Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar. Photo: AFP
Tadej Pogacar unleashed a vintage assault on the unforgiving slopes of Hautacam, crushing the Tour de France 12th stage and leaving chief rival Jonas Vingegaard gasping for air and clinging to fading hopes on a brutal, suffocating day of racing.
The world champion took no prisoners in the 13.5-km climb at 7.8 percent in stifling heat as two-time Tour winner Vingegaard finished two minutes and 10 seconds behind and now trails the defending champion by a massive 3:31 after the first high-mountain stage.
It was a sweet revenge for UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader Pogacar, who was humiliated by Vingegaard on that same climb three years ago, when the Dane was on his way to snatching his first title in the world's biggest race.
German Florian Lipowitz took third place after the 180.6 kilometre ride from Auch, 13 seconds behind Vingegaard, whose Visma-Lease a Bike team failed to live up to the hype, three years after a tactical coup had trapped Pogacar.
Podium hopeful Remco Evenepoel was dropped early in the Col du Soulor, showing his limits in the first high-mountain stage.
Although he fought his way back in the descent, his face a mask of pain, the Olympic champion cracked in the final climb and now sits 4:45 behind Pogacar, still in third place overall.
Simon Yates and Matteo Jorgenson, two of Vingegaard's lieutenants for the mountain stages, also struggled and were of no help to their leader when it mattered.
Frenchman Bruno Armirail, the last survivor of the morning breakaway, reached the foot of the climb to Hautacam with a two-minute lead over the favourites' group.
It was never going to be enough of a cushion and Pogacar's teammate Jhonatan Narvaez's brutal acceleration 12.5km from the top was too much to handle for everyone but Vingegaard. However, he could not hold the Slovenian's wheel when he attacked.
The world champion took his ear-piece off, cutting communications with his team to focus on his effort as Vingegaard, his face showing his distress, saw his rival disappear in the bends.
The Dane managed to stay within 20 seconds for four kilometres before fading as Pogacar cut through the stuffiness.
His advantage continued to grow, breaking the two-minute barrier as Vingegaard crumpled on his bike as if crushed by the weight of disappointment.
Pogacar will now be looking for a fourth stage victory in the next stage, a mountain time trial, a 10.9km effort up to Peyragudes.
-Reuters
