Tadej Pogacar delivered a devastating performance on the Hautacam summit finish, defeating Jonas Vingegaard by over two minutes to seize a commanding lead in the Tour de France. With nine stages remaining, the defending champion now holds an advantage of more than three and a half minutes.
Pogacar, riding in the rainbow jersey, described this as the peak of his career. Despite a crash the day before in Toulouse, he showed no ill effects. His decisive attack came at the foot of the 13km ascent, set up by teammate Jhonatan Narváez.
Vingegaard arrived at the climb alone after his Visma-Lease a Bike team lost riders Matteo Jorgenson and Simon Yates. The Danish rider now faces an uphill battle to reclaim the yellow jersey.
The stage was overshadowed by the death of Italian rider Samuele Privitera, who crashed at high speed during the Giro delle Valle d'Aosta. A minute's applause was held at the start of stage 12.
The peloton's decision to wait for Pogacar after his crash drew praise from Demi Vollering, who contrasted the sportsmanship with her own experience in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
