sport can be. And how much pain it can cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.05 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cDid Amirail drop off the face of the earth?\u201d asks Beau Dure. Fair question, I\u2019ll check where he was in the final reckoning \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Tour de France stage 12: top 5<\/p>\n 1) Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 4hr 21min 19sec Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.54 EDT<\/p>\n That is Pogacar\u2019s 20th Tour de France<\/a> stage win.<\/p>\n Vingegaard eventually comes home 2min 11sec behind Pogacar, that will add up to three and half minutes in the overall.<\/p>\n Lipowitz finishes third.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.49 EDT<\/p>\n Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France stage 12!<\/p>\n Complete and total domination from the defending champion.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is there by the finish line to applaud.<\/p>\n And it looks like Vingegaard has blown up, somewhat, back down the road \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.56 EDT<\/p>\n 1km to go: Pogacar rides under the flamme rouge. He\u2019s riding imperiously to another phenomenal stage win, and all with a considerable amount of road rash on his left arm and body.<\/p>\n \u201cI was expecting a much bigger battle, a much closer one,\u201d says Sean Kelly on commentary.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1.5km to go: Pogacar\u2019s lead continues to grow. It\u2019s up to 1min 48sec. The fans roar their approval. It\u2019s a phenomenal ride by Pogacar but it\u2019s not pointing at it being a very close overall race \u2026<\/p>\n Meanwhile Lipowitz now leads Evenepoel by a minute, and is looking very strong.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2km to go: \u201cWhat is Richard going to do with his baguette now he won\u2019t be eating it?\u201d asks Bob. \u201cDrop it in the Large Hadron Collider?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2.5km to go: Vingegaard gets out his saddle and then settles back into a rhythm as typically idiotic fans run alongside him in reckless fashion. The gap to the leader is 1min 36sec.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3km to go: Now, towards the summit, there are thousands of fans packing the road side. A Republic of Ireland flag is waved in Pogacar\u2019s face as he rides through the crowds.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be an unassailable lead but it will be such a comfortable position after one proper mountain stage,\u201d remarks Rob Hatch on commentary for TNT Sports.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3.5km to go: Pogacar was 29sec behind Healy before today. Evenepoel was third in GC, exactly a minute down on Pogacar. As it stands Vingegaard will go second in GC tonight but he might be three minutes behind the race leader.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4km to go: Pogacar now has 1min 20sec on his rival Vingegaard, and his closest challengers are 2min 15sec down. This is utter dominance, but it\u2019s not a surprise.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4.5km to go: Florian Lipowitz attacks Onley, but the young British rider responds. They are eighth and seventh on GC respectively with 10sec between them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.33 EDT<\/p>\n 5km to go: The hot tarmac on the mountain has been daubed with various messages in chalk and paint. Pogacar rides over one message that says \u201cJONAS\u201d in yellow with a Danish flag.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5.5km to go: Pogacar will take the headlines but I take my hat off to any athlete that finishes today\u2019s stage within the time limit. It\u2019s been absolutely relentless and brutal. Thank God it\u2019s a nice easy mountain ITT tomorrow \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 6km to go: \u201cHe doesn\u2019t look like he\u2019s anywhere near the limit,\u201d Kelly says of Pogacar, just before we see a spectacular helicopter shot of some buzzards just sitting there, maybe enjoying the action. \u201cWhen you think about the pace of the stage today this is crazy stuff. It\u2019s mind-boggling.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.29 EDT<\/p>\n 6.5km to go: Pogacar now has 53sec on Vingegaard. That\u2019s some gap and he rides relentlessly onwards, in that unmistakeable rhythm. The chasers behind are gaining a bit on Vingegaard but they are 1min 49sec behind the stage leader.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.28 EDT<\/p>\n 7km to go: \u201cThis is absolutely amazing. Imperious,\u201d writes David Alderton.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a day so far!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7.3km to go: \u201cHe\u2019s just got to limit his losses,\u201d says Sean Kelly on commentary. \u201cIn the losing position, it\u2019s very hard to hold your head and keep working at it. And as Robbie said, you just never know what can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7.5km to go: \u201cPogacar now reminds me of Drago,\u201d emails Tim. \u201cHe\u2019s not human. He\u2019s like a piece of iron. But on a carbon bike. Fearsome. I can understand why Trine Vingegaard wants Jonas to call it a day.\u201d<\/p>\n Drago. Photograph: Dave Friedman\/United Artists\/AllstarShare<\/a><\/p>\n 8.5km to go: \u201cWe\u2019ll see how I recover,\u201d Pogacar said last night. \u201cNormally the day after a crash you\u2019re never at the best, but I will give my best and we\u2019ll see. I think we\u2019re ready as a team for Hautacam.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, it would seem so.<\/p>\n Pogi is off. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.23 EDT<\/p>\n 9km to go: Pogacar grabs a drink from the neutral service motorbike. Vingegaard rides on behind, all alone, desperately trying to limit his losses on the first major mountain stage of this year\u2019s race.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10km to go: Pogacar is now riding among the thousands of fans lining the final climb.<\/p>\n \u201cShould they have waited for Pogacar yesterday?\u201d asks Robbie McEwen on commentary. \u201cBecause this is what he had in store for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Pogacar leads his rival by 22sec. Evenepoel is more than a minute behind Pogacar.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.20 EDT<\/p>\n 11km to go: Pogacar powers on alone up front, looking very composed and in complete control. He leads his rival Vingegaard by 9sec.<\/p>\n The Visma Lease A Bike rider has settled into a rhythm. And he\u2019s refusing to panic. It\u2019s not a rhythm that looks likely to win him the stage \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.18 EDT<\/p>\n 11km to go: \u201cCan Richard Hirst point to the soundness of the Richard Hirst theory, despite the scepticism displayed in some quarters?\u201d<\/p>\n You can probably guess who sent that email. Yes, absolutely Richard, you can.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.16 EDT<\/p>\n Pogacar blows the lead group apart to go clear<\/p>\n 12km to go: Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez takes it up for UAE. Armirail\u2019s lead is 45sec.<\/p>\n Pogacar attacks! Vingegaard tries to respond but he cannot compete with a massive acceleration from the defending champion! And Pogacar is about to catch Armirail, the gap is under 10sec now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.17 EDT<\/p>\n 12.5km to go: Tim Wellens is powering away for Pogacar at the front of the bunch. The gap is down to 1min 18sec. Kuss is dropped from the group of favourites. Pogacar looks fresh, up out of his saddle and riding strongly behind Wellens. No ill effects from yesterday\u2019s crash are visible now. Oscar Onley is there, on the wheel of Vingegaard.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.13 EDT<\/p>\n 15km to go: Armirail powers towards the start of the climb. Two minutes is the gap, which clearly isn\u2019t going to be enough, now the group of favourites has caught the chase group. If there were still attackers from a bigger lead group then the outcome may still be in doubt, as to whether the favourites will battle it out for the stage.<\/p>\n Pogacar and Vingegaard: Ready to go. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.09 EDT<\/p>\n 16km to go: The second group on the road has now incorporated the former chase group and the favourites are present. There are 27 riders, and Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel are all among them \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.07 EDT<\/p>\n 18km to go: The kilometres continue to flash past. Armirail is now on the flattish section just before the start of the Hautacam \u2026 he is 1min 56sec ahead of his pursuers and he looks full of beans. Here we go!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23km to go: Skjelmose, Woods, Storer, Rubio are the four chasers, but Armirail\u2019s lead continues to grow. He is 1min 54sec in front now! But the Hautacam will be a great leveller, if that is the correct word for a massive mountain.<\/p>\n Pogacar and Vingegaard and the rest of that group are now 2min 05sec down on the leader.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.03 EDT<\/p>\n 26km to go: At the front, Armirail\u2019s lead is up to 1min 34sec. He is a time trial specialist, winning the French national individual time trial title in 2022 and 2024. So this flat\/downhill section will be much to his liking. I\u2019ll take a bet that no one bet on him to win this stage? (Not to say that he definitely will \u2026)<\/p>\n Bruno Armirail. Photograph: Beno\u00eet Tessier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.58 EDT<\/p>\n Evenepoel catches up with main contenders<\/p>\n 28km to go: Evenepoel has managed to get himself back in the group with Pogacar and Vingegaard. Huge effort, fair play to the man.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter what he\u2019s had to do here, and the chase he\u2019s put it, it would be extraordinary if he\u2019s able to match the other two [Pogacar and Vingegaard] on the Hautacam,\u201d says King Kelly.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.58 EDT<\/p>\n 29km to go: Now a big downhill leading into the Hautacam. The final climb is 13,6km long, so there\u2019s a bit more than that of downhill terrain to go before the road kicks up again.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32km to go: Armirail has fashioned a lead of one minute on the chasers after mopping up five points for winning that category-two. This is a massive ride.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 35km to go: Bruno Armirail (Decathlon\u2013AG2R La Mondiale) has attacked off the front and is our new leader. He crests the category-two Col des Bord\u00e8res and will now speed towards the foot of the Hautacam, the final climb. Surely he\u2019ll be caught by one of the specialist climbers behind him, and probably plenty of others, when that climb begins?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.52 EDT<\/p>\n 36km to go: Woods has been caught up front. There is a group of three with Skjelmose and Storer to keep Woods company.<\/p>\n No, scratch that, sorry. Bruno Armirail (Decathlon\u2013AG2R La Mondiale) now leads on his own! And the group of three are chasing him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.44 EDT<\/p>\n 36.3km to go: \u201cA lot of riders have got into difficulty earlier than expected,\u201d says Sean Kelly on commentary. \u201cIt\u2019s turning out to be a really difficult stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Healy is really suffering and will definitely be kissing goodbye to yellow. With a stage win and three days as race leader in the can, though, it\u2019s been a remarkable race for him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.42 EDT<\/p>\n 39km to go: Our lone race leader, Michael Woods, has 23sec on his pursuers, Storer and Rubio.<\/p>\n Evenepoel is 2min 40sec behind the t\u00eate de la course, and according to the data I\u2019m seeing he\u2019s only 20sec behind the group with Pogacar and Vingegaard. We shall see.<\/p>\n Or is he actually 46sec behind that group? That\u2019s another suggestion that I\u2019m seeing. He\u2019s definitely in trouble anyway.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.40 EDT<\/p>\n 40km to go: An email from Ruaidhr\u00ed arrives entitled: \u201cBen Healy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell Luke, there goes that dream \u2026 Love from Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t cry because it\u2019s over, Ruaidhr\u00ed. Smile because it happened.<\/p>\n Ben Healy. Photograph: ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n 41.5km to go: \u201cI\u2019m just catching up on today\u2019s updates now (quiet morning at work on the East Coast),\u201d emails Gwyn Williams. \u201cWhen I saw the news you reported about Cees Bol abandoning the race, I was put in mind of this article I saw a while back<\/a> about his fan club. This is everything great about cycling and its fans: a random bunch of guys are intrigued by his name, which they translate as Cheese Bowl, and then happen to meet Cees in person at a race.<\/p>\n \u201cUpon learning that he doesn\u2019t even like cheese, they are hooked by the sheer silliness of it. They bet on Cees in the first professional race of his career and win enough money to start a fan club. Now six years later they travel around in a van with CEESBOL license plates and shrink-wrapped with Cees\u2019s picture on it, and Cees attends fan club meetings at their bar in Belgium. In what other sport do things like that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n Cees Bol has a fan club. Photograph: Tim de Waele\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n 44km to go: Primoz Roglic, apparently, isn\u2019t wearing socks. That\u2019s a maverick move from the Red Bull\u2013Bora\u2013Hansgrohe man.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.36 EDT<\/p>\n 46.5km to go: Woods, looking extremely sprightly, powers to the top of the climb, grabs a bottle and then tears into the descent with no further ado. He picks up 10 KOM points, placing him second overall, above Ben Healy now but below Lenny Martinez in the polka-dot standings.<\/p>\n
2) Martinez 27pts
3) Woods 22pts
4) Healy 16pts
5) Armirail 15pts<\/p>\n
2) Vingegaard +3min 31sec
3) Evenepoel +4min 45sec
4) Lipowitz +5min 34sec
5) Vauqelin +5min 40sec
6) Onley +6min 05sec
7) Roglic +7min 30sec
8) Johannessen +7min 44sec
9) Gall +9min 21sec
10) Jorgenson +12min 12sec<\/p>\n
2) Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease A Bike) +2min 11sec
3) Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) +2min 23sec
4) Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +3min
5) Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) +3min<\/p>\n