Stage 12 of the Tour de France experienced another incredibly hard start. Despite the calm ending, as was the case in stage 10 Tadej Pogacar was alive to the threat of dangerous splits as he and Jonas Vingegaard attacked and counter-attacked several moves early on.
“I had good legs. On a day like today, when it is very fast in the first hours, it is of course difficult to save energy, but I think we succeeded," Pogacar said in the flash interview. The first 60 kilometers of racing saw plenty small hilltops where dozens of riders tried to form a breakaway and in several instances the top two riders in the climbs bridged across, another start where there were constant splits. However Pogacar assures that he "did not waste energy by reacting at the wrong moments.”
To a certain point it was not understandable why both Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates were racing so aggressively, with very few riders close to their leaders on a day where there were no big ascents to make a difference, but it provided for a spectacular first hour and a half of racing worthy of the Tour de France. Ultimately a breakaway managed to go up the road whilst the duo stayed in the peloton which then grew in size, but the explosive start will leave another dent in everyone's legs.
After getting through the two tricky days of the Massif Central unscathed, Pogacar now eyes the Alps and it's first stage in the Jura mountains which will see the summit finish at the Grand Colombier, where he won back in 2020. “I am very motivated and know tomorrow's climb very well, so bring on the weekend. Hopefully the legs will be as good as today," he concluded.
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