POGACAR POWERS TO BIG PYRENEES WIN TO RECLAIM TOUR DE FRANCE YELLOW JERSEY

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar climbs towards Hautacom to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

HAUTACAM, France (AP) - Tadej Pogacar powered to an impressive stage win on the first day in the Pyrenees to take back the Tour de France yellow jersey on Thursday.

On a day when many wondered if he would suffer any ill effects from his crash the day before, Pogacar showed none and put himself in prime position for his fourth Tour victory with a break on the stage-ending climb to Hautacam.

He finished more than two minutes ahead of main rival Jonas Vingegaard.

"You don´t know how the body reacts after the crash, but it was not too bad, it was not a bad crash," said Pogacar, the defending champion. "I feel my hip only when I do acrobatics, but here I´m just riding the bike."

Hautacam is the resort overlooking Lourdes and Stage 12 must have felt like a pilgrimage for all the riders. Ben Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two stages, finished well behind on a brutal day for the Irish rider.

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In 2022, Vingegaard dominated Pogacar at Hautacam on his way to his first Tour victory. But the Danish rider is now 3½ minutes behind his main rival in the general classification. Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel is third, 4:45 behind Pogacar.

As if in a rush to face the grueling challenges awaiting in the mountains, the riders sped through the first 50 kilometers in just under an hour with the peloton chasing a large 52-man breakaway group.

But their efforts on the narrow, twisting roads through spectacular landscapes and stone-house villages took their toll as exhausted riders dropped behind, one by one.

Birds of prey circled overhead as the riders suffered below.

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard crosses the finish line in second position, losing time on his adversary Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar during the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Pogacar made his move with 11.8 kilometers remaining with help from UAE teammate Jhonatan Narváez, who looked over his shoulder and allowed Pogacar to accelerate past. Vingegaard initially gave chase but couldn't keep up with his rival, who overtook French rider Bruno Armirail for the lead with 11 kilometers to go for his 20th stage victory - third in this race.

"I was just looking forward for today. And then all the people were all the time coming to me and saying, `Oh yeah, this is the revenge time,´ and blah blah blah. And then when we approached the bottom of the climb, it was just a reverse story of a few years ago," said Pogacar, a 26-year-old Slovenian.

Pogacar finished 2:10 ahead of Vingegaard, with German rider Florian Lipowitz 2:23 off the pace in third.

Armirail, who had been leading, followed 10:46 after Pogacar. Healy finished 13:38 off the pace.

Riders took time before the stage in memory of Samuele Privitera, the 19-year-old who died after a crash while racing in Italy the day before.

Privitera crashed in the first stage of the Tour of Valle D´Aosta.

"The risk that we are taking sometimes is too far." Pogacar said before racing.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

TADEJ POGACAR WINS MOUNTAINOUS 14TH STAGE OF TOUR DE FRANCE

Tadej Pogacar is ahead by nearly two minutes with just over a week to go in the Tour de France. Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Two-time champion Tadej Pogacar surged ahead on the final climb to win the mountainous 14th stage of the Tour de France on Saturday and extend his overall lead to nearly two minutes.

The elite climbers' duel between Pogacar and two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard finally came when Pogacar peeled away with about 3 miles left.

"I love racing on instinct," Pogacar said. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I love it that way."

Pogacar caught up with and overtook his UAE Emirates teammate Adam Yates, while Vingegaard was initially dropped but showed good composure to limit the damage.

The Dane crossed the line 39 seconds behind Slovenian Pogacar, who completed the 199-mile trek in just over four hours.

"Let's keep this positive energy so we can win more," Pogacar said. "I was feeling really good today."

Remco Evenepoel of Belgium was third and dropped to third overall behind Vingegaard.

"I stayed with him a little, but he rode faster and faster and I was dropped," Evenepoel said. "The pace was very high."

After about two hours, riders reached the first of the day's two big "hors catégorie" (beyond category) climbs -- a 12-mile grind up the Col du Tourmalet, one of the race's most famed Pyrenean climbs.

The second HC climb to the finish at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet was shorter at 7 miles but had a steeper gradient.

Irishman Ben Healy attacked first but was caught by Yates, who set up Pogacar for the 13th stage win of his Tour career.

"I must say a big thank you to the team today," said Pogacar, who won his second Tour in 2021. "They were amazing, and this victory is for all my teammates."

Time bonuses for the victory added four valuable seconds and extended Pogacar's lead over Vingegaard to 1 minute, 57 seconds.

"It's a good lead, but you never know," Pogacar said. "There is a long way to go."

Evenepoel was 2:22 behind Pogacar heading into another big mountain stage Sunday.

A group of 10 riders formed a breakaway in Saturday's stage, moving four minutes ahead of the yellow jersey group approaching the Tourmalet ascent.

But with Nils Politt riding tempo for Pogacar's team, the breakaway soon shredded to five riders, including Healy.

Approaching the final climb, Healy attacked, and the four others could not follow.

Healy had a chance to win his first Tour stage and a second in major races after a stage win at the Giro d'Italia last year. But those hopes ended when Yates, followed by Pogacar, overtook him.

Their attack seemed to surprise Vingegaard, who beat Pogacar to win Stage 11 on Wednesday, and it looked as if he would lose significantly more time. But a strong response from the Team Jumbo Visma rider helped him stay within one minute of Pogacar.

Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay, who has won three stages, retained the best sprinter's green jersey.

Ineos Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock did not line up for the stage after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, but 2018 winner Geraint Thomas, who also tested positive for the coronavirus, opted to race but was soon dropped by the yellow jersey group.

Sunday's 15th stage -- which falls on Bastille Day, France's national day -- features four big climbs before an even harder grind up to Plateau de Beille.

Monday is the second rest day of the three-week race, which this year finishes in Nice rather than Paris because of the Olympic Games.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services 

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