This Thursday, July 17, 2025, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) may have already knocked out the Tour de France. After his fall, some uncertainties hovered around the leader in Emirati training. He swept them all (like his rivals) with disconcerting ease. On this 12th stage, the first mountain that took the 171 runners of this Large loop Towards the Hautacam station, the world champion only needed one acceleration to distance his rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | lease a bike) at the foot of the pass, 12 km from the summit. Upon arrival, “Pogi” wins this stage and relegates the team leader Visma | Lease a Bike At more than 2 minutes, a 3'31 “mattress to general. A abyss, already. The ogre of Komenda spoke after a long press conference.
Was it the plan to leave from the foot of the climb of Hautacam and are you surprised at the already important deviations from Jonas Vingegaard?
I am asked this question for the fourth time, and I will repeat it again. Yes, the plan was to try to win the stage, it depended on the breakaway. We talked about it during the stage, and there was a lot of work from the EF and UNO-X team with Nils Politt to control this big and dangerous escape. At the end, Visma tried to accelerate … but there was still Narvaez, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates. It was said yesterday or today at breakfast at this Dauphiné stage where we had gone there from the bottom. And Jhony (Narvaez) did not take it to the light I suppose, he went there thoroughly! Adam was not there at the Dauphiné, and he reacted in mode: “But what does this guy do?”. I saw Jhony's plan, I followed, I tried to get started there. In the worst case, I exploded and I had to slow down. But in the end it was the right choice, I stayed alone and it was better until the arrival.
If you had to compare this race with the previous ones, do you feel better?
I do not know, according to my feelings, I have the impression that it is the best moment of my career, I wear the rainbow jersey, I drive with an incredible team, incredible teammates, so it's like a fairy tale for me to ride by bike in the past two years. I have the impression that as long as I like the bicycle races and the suffering that goes with it, but with the party on the side of the road, I could always go so far and have this level and this form. When this fire goes out, my performances will probably decline. But so far, I would say that it is the top of my career and that the last two or three years are those where I try to keep it as long as I take advantage of it.
It is your 6th Tour de France, and you seem more motivated today than you have ever been. Were you particularly motivated for this step?
I was quite nervous at the start, with this big breakaway. I was perhaps a little K, so it was surely due to stress, and the defeat of the 2022 Tour here. Even if I really like this ascent, I lost that day. I was really motivated today. The biggest change in my head is when I saw what Visma tried. They followed the plan and I saw that not everyone was at the top.
It was then that I changed my mind. Ok, today could be a very good day because Johny was still there, Marc Soler was not far away, but we thought he could even come back, Adam was there, Tim was in front. All this was a question of mentality: today could be a good day. Finally, when we got to the last climb, I always felt good. It was very hot, but the team did a great job to cool me, so I was really very good for the last climb.
You know Lipowitz of the Dauphiné, he arrived third today. What do you think?
Lipo is a great guy. We have been in the same hotel for three days. I chatted a little with him in the elevator yesterday. He is a super cool guy and, yes, I don't want to say it, he is really solid and he is a super good runner. I think it has a margin of progression in all aspects of the race and I think it will be seen more in the coming days and in the coming years.
