Tadej Pogačar conquers the Hautacam to reclaim Tour de France Yellow Jersey

Producing one of the finest displays of his career, Tadej Pogačar put his rivals to the sword on the Hautacam, winning stage 12 of the Tour de France and reclaiming the Yellow Jersey. Putting more than two minutes into the next-best rider, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Pogačar now leads the Tour de France by three and a half minutes.

On the first summit finish of the race, Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG colleagues produced a vintage show of teamwork, with every rider stepping up to the mark to help the Slovenian pick up his 20th stage victory at the Tour de France. In doing so, the Emirati squad put their rivals on the back foot and ensured that Pogačar is now the man to beat heading into the final nine stages.

With his all-conquering efforts on Hautacam, Pogačar made history by becoming the first reigning world champion to win a Tour de France summit finish since the great Bernard Hinault in 1981.

Coming less than 24 hours after the tragic death of the promising Hagens Berman Jayco rider, Samuele Privitera, Pogačar dedicated his victory to the young Italian who sadly passed away after a crash at the Valle d’Aosta.

Pogačar: “I think this stage can go for Samuele, and to all his family. It was really sad. It was the first thing I read this morning.

“I was thinking about him in the last kilometre and how tough this sport can be.”

Having watched his teammates step up to the mark on the first true day in the mountains at this year’s Tour, the world champion also reserved credit for those who had helped him to a third stage victory of this year’s race.

Pogačar [Cont]: “I knew from the first time I rode Hautacam in a recon, that it was a super nice climb. I was always looking forward to riding this climb and then it came in the 2022 Tour de France. There, I was trying with my head through the wall to get back the Yellow Jersey, but Jumbo-Visma was too strong back then.

“I almost forgot about this, I was just looking forward to today. But all the people were telling me that this was revenge time, and then when we approached the bottom of the climb, it was the reverse story of a few years ago. One Belgian guy was again on the front, Tim [Wellens], and our team was in the front, I am super happy to take time and to win on this climb.

“For sure, you don’t know how the body reacts after the crash [of stage 11]. It was not too bad. I feel my hip only when I do acrobatics, but here I am just riding the bike so there’s not a lot of flexing.

“We did a super job. The team rode super well, chapeau also to Ben Healy and EF. They were trying to defend the [Yellow] Jersey, they show a really big spirit and also Uno-X, they fight for their own GC so it was a hard day for everybody. In the end, we were super strong, we had this stage in mind for a long time and we did it.”

Stage 12 offered UAE Team Emirates-XRG the chance to stamp its authority on the race, and it did so in style. From the gun, the Belgian national champion Tim Wellens was on the hunt for a spot in the breakaway, and when a 51-rider move went clear after 20km of racing, the 34-year-old was present.

With Wellens representing the Emirati squad up front, Nils Politt quickly went to work in the peloton, swapping turns with Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) to keep the break at no more than arm’s length. It was clear from this point on that Pogačar fancied his chances at a third stage win.

As the break stood at a little under two minutes ahead of the peloton, Visma-Lease a Bike tried their hand on the Col du Soulor. With Jonas Vingegaard the closest competitor to Pogačar in the general classification, the Dutch squad evidently wanted to make life difficult for the Slovenian, who was riding into the unknown after his stage 11 crash.

Between Tiesj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts, Visma-Lease a Bike piled on the pressure, quickly distancing Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) from the peloton, but so too their own teammate Matteo Jorgenson. Given the American’s difficulty, the Dutch squad soon slackened the pace and it was once more down to UAE Team Emirates-XRG to dictate proceedings.

Rallying around their team leader, Adam Yates and Jhonatan Narváez stood by Pogačar’s side, as Wellens took his leave from the breakaway to drop back and help. That moment came with 29km to go, with the Belgian national champion immediately driving the pace of the heavily-reduced group of favourites. In fact, Wellens drove the group onto the lower slopes of the final climb, the revered Hautacam.

Standing at 7.9% for 13.5km, the Hautacam held bad memories for Pogačar, who was taken to task by Vingegaard on the way to the Dane’s first Tour de France victory in 2022. There would be no repeat of this glory for Visma-Lease a Bike, however, who soon found Vingegaard isolated in the company of those from UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

With 12.2km of the day to go, Narváez marched to the front and began to cap off what had proved one of his very best days on a bike. The Ecuadorian champion stomped on his pedals in a relentless show of force, before being given the go-ahead by Yates to deliver one final punch.

Heading a little under 12km to go, Narváez roared out of his saddle and emptied himself. Soon, only Pogačar and Vingegaard remained on the wheel, before the Slovenian snatched his opportunity to attack. With a few turns of his pedals, Pogačar rid himself of Vingegaard’s company and although the gap between the pair stood at just 10 seconds for perhaps a kilometre or two, it soon began to widen.

Refusing to ease before the line, Pogačar eventually extended his advantage to more than two minutes over the two-time Tour de France champion, as the Dane valiantly fought to limit the deficit. It was to be Pogačar’s day this time around on Hautacam, with the Slovenian paying back his teammates for their tremendous support earlier in the stage.

With the victory, Pogačar rode his way back into the Yellow Jersey, which he now holds with a 3:31 advantage over Vingegaard, and reclaimed the lead of the King of the Mountains classification. His superiority was confirmed on the first summit finish, but many tests stand between the 26-year-old and a fourth Tour de France title in Paris.

First up, Pogačar and the Tour peloton will be pitted against one another in a mountain time trial on Friday afternoon, with stage 13 featuring a 10.9km course up the historic Peyragudes. It will no doubt provide more defining drama in the general classification battle.

Tour de France 2025 stage 12 results:

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:21:19

2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +2:10

3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +2:23

Tour de France 2025 general classification after stage 12:

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 45:22:51

2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +3:31

3. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +4:45