Stage 12 DS Insights Preview

🚴‍♂️ Tour de France 2025

📍 Route: Auch → Hautacam

📆 Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025

📏 Distance: 180.6 km

⛰️ Profile: 3 850 m elevation gain, summit finish

🏁 Stage Type: Pyrenean showdown

🧭 DS Tactical Forecast

This is the stage the GC hitters have circled. Four categorized climbs and a summit finish on the legendary Hautacam will blow this race open. UAE must defend. Visma wants to dominate. Remco lurks. But one wildcard remains in yellow: Ben Healy.

🧱 The Climb Breakdown

⛰ Climb          Cat.      Length Avg Grade         Position

Côte de Labatmale    4             1.3 km 6.3%    ~km 91

Col du Soulor 1             11.8 km             7.3%    ~km 134

Col des Bordères         2             3.1 km 7.7%    ~km 146

Hautacam (Summit) HC         13.5 km             7.8%    Finish

🧨 Expect fireworks on the Soulor-Bordères-Hautacam combo — it’s unrelenting and punishing, with only brief valley respites between.

📜 Historical Echoes: Hautacam Past

1994: Luc Leblanc crushed the field in fog and rain.

2000: Javier Otxoa’s emotional solo win.

2014: Nibali sealed yellow with an emphatic solo ride.

2022: Jonas Vingegaard broke Pogacar here in a brutal display of team strength and patience.

Today? It’s a new cast — but the same brutal climb.

🏆 GC Landscape – Tactical Movers

🟡 Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost)

Currently leads GC by 29″ over Pogačar.

Team is fully committed to defending yellow.

If Healy limits losses on Hautacam, he may actually gain time over Evenepoel or Jorgenson.

Unknown factor: He’s climbing well, but this is HC territory — a real test of Grand Tour legs.

Team Role: EF will set early tempo to control breakaway time gaps and shelter Healy into the base of Hautacam. If Powless or Chaves can survive into the final 6km, expect them to drop back and pace him.

🔥 Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates–XRG)

All eyes on him after the crash in Stage 11.

Down a key climber (Almeida), so more exposed.

He’ll attack — but not too early. His best move is late in Hautacam to gain time, not launch fireworks at Soulor.

❄️ Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike)

Visma has numbers: Kuss, Jorgenson, Van Aert, and Tratnik all intact.

Expect a mountain train.

If Pogi goes too early, Vingegaard won’t panic — he’ll grind back and counter in the final 2km like 2022.

👀 Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step)

Flying under the radar, 3rd at +1’29″.

With Visma and UAE watching each other, he could launch from 5km out and steal 30s.

Depends on how Quick-Step can position him. Van Wilder and Cattaneo must deliver him fresh.

⚡️ Dark Horses

Matteo Jorgenson: quietly consistent, could leapfrog into top 3.

Geraint Thomas / Ben O’Connor: might try the early move if given leash. Looking for 1 last dance.

Michael Storer: KOM threat + breakaway wildcard.

🧮 Team Tactics: Strength in Numbers

Team   Key GC Leader              Support Riders Remaining

UAE Emirates Tadej Pogačar               Ayuso, McNulty, Wellens (Almeida OUT)

Visma – Lease a Bike Jonas Vingegaard        Kuss, Jorgenson, Van Aert, Tratnik, Laporte

EF Education–EasyPost          Ben Healy         Powless, Chaves, Piccolo, Bissegger

Soudal–Quick-Step    Remco Evenepoel       Van Wilder, Cattaneo, Lampaert

🔎 Verdict:

Visma has the upper hand: 5 mountain-capable domestiques vs UAE’s 3.

EF must use guile, not power: their mission is to deliver Healy fresh to the base of Hautacam, then limit losses.

🎙 DS Call: What We Expect

1. EF ride from the front early – to keep yellow in play.

2. Visma control Soulor – setting tempo, softening legs.

3. UAE wait and strike – late surge from Pogačar inside final 3km.

4. Evenepoel watch and wait – if Pogi & Vingo mark each other, Remco attacks.

5. Healy’s test: If he finishes within 1 minute of Pogačar and Vingegaard — he’s still in the GC picture.

📌 Summary Table: Contenders on Hautacam

Rider    GC Pos.      Stage Objective

Ben Healy         1st         Defend Yellow / limit losses

Tadej Pogačar               2nd       Attack late / gain time

Remco Evenepoel       3rd        Exploit distractions

Jonas Vingegaard        4th        Control & counter

Jorgenson         5th        Climb up into podium talk