"I wanted to show that I'm a good cyclist and not an idiot" - Tobias Johannessen redeems himself in stage 12

For a second day in a row, Tobias Johannessen makes headlines of cycling magazines. On the mighty Hautacam, the Uno-X Mobility climber showed his immense potential when he crested the famous peak in a fourth place, beating the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic.

Johannessen was in the spotlight already during the previous stage, but not thanks to his performances as he would've liked. The Norwegian's name was dragged through the drain after he accidentally caused a fall of world champion Tadej Pogacar.

Stage 12 was then the perfect opportunity to prove that the 25-year-old is good for more than just crashing: "I was really determined to prove myself," he told Eurosport after the stage. "I wanted to show that I'm a good cyclist and not an idiot. I had so much support on the road, which was good to see."

"The team helped me so much with that. It gave me a really good feeling and just the right amount of energy when things got tough. On the climb, it was a battle between my head and my legs, but I'm super happy."

Pogacar had some choice words immediately after the incident, but the Slovenian calmed down overnight and came to reassure his Norwegian opponent that there is no bad blood between the two of them now. A much appreciated gesture: "He came to me again today to reassure me," he concludes. "We're okay now."

Tobias Johannessen is now 8th overall, 7:44 behind Pogacar, but only three minutes short of third-place Remco Evenepoel who certainly didn't seem to be in a tip-top shape so far in the race, leaving the battle for overall podium open with at least five candidates.