“If he hadn’t crashed, he would’ve won by four minutes” - Tim Wellens jokes Tadej Pogacar could've destroyed rivals further on stage 12 of 2025 Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar went all-in to secure the Maillot Jaune on stage 12 of the 2025 Tour de France, not only winning the summit finish at Hautacam, but putting more than two minutes into nearest rival Jonas Vingegaard. According to Pogacar's teammate Tim Wellens, things could have been even more destructive too.

Wellens himself did a monster turn on the front of the GC group, setting his UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader up perfectly for the final climb. “I have to say, the peloton was pretty small by the time I had to drop back,” Wellens reflected afterwards to Het Nieuwsblad, although the Belgian doesn't yet consider the race a done deal. “I wouldn’t go that far — but it’s looking pretty good now.”

According to Wellens, this stage and the summit at Hautacam had been one long highlighted by Pogacar as a chance to make a difference. “This morning, I could already see that Tadej was incredibly motivated. He really wanted to win this stage," explains the Belgian. "Even before the Tour started, he had marked it as crucial for the general classification. And that’s Tadej — if he marks a stage, he rarely fails to deliver.”

Given that Pogacar's Tour de France momentarily looked in danger after a late crash on stage 11, Wellens even suggests the likes of Vingegaard and co should count themselves lucky to even be as 'close' as they were. “If he hadn’t crashed, he would’ve won by four minutes,” he laughed.

Despite the clear targeting of the stage, UAE were in a relaxed mood all day. “We weren’t paying attention at all during the meeting,” Wellens admits. “It was like being in school — the coach had to step in and ask us to please focus. We were all laughing and joking about other things.”

“Pogacar is unbelievably strong mentally. He’s always focused, and he never disappoints. Of course, it helps when your legs are that good — but even then, you’ve got to go out and deliver. In life, nothing comes for free — not even for Tadej,” Wellens concluded.