Lipowitz not far from Vingegaard … Vauquelin 6th at the pedal against the Cadors!
A triumph which brings to 3 the number of successes of the Slovenian on the Tour 2025and 20 in total on the Large loop. Behind this usual Mano in Mano who turned to the demonstration, it's like on the Dauphiné Florian Lipowitz who emerged from the pack of the podium contenders to pick up a very nice 3rd place … 13 seconds only behind a Awesome in difficulty on the end. The runners then arrived at account–drops with huge deviations. Very nice climb of young people Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) et Oscar Onley (Team picnic postnl) at 3 minutes, followed a little further by a Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) amazing that comes to take 6th place in Hautacam, in front of a Remco Evenepoel (Sudal Quick-Step) Not in great shape and management all day. Felix Gall (Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) Close the top 10 for more than 4 minutes.
Logically, Ben Healy Having exploded from the Soulor and finishing 25th at more than 13 minutes, Pogacar Resumes his property and the yellow jersey with a more than comfortable margin: 3'31 “on Awesome. Behind the Danes, Remco Evenepoel clings to the podium and the white jersey at 4'45 “but sees melt on him Florian Lipowitz (5'34 “) and even Kévin Vauquelin (+ 5'40 “), which remains in the top 5 thanks to its superb performance. Onlyy is 6th (+ 6'05 “) in front Roglic (+ 7'30 “), while a Matteo Jorgenson Very average today (15th to 10'25 “) is falling in 10th place. Healy leaves him directly from the top 10 (11th), the French Jordan Iat (13E) and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (14th) grapping them to the general.
The summary of the race
Before this 12th stage, moment of emotion on the starting line with a tribute paid to the young Italian Samuele Priviteradied tragically evening at 19 after a fall on the 1st stage of Val d'Aosta Tour. This departure from Auch and the fictitious are also an opportunity to honor the memory of the late Nicolas Portal. Professional runner between 2002 and 2010, the Frenchman had successfully converted as a sports director at Sky et INEOSbefore losing the life of a heart attack in March 2020. Then place in the race, and from kilometer 0, it is the winner of the day before Jonas Abrahamsen (UNOO-X) which does it back and launches hostilities!
After about twenty kilometers, a first race movement is emerging, and it is more than surprising: after a beautiful battle, there is in mind a river escape of 51 runners at the front! A real first peloton which quickly takes 1'30 “in advance and which has very good climbers like Carlos Rodriguezrunner the best placed at the front at 5'44 “of Ben Healy and very well surrounded with four teammates at INEOS Grenadiers. Behind the Spaniard, it is Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) which is 10'44 “general. Among the other headliners of this substantial group, Ben O’Connor (Jayco simple), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-trek), Thymen Arensman (Ineos grenadiers), the polka dot jersey Lenny Martinez and his teammate Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Aleksandr vlasov (Red Bull), Michael Storer (Tudor) or Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-DECEUNINCK).
Big show between the river breakaway and the Yellow Jersey Paloton
If the best climbers of the breakaway can count on many team members to roll and try to take off, the peloton yellow jersey quickly takes this threat very seriously and never lets the gap exceed two minutes. It must be said that the teams EF Education-Easy Post (for Ben Healy), One-X (Pour Tobias Johannessen) a UAE Team Emirates-XRG (for Pogacar) drive strongly in the peloton, with large rollers like Asgreen, Abrahamsen or Polite which takes turns. Inevitably, the pace is once again infernal, with more than 50 km/h on average on the first two hours of running! The first half without difference in the route is swallowed at full speed, and the foot of the Soulor pass (11.8 km at 7.3 %) is very quickly closer.
Before that, the little one Côte de Labatmale in mid-race sees Fred Wright go to the lead for the attributed small point, the teammate of Lenny Martinez thus protecting the polka dot jersey while avoiding unnecessary efforts. This follows just after the descent the intermediate sprint of Bénéjacq, where the points for the green jersey are very disputed. Mathieu van der Poel is beaten in the sprint by Laurenz Rexin protection of the interests of Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). With 17 points collected, Lhe Dutch carries its total to 173 and passes 2nd in the ranking, to 58 units of Jonathan Milan.
The screw explodes the race in the Soulor … Healy and Evenepoel crack!
After these two hot spots, the showdown between the breakaway and the peloton resumes its course, and the ascent of the Soulor pass begins rapidly, just under 60 km from the finish. The slope is gradually rising, and those who have nothing to hope for quickly, like Van der Poel. Julian Alaphilippe Take the lead for Stores And the pace accelerates, the gap passing over two minutes. A short -term trend, since the Comma reveals its intentions from the foot of the soul by taking control of the peloton with Victor Campenaerts To print a sustained pace and test Tadej Pogacar The day after his fall.
In front, the team INEOS Continue his forcing with a large relay of Axel Laure and the escape loses many units. Unpleasant surprise for the French since this tempo is fatal to Lenny Martinezwhich will not score points this Thursday, followed by Valentin Madouas et Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet. But skimming is just as important behind, the screw hurts and hurts a brand in the person … Remco Evenepoel ! It's not going for the White jersey (Sudal Quick-Step) which is distant and cannot keep up, a big hassle day for the Belgian to come, the podium may so much fly away! A turning point of this Tourthis 12th stage and first day in the high mountains promises a hell of a upgrade to the general, the accumulated fatigue and the heat seeming to do big damage.
Armirail makes the show in its Pyrenees … Vauquelin clings, Evenepoel manages and returns!
We are not even in the last 50 kms yet, and there are already many people in the group of favorites. The yellow jersey Ben Healy loose in turn, Kévin Vauquelin also … just like Matteo Jorgenson ! The Comma is forced to slow down to avoid losing your second knife. The stage is crazy and we are still only in the Soulor! At the front, the three strongest to detach are Bruno Armirail, Mattias Skjelmose et Michael Woods. This trio is joined a little further by Stores et A rubio. These 5 men manage to keep a little less than 2 minutes on the POGACAR-VINGEGAARD group. After a delay, the latter resumed a sustained pace with about 15 runners within it, but not Healywhich has completely exploded and will lose yellow like the general. Vauquelin Make the Yo-Yo but resists courage, while Evenepoel seems to be better and goes up to the train with a minute late. Enric Mas is also distant.
In the last km, Woods Attack and go get the 10 points at the top. Scold Follows 5 “Behind the Canadian, but it should come together in the descent with the pursuers. But on his land, Armiirail is unleashed and achieves an exceptional descent! He digs a sacred gap with Scold, Woods et Stores in Against, pointed at one minute at the top of the Col des Bordères (3.1 km at 7.7 %), interchated in this descent. The Pogacar-Vivegaard group is 2'15 “, with Jorgenson who continues to make the Yo-Yo, while Vauquelin clings much better than expected and is always present. Evenepoel seems to manage his day well and returns to only 20 seconds! The Belgian takes advantage of the descent to return at 27 terminals from the finish, even if he is still suspended.
The UAE and Pogacar rocket launched from the foot of Hautacam … Vingegaard cannot follow
We then plunge towards the final and the justice of the peace of the day: the ascent of Hautacam (13.5 km at 7.8 %). The race finally calms down a little, and the situation clears up after the chaos of the last hour: Armiirail Now opens the road alone and makes a number, all the pursuers having been taken up by a group of favorites with around 25 units and led by Tim Wellens 2 minutes away. The yellow jersey Ben Healy is the main victim of all this agitation and points to almost 6 minutes. The Belgian champion imposes a huge tempo from the foot, and the gap drops logically. Narvaez Take the relay, the rocket UAE is launched, there will be everywhere! The runners explode one by one: Evenepoel, Vaquelin, Rooster…
Narvaez explodes everyone and goes up to the sprint. Only Pogacar et Awesome remain in its wheel after barely 1 km of climb … and Awesome Leave a space! As the Equatorian deviates, the Danish lets go Pogacar12 terminals from the summit. But the Slovenian does not dig immediately, and Awesome limits the breakage to 10 seconds, while Bruno Armirail is already swallowed after his big number. The Mano Mano between the two Cadors of Tour promises to be dantesque! Behind, it's saved-who-can, with a group Roglic-Onley-Lipowitz-Johannessen Pointed at 50 seconds when there are still 10 km left. Evenepoel is in management at 1'15 “.
Tadej Pogacar knocks out the Tour and Vingegaard, Lipowitz in 3rd man
The trend, however, quickly changes in favor of Pogacar. Slovenian takes a second after second, and the gap with Awesome Approach to the minute 6 km from the summit! Behind them, it gathers between the outsiders for the podium at 1'45 “, with the return of a Vauquelin amazing in the counter. Evenepoel It is also not far from carrying out the train junction. But Lipowitz feels the danger and relaunching, the German flying alone towards 3rd place even if Onlyy resists well. At 3 km, the disbursements of Awesome climbs to 1'30 “, the addition promises to be salted on arrival. And watch out for the return of Lipowitzpointed only 45 “behind. Evenepoel To him a little stuck and accuses 3 minutes late. The final only confirms the hierarchy of the day, and it is very much necessary not to see Lipowitz take up a Awesome out of breath.
