Tour de France: Pogacar demolishes rivals with devastating stage 12 win in Pyrenees

Slovenian shows his dominance a day after going down.

Thu, 17 Jul, 2025 - 19:42

Jeremy Whittle

Tadej Pogacar dominated Jonas Vingegaard on the slopes of Hautacam to take a commanding lead in the Tour de France. After the first summit finish of 2025, the defending champion’s next overall victory now appears an inevitability. Pogacar beat his rival to the ski station finish by well over two minutes and now leads the Tour by more than three and half minutes, with nine stages remaining.

Pas de suspense, the French would say, and after the Slovenian’s eighth career stage win in the Pyrenees, Vingegaard is scrambling to sustain a meaningful challenge. If Pogacar had been scared when crashing in Toulouse, 24 hours earlier, he showed no ill effects as he dealt a lethal blow to Vingegaard’s aspirations under a fierce Pyrenean sun.