The Ineos team rider won the 12e stage concluded at the top of Alpe d’Huez. Vingegaard ensured and Bardet lost his place on the podium.
The fact of the day :
After a legendary 11th stage on Wednesday, the 12th stage was particularly awaited on the route of the Tour with the ascent of Alpe d’Huez as a final justice of the peace. And it was Briton Tom Pidcock, who escaped with American Nelson Powless (EF), Briton Christopher Froome (Israel), Italian Gulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) and South African Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), who won solo at the end of the famous 21 bends. He succeeds the Welshman Geraint Thomas, the last winner in Alpe d’Huez four years ago, and won the first victory for the Ineos team in an atmosphere of madness and in scorching temperatures. Louis Meintjes and Christopher Froome, the quadruple winner of the Tour, complete the podium of this last alpine stage. World cyclocross champion and Olympic mountain bike champion, Tom Pidcock won a renowned stage for his first Tour de France.
No big moves overall
Behind, in the fight for the final victory, the ascents of the Galibier then the Telegraph did not trigger attacks like the day before and the first of the classification arrived grouped at the bottom of the Alpe, led by the Jumbo Visma of Jonas Vingaard. In the ascent, Romain Bardet was the first to give ground, Tadej Pogacar launching an attack on him shortly before the 4 kilometer flame but the Danish yellow jersey managed to resist. Like a second banderilla a little later. Both men finishing at the same time. Romain Bardet slips to 4th place in the general classification after losing 18 seconds on the leaders and finds himself 2’35 behind leader Jonas Vingegaard, serene yellow jersey coming out of the Alps. David Gaudu (FDJ) finished ” very disappointed “ after losing 54 seconds to the other leaders at the finish line.