Pogacar dominates Pyrenees to seize yellow and polka dot jerseys in Tour de France
Tadej Pogacar declared he was in the form of his life after crushing his rivals to win Stage 12 of the Tour de France atop the legendary Hautacam mountain in the Pyrenees on Thursday.
The Slovenian star launched a blistering solo attack on the final 11km climb, dropping Jonas Vingegaard and claiming victory by 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel finished 3min 35sec back in seventh, while overnight leader Ben Healy of Ireland suffered a tough day, falling over 13 minutes behind and surrendering the yellow jersey.
“I enjoy this sufferfest,” said Pogacar. “This is the best moment of my career. It’s been like a fairytale.”
Now leading the general classification by 3min 31sec over Vingegaard, Pogacar also took the polka dot jersey for best climber. He dedicated his win to 19-year-old Samuele Privitera, a junior cyclist who tragically died during the Tour of the Aoste Valley.
“We’d been targeting this stage,” Pogacar revealed. “After my crash yesterday, I didn’t know how my body would react. But the team did an amazing job.”
Friday’s uphill individual time trial at Peyragudes promises more drama, with steep gradients and high temperatures set to test the peloton again.
(Source: AFP
