Tadej Pogacar’s revenge in Hautacam: he crushes Jonas Vingegaard and takes back the yellow jersey
Right on the climb where in 2022 he had to surrender the Grande Boucle to Jonas Vingegaard, who was 1’04” ahead of him, Tadej Pogacar won the twelfth stage of the Tour de France, the 180.6-kilometer Auch-Hautacam, by a breakaway and took back the yellow jersey symbolizing the overall lead.
The Slovenian star of UAE Team Emirates XRG sprinted with 12 km to go and no one was able to hold his wheels, including Vingegaard, and at the finish, set at an altitude of 1520 meters, he beat the Dane of Team Visma Lease a Bike by 2’10”, more than double the gap Pogacar had suffered three years ago.
Third at 2’23” was Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s German Florian Lipowitz, who beat Uno-X Mobility’s Norwegian Tobias Halland Johannesen in a sprint. Predictably, he collapsed the one who got there in the yellow jersey at this stage, EF Education-Easypost’s Irishman Ben Healym, who blamed 13’38” gap.
Seventh at 3’35” instead was Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who was third at 1’29” from Healy and 1′ from Pogacar and had 17 seconds on Vingegaard. Now Pogacar has 3’31” on Vingegaard and 4’45” on Evenepoel, who remains third despite a day that was anything but brilliant. Tomorrow the 10.9-kilometer time trial from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes.
