Stage 12 DS Insights Review
🏁 Stage 12 Tour de France – Auch → Hautacam (180.6 km)
🗓️ Date: 17 July 2025
⛰️ Terrain: Pyrenean summit finish – HC climb to Hautacam
🎯 Theme: A royal execution in the mountains. The Tour may have been decided today.
✅ Winners
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
- Stage Victory: Attacked with 12 km to go on Hautacam, soloing to a dominant win 2:10 ahead of Vingegaard
- Yellow Jersey Secured: Through sheer power; he reclaimed the lead with authority
- 20th Career Tour Stage Win: Confirming his tally and confirming he’s at his peak
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike)
- 2nd on Stage: +2:10 behind Pogačar
- Maintained Podium GC Position: Effectively limited his losses and sits solidly in 2nd overall.
Florian Lipowitz (Bora–Hansgrohe)
- 3rd on Stage: +2:23 up the climb
- Moved to 4th Overall: Confirmed by GC, he’s now an emerging threat .
❌ Losers
Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost)
- Lost Yellow: Dropped early on Soulor, crushed on Hautacam, and finished +13 minutes back
- Dropped from Top GC: Healy now sits 11th overall
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–QuickStep)
- Cracked on Soulor & Hautacam: Initially dropped, later finished 7th on the stage +3:35 and is now +4:45 in GC
- Kept White Jersey: Still best under-25.
Oscar Onley (DSM–Firmenich PostNL)
- Faded Late: Finished 5th on the stage +3:00 and holds 6th overall at +6:05
🔥 Stage Recap & Tactics
- Early Break: A large move including KOM hopefuls contested Soulor
- Soulor’s Fallout: Visma drove hard early, dropping Healy, Evenepoel, Jorgenson, and Yates
- The Move: Pogačar was led out by Narváez, then launched at 12 km to go, distancing Vingegaard and the rest
- Finale: Lipowitz and Onley pursued well (+3:00), Vingegaard +2:10, Evenepoel +3:35, Healy +13 min
🏆 Jersey Classifications – After Stage 12
| Jersey | Leader | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates XRG | GC leader |
| 🔴 Polka Dot | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates XRG | KOM leader |
| 🟢 Green | Jonathan Milan | Lidl–Trek | Retains points lead |
| 🤍 White | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal–QuickStep | Youngest GC rider in podium positions |
✅ Martinez dons polka dot in the peloton; Healy lost yellow; Evenepoel retains white.
⏱️ General Classification – Top 6 After Stage 12
| Rank | Rider | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates XRG | — |
| 2️⃣ | Jonas Vingegaard | Visma–Lease a Bike | +3’31” |
| 3️⃣ | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal–QuickStep | +4’45” |
| 4️⃣ | Florian Lipowitz | Bora–Hansgrohe | +5’34” |
| 5️⃣ | Kevin Vauquelin | Arkéa–B&B Hotels | +5’40” |
| 6️⃣ | Oscar Onley | DSM–Firmenich PostNL | +6’05” |
🧑🤝🧑 Team Classification – After Stage 12
1️⃣ Visma–Lease a Bike —
2️⃣ UAE Team Emirates +17’15”
3️⃣ Arkéa–B&B Hotels +25’08”
Visma keeps its edge across terrains, but UAE emerges as strong runners-up.
🧠 DS Breakdown: What We Learned
- Pogačar’s Tour to Lose: That was a statement—no margins, no luck. Pogi’s to lose.
- Vingegaard Fighting Smart: He lost time but stayed controlled and strong.
- Evenepoel Needs to Regroup: Survived, but gaps are widening.
- Lipowitz & Vauquelin = GC Dark Horses: Positioned well to capitalize on any shifts.
📣 DS Call Summary
“That was full gas, no prisoners. Pogi didn’t wait for fireworks — he brought the flamethrower. Vingegaard rides like a diesel, Remco’s on the ropes, and Ben Healy’s fairytale is on pause. That was a Tour‑shifting stage. “And it’s not over yet.”
