Tour de France stage 12 Live - Pogacar and Vingegaard face off as Pidcock wins on L'Alpe d'Huez

Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 12 of the 2022 Tour de France.

As the Cyclingnews blimp takes height, the riders are signing-on in Briancon.

It's going to be another hot and aggressive day of racing.  

As always, Cyclingnews will have full live coverage of the stage, with post-stage reaction, analysis and photographs of the racing. 

This is today's stage. 

Today is the second consecutive mountain finish in the high Alps and is also Bastille Day in France.

Will France celebrate a big stage win? Or will Pogacar try to take back time on Vingegaard? We will find out in about five hours. 

The team are signing on one by one on the podium. There are a lot of worried looks as the riders realise they face a tough stage in the mountains.  

Next on stage is Team DSM and team leader Romain Bardet. He gets a huge cheer from the crowd. 

Could he win today on L'Alpe d'Huez? That would be magnifique!  

Read more about Bardet's great ride by clicking below. 

Bardet makes unexpected, impressive entry into Tour de France GC battle

Next up is Groupama-FDJ and David Gaudu and Thibaut Pinot also get a huge cheer.

"Allez Thibaut!!!" the crowd cheers.

A stage win from the break would be huge for Pinot, the Tour and for France.

Next to sign-on are Ineos Grenadiers. 

Will Thomas and Adam Yates go on the attack today? 

Well, Thomas has already won on the Alpe, back in 2018, when he was wearing yellow too. 

What about Pidcock going in the break and winning today?  

Next up is Arkea-Samsic and the Combatif of stage 11 Warren Barguil. 

He won near Briancon, on the Izoard, in the polka-dots back in 2017 and was also the last French rider to win on Bastille Day when he won a second stage in Foix, again in 2017.

Nairo Quintana is also on stage and is a real threat today too, even if he went on the attack on stage 11 on the Col du Granon. 

This is what the riders face today. This is a superb drone shot of the L'Alpe d'Huez hairpins. 

Next up at the sign-on is UAE but they are running a little late.

Tadej Pogacar eventually arrives and quickly heads to the start line. He is no longer in the leader's yellow jersey but is wearing the best young rider's white jersey and so has a special place on the front of the gird. 

3 minutes to roll out! 

The other jersey wearers also line-up on the front.  Vingegaard is in yellow today and has yellow touches to his Cervelo bike. 

Simon Geschke (Cofidis) also lines-up in the polka dot jersey.

One minute to roll out!

The other riders move up and the clock ticks down to the start.

C'est Parti! 

The riders roll out for the start of the 165km stage.

Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas seem ready to race.

This is today's stage. 

This is the stage profile.

Ooops, Nairo Quintana needs a bike stage, even in the neutralised sector.

The peloton will wait for him.

The riders face 4.6km of neutralised riding. Then the flag will drop.   

Tadej Pogacar spoke briefly to Eurosport before the start and seems bullish.  

“The Tour de France is not over. I feel good, had a good night’s sleep, saw (my partner) Urska  and she gave me a lot energy. I think I’m ready to fight," he said, firing a warning shot to his rivals.  

Pogacar made it clear he is not nervous about the stage to come. 

"I think they’re more nervous than me, I'm not nervous at all," he said.

"I like to attack and I hope for the good legs."  

Despite the hot weather across Europe, a rain shower came before the start, leaving the roads wet on the ride out of Briancon.  

Here we go! 

Christian Prudhomme drops the flag and they're off! 

Warren Barguil is the first to attack. 

Wawa is inspired to attack again. 

159 riders started the stage. That's the same number who finished yesterday's stage.

Neilson Powless is also attacking on the climb out of Briancon. 

Powless has a gap but other riders are chasing him.

160km to go

We can expect Wout van Aert to be up front in the early kilometres. 

The intermediate sprints comes after 11.8km in Le Monêtier-les-Bains and he wants to score more points for the green jersey. 

The first climb is the Col du Galibier but it is preceded by the gradual the Col du Lautaret. 

It is perfect for a break to form. 

Crash in the peloton!

Steven Kruijswijk is delayed and needs help from his team car. but he gets going again.

Five chasers join Powless up front. They lead by 25 seconds.

The peloton seems to have eased. Van Aert is not there and so has a more defensive role today for Jumbo.

The six up front are: Oliveira, Perez, Goossens, Louvel and Schönberger and Powless.

The gap is up to 1:20. 

The six are gone! 

This is the first shot of Vingegaard in the yellow jersey.

The peloton has eased. The break is at 2:00 but suddenly a chase group of five forms. 

The sun is out now and Kobe Goossens reaches the intermediate sprint in first position ahead of Oliveira.

Boom. Here comes van Aert to seep up some intermediate sprint points. 

He is seventh to the line and takes some free points.

150km to go

Van Aert eases up but more counter-attacks come. 

However they are 2:50 down on the attack.

There is a stiff headwind up the Col du Lautaret. That will be a factor in if and how the early break forms.

Van Aert scored 9 points with his surge, taking his total to a massive 313. Fabio Jakobsen is second with 155 points.

The six riders lead by 1:30 as the attacks behind keep coming. 

There is suddenly a big split in the peloton, as riders try to get into the counter-attack. 

The peloton is lined out due to the high speed.

Strangely Pogacar is sat well back in the peloton.

Jonas Vingegaard is more up front, following bodyguard and Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout van Aert.

The gap to the six attackers is 1L20

JUmbo are taking control of the chase, with Van Aert and Roglic up front.

Giulio Ciccone  of Trek decides to try to cross the break solo. That's a big ask but the Col du Galibier will start soon.  

The Galibier from this side is a 25-minute climb. It is officially 23km at 5.1% but that includes a chunk of the Col du Lautaret. 

The riders still have 12km to climb now and are still on the main road.

Ciccone is 45 seconds behind Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matîs Louvel (Arkéa-Samsic) and Gerhard Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM).

The peloton at 1:30. Anything could still happen yet. The break has not been let go. So many riders want a slice of the action today.

Louis Meintjes and Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché) are in between Ciccone and the bunch but they face a big task to get across. 

140km to go

The six attackers turn right not the Galibier. 

Ciccone is at 45 seconds and Louis Meintjes and Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché) are at 1:00. 

The peloton is at 2:00. 

The lower slopes of the Galibier is packed with spectators. They will quickly descent towards L'Alpe d'Huez for the finish.

Allez! We have more attacks. 

Pinot is on the move too. 

Louis Meintjes has joined Ciccone and they are 30 seconds down on the break. 

The Pinot group is huge, too big and van Aert closes them down. 

The peloton is only 1:30 behind and Jumbo seem keen to keep control of any attacks. 

The pace is hurting some at the back of the peloton, with riders bering dropped.

Wout van Aert is doing a huge job for Jonas Vingegaard. 

He is deterring any other attacks and hurting everyone. 

With 5km to the summit of the Col du Galibier, Ciccone and Meintjes join the break, taking it to eight riders up front. 

However van Aert's work is cutting into the gap of just 1:30. 

135km to go

Anthony Perez (Cofidis) has surged away from the break to try to take the Galibier KOM. He has a 20-second lead.

Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matîs Louvel (Arkéa-Samsic) and Gerhard Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM) are in the attack behind him. 

The Jumbo-lead peloton at 1:55.

Froome attacks from the peloton. 

That is good to see.

Froome sense that Jumbo will let the attack go away and he wants to try to be part of it. 

However there is only 1.5km to go to the summit for Perez. The long, long descent follow.    

Perez is nearing the summit of the Galibier. He passes the Desgrange monument and pushes on to the real summit at 2642m.  

130km to go

Perez scores 20 points in the KOM competition at the top. 

Ciccone leads the chase at 25 seconds, Froome is at 1:45 and the peloton is at 2:10.

The riders can now enjoy 40km of descending of the Galibier and then the Col du Télégraphe.

The descend from 2642m to just 536m. Of course, they then haver to climb again on the long Col de la Croix de Fer and then up to L'Alpe d'Huez. 

The 165km stage includes three Hors Category climbs. 

Tom Pidcock dives down the descent to try to join Froome and the chase of the attack. 

He is 11th in GC at 11:12 but perhaps not a worry for Jumbo-Visma. 

Pidcock is using every metre of the road and quickly crosses to Froome.  

His descending skills are giving him free seconds and he has already opened a gap of 35 seconds on Jumbo.

Froome catches Pidcock as the road eases. Pidcock seemed to wait for him to share the work on the flatter parts of the descent.

The two are 1:15 down on Perez, Ciccone, Meintjes and Powless. 

Froome is trying to hang on Pidcock's wheel but the Ineos rider is a lot smaller and seems to be a better descender. 

The attackers and Froome and Pidcock blast through Valloire. They face a 5km climb and then can dive down the descent of the Col du Télégraphe.

Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) has a disc brake issue, with his bike making a loud tick, tick, tick noise. 

He will need a bike change.  

Pidcock and Froome are only 40 seconds behind now. And they still have the Col du Télégraphe to descend. 

Chris Froome has twice won on Bastille Day, in 2013 and 2015. It would be  incredible if he won again today. 

For now he's crossing to the break of the day with Pidcock. 

As the peloton also starts the descent of the Col du Télégraphe, they are 3:45 down on the attackers. 

Froome and Pidcock did the right thing by going across the descent. 

They are with the attackers now and it looks like Pidcock will keep diving down the descent to gain more time.  

100km to go

The riders have climbed the Galibier but oyl raced 65km of the 165km stage. There is so much more to come today. 

Next up after the descent of the Col de la Croix de Fer that summits after 110km, the the stager ends with L'Alpe d'Huez.  

Pidcock leads the attackers to the valley road with Powless.

He eases for a natural break, while Powless eats and they let the other attackers join them. 

This was the original attack. They have been joined by Pidcock, Froome and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert).

The peloton is also in the valley road, 4:50 down on the attackers. 

88km to go

There is a moment of calm in the attack and peloton as riders eat and drink.

They will soon face the Col de la Croix de Fer climb. 

The Col de la Croix de Fer is a long climb of two parts. 

It is measured at 29km long at an average of 5.2%. However it includes two climbs and lots of riding at high altitude. 

This is the Col de la Croix de Fer profile.

83km to go

The riders in the break are working together in the valley road to try to extend their gap in the peloton.

It's up to 6:15. The peloton is concerned that Pidcock is only 11th at 11:13.

These are the 9 riders in the attack: 

Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Kobe Goossens and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Sebastian Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadier) 

The riders are in the valley and riding into a headwind. It is said to be 36C out there. No wonder riders are spraying themselves with water to try to stay cool. 

The attackers start the lower slopes of the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

They face another 27.5km of climbing and unfortunately Froome has lost a few metres.   

The stage is ticking down the kilometres to the final showdown on L'Alpe d'Huez. 

To fully understand what could happen, read Barry Ryan's excellent preview. It is superb and perfectly captures the significance of the stage after yesterday's events. 

 Tour de France 2022 stage 12 preview - Alpe d’Huez punctuates trio of HC climbs

This shot shows Pidcock's daring descending skills that allowed him to cross to the attack.

Pidcock looks fresh and determined as he rides on the front of the attack.

Jumbo-Visma are clearly letting the Pidcock group open a gap, perhaps to force others to chase. 

Will Pogacar and UAE worry about defending the white jersey? Probably not but the other teams will not want the Ineos rider from climbing up the top ten.  

75km to go

The Col de la Croix de Fer is a slow grind, with an effort of at near 1:15. 

The peloton is at 7:20. 

The peloton is still large but some sprinters, including Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan, have been distanced.

Wout van Aert is still on the front of the peloton. He's doing another incredible ride for Jumbo-Visma. 

The attackers still face 20km of climbing on the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

In the peloton Steven Kruijswijk arrives with a musette full of food and ice for his teammates. 

It is important to eat and drink now, before the harder, higher slopes of the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Fortunately the riders can enjoy some shade on the lower slopes of the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

72km to go

Everyone is waiting for the final climb to L'Alpe d'Huez and everyone on the climb is waiting for them. 

After two years of reduced crowds. Hundreds of thousands of people have travelled to the climb to watch the Tour.

This was the famous Dutch corner earlier. 

Here's a shot looking up L'Alpe d'Huez.

The Beefeaters are also out in force and claiming their own corner. 

It's not just a bike race, it's an all-day party.

Riders are slowly dropping from the peloton. 

Sadly Dani Martinez of Ineos is one of them. He was ill earlier in the Tour and is no longer an overall contender. 

Christophe Laporte is now doing the work on the front for Jumbo. He is far more than a sprinter.  

UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Fernández Matxin has become the latest member of Tadej Pogačar’s supporting team to leave the Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19.

Click below for the full story. 

COVID-19 positives continue to hit Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates at Tour de France

There are still 13km to climb on the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

The 9 attackers lead the peloton by 6:50. 

It will be fascinating to see if anyone from the attack can stay clear. 

Perhaps Powless, Ciccone, Pidcock and Meintjes have a good chance.

Here's a side on shot of Froome and Sebastian Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM).

65km to go

Pidcock tries to inspire a faster pace in the attack but the other riders seem unable or unwilling to ride any faster on the Col de la Croix de Fer.

They still have 10km to climb. 

60km to go

Laporte is still on the front for Jumbo-Visma. 

That helps van Aert recover and so be there later in the stage. The Dutch team are showing their tight control of the race.

Up front, Pidcock has upped the pace and split the attack.  

Perez is dropped, as are Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) and Sebastian Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM). 

There are only five riders left up front. Froome is there, as is Powless.

They are 4km from the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer and so the gradient and the altitude is hurting everyone.

Ineos lose Jonathan Castroviejo and Luke Rowe from the peloton.

Jumbo have clearly decided to ramp up the pace now. 

3km to the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

Pidcock pushes up the pace and Froome is slightly gapped. 

The break knows the peloton has upped the pace. 

Van Aert grabs a musette, as do two teammates, for a key feed near the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer.  

Behind Caruso, Uran and Pogacar's key teammate Brandon McNulty have been dropped. 

It will be interesting to see who makes it over the Col de la Croix de Fer in the peloton, or should we say, the Vingegaard GC group.  

Nathan Van Hooydonck is on the front for Jumbo now. 

They are, for now, in total control of the race.

Nathan Van Hooydonck moves off the front, so now it is time for Benoot, with Kuss behind him.

Jumbo still have Roglic and van Aert to protect Vingegaard too.

Froome is back in the attack as they near the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

There are five riders there: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). 

Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) makes sure he is first to the top to take the maximum points on the HC climb. 

50km to go

The peloton reaches the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer, some 4:30 down on the attackers. 

That might not be enough for them to stay away and win the stage. 

The GC battle will surely explode on the 21 hairpins of L'Alpe d'Huez. 

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) start the descent but it has a false flat early sector and other kick-ups before reaching the bottom. 

There are only 40 riders in the Vingegaard GC group. 

The riders in the break are keen to feed from their team cars before the descent starts in earnest.  

45km to go

The work of Jumbo-Visma has reduced the gap to 4:40. 

This is the break of the day. Will any of them survive the chase of the peloton? 

Here we go. 

Pidcock ups the pace and splits the attack again. But they come back to him. 

The road kicks-up after a long downhill sector and it seems to hurt everyone in the attack. 

Ciccone showers himself with cold water and so so does Pidcock, who gets some ice for his neck. 

32km to go

Pidcock leads on the descent. The surface is new and he can test everyone else's limits and fears by going at 100km/h. 

The attack lead the peloton by 5:15.  

We're getting close to the foot of L'Alpe d'Huez. 

Mechanical for Roglic!  

20km to go

The break leads by 6:00. Has Jumbo let them go away? 

We'll find out very soon. We're about to start the climb to L'Alpe d'Huez.   

This is the profile of the legendary climb. 

It has a gradient of 8.1% and last 13.8km, with 21 hairpins. 

It's natural stadium for the fans and riders.   

Benoot leads the peloton for Vingegaard but he has dropped back, perhaps to mark Pogacar and other GC rivals. 

5km to go until the start of L'Alpe d'Huez. 

Here we go! 

This is L'Alpe d'Huez. 

Team DSM are up front in the peloton, will Bardet attack?  

The TV camera finds Pogacar. He looks at his computer and says with a smile: "It's pretty hot, uh?" 

Here we go. 13.8km to climb up L'Alpe d'Huez. 

The attackers turn off the main road and start the climb. 

The six are: 

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

Who will attack first? 

Incredibly Pidcock has the time and focus to throw some trash in a bag on the side of the road.

He seems the freshest, will he be the strongest?

Froome knows that staying cool is vital today. 

12.5km to go

The peloton hits the start of L'Alpe d'Huez, 6:05 behind the attackers. They're a kilometre behind. 

Jumbo-Visma seem happy to let the break stay away, at least for now.

Jumbo have six riders on the front, including Vingegaard.

Ganna moves up the Ineos train to the front.  

Powless loses the wheels in the attack. 

The American seems in trouble. 

Louis Meintjes (Intermarché) is pushing the pace in the attack. 

He and ciccone are perhaps the best climbers. Pidcock is the debutant but a proven talent.

Van Aert leads the group. Suddenly Pogacar moves up to the wheel of Vingegaard and coolly  passes a bar to a teammate. 

The group are 5:45 down on the attack.  

Powless is back on the attack but Pidcock ups the pace and hurts him again.

Now Froome starts to up the pace.

Vingegaard and Pogacar are side by side. Who will surge first? 

Pidcock goes first up front. He ups the pace and is solo. 

He is pushing a big gear but dancing on the pedals.  

Louis Meintjes is chasing Pidcock, so is Froome. 

Ciccone is suffering and so is Powless.  

10km to go

The attackers are spread out down the road but there is still a lot of hairpins to climb.

All steady in the peloton for now. Van Aert is still leading with another superb team ride. 

Groupama are forming and moving up for Gaudu. 

Pogacar takes a bidon and sprays his head with cold water.

Meintjes joins Pidcock up front. 

Thomas is a little too far back in the peloton.

Van Aert is drilling it on the front. He is hurting everyone in the peloton.

There are only 20 or less riders in the GC group. 

Meintjes is about 10m behind Pidcock. He's there but can't close the gap. 

8km to go

Van Aert moves off the front, who will lead now?

It's up to Steven Kruijswijk, then Kuss, then Roglic.

Vlasov is dropped. He was already 7:23 down in the GC.

Pinot and Jungels are also dropped from the GC group. 

Pidcock is alone and now going for it. He is halfway up L'Alpe d'Huez. He leads Meintjes by 10 seconds, with Froome at 20 seconds.

The young Yorkshire rider can win this stage on his Tour debut. 

Thomas and Yates are in the GC group, Gaudu, Mas, and Bardet too.

Quintana is there, as is Majka for Pogacar. 

Jumbo are still in control. 

Pogacar looks good for now. He's sat on Vingegaard's wheel. 

The crowds are huge as Pidcock opens the road in front him like Moses. 

Behind Quintana cracks suddenly. Lutsenko goes too. 

Gaudu is also hurting. 

They still have 7km to race,  half of the Alpe. 

The final gaps could be huge at the finish. 

5km to go

Pidcock leads Meintjes by 25 seconds. He seems unstoppable. 

Roglic takes over on the front of the GC group. 

There are only 10 riders able to hold the pace.

Look at the strength of Jumbo. 

Roglic is done, now Kuss takes over leading Vingegaard.

Will the Dane attack soon? 

Majka is dropped. Pogacar is alone. 

It's going to be mano-a-mano very soon.

The crowds are huge as they cheer on Pidcock.  

Meintjes is 30 seconds behind him but not giving up. 

Bardet is dropped. 

This is a classic day on L'Alpe d'Huez. 

An incredible day of racing. 

Adam Yates is dropped. There are only 5 riders in the GC group. 

The five are: Kuss, Vingegaard, Pogacar, Thomas and Mas.

The 5 have 5km to race.

Pidcock leads the 5 by 4:00. This stage can be his. 

Pidcock has 3km to race, he is just 3km from a historic victory. 

He looks very good.   

Kuss still leads Vingegaard, Pogacar, Thomas and Mas up the climb, between the walls of screaming fans.

Pogacar attacks!!!

Vingegaard goes with him. Race on.

They ease and look at each other. Thomas is coming back to them.

Bardet is with Yates just behind.

2.5km to go

Pidcock leads by 35 seconds. 

It's stalemate between Vingegaard, Pogacar and Thomas.

Kuss comes back to them and sets the pace again.

Kuss is doing an incredible job for Vingegaard today. 

The riders are near the L'Alpe d'Huez village now. 

They race up and to the far right of the hotels and apartment blocks for the rising finish.  

Behind it's Kuss, Vingegaard, Pogacar and Thomas. 

1km to go

Pogacar attacks!  

Vingegaard goes after him.

Thomas is dropped. 

The two are equally matched.

They again look at each other and so Thomas gets back on.

Pidcock is close to the finish.

He's won some big races but this is another level on his Tour debut. 

Pidcock shakes his head and then celebrates when he crosses the line.

Louis Meintjes (Intermarché) finishes at 48 seconds.

Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) is third at 2:05. 

That's like a victory for him.

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) comes in at 2:30. 

Here's Pidcock as he rides to victory.

Here comes the GC group. Pogacar kicks in search of every second

They finish 3:22 down on Pidcock.

Wow. What a day of racing. What another great day of racing.

Quintana loses time and finishes at 4:45 but he's not finished yet in this Tour.

Tom Pidcock can hardly believe what he's done. He's won on L'Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France.

Louis Meintjes is emotional as he speaks about his second place.

Here's the moment Pidcock wins the stage. 

That was raw emotion and honesty from Louis Meintjes.

Thomas is happy with his ride and has moved up in the GC.  

Thomas is third at 2:26 now. He has moved past Bardet, who slipped to fourth at 2:35. 

Pidcock was overjoyed when he reached his Ineos carer beyond the finish.

Other riders are coming in as the clock ticks. 

The sprinters will still have some kilometres to ride but will be racing to finish inside the time limit.

Pidcock is only 22 but he's now added a Tour de France stage to his cyclocross world title, mountain bike Olympic gold, a Baby Giro wib and others. 

He will surely fight for overall victory in the years to come. 

Pidcock was happy with his big win.

"It's not bad that, is it? It's made my Tour de France so far. Even if something happens and I get dropped everyday, I don't care. A stage win at my first Tour, it's not bad," he joked.

"The idea was to get in the break. I lost enough time yesterday that hopefully, I'd be given freedom," he explained. 

"If I had gone up the climb on the Galibier, I don't think I would have gotten away, but on the descent, Jumbo don't want to risk chasing me, and also, the gap was small enough to get across. It worked out perfect in the end.

"It is certainly one of my best experiences in cycling, it was unreal. 

"When you are literally slaloming through people's flags, fists and God knows what else, you can't experience that anywhere else, in anything, other than on L'Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France."

Chris Froome was also happy to finish third. It was an incredible performance from the four-time Tour winner.

“I gave it everything I had today and I don't have any regrets,” Froome said. 

“Where I've come from in the last three years, to finish third on one of the hardest stages of the Tour, I can be really happy with that.” 

What a day for Tom Pidcock and for cycling. 

To read our full stage report, see our huge photo gallery and full results click below. 

Pidcock claims sensational L'Alpe d'Huez victory on stage 12 of Tour de France

Geraint Thomas pointed out that he was the first British winner atop L'Alpe d'Huez but was happy for Pidcock and to move to third overall. 

With the help of his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl teammates, Fabio Jakobsen finished inside he time limit. 

He finished in 40:03, with Morkov, Lampaert and a sick Victor Lafay (Cofidis). 

The time limit was 44:19. All the 159 riders made it to the finish today and so through the Alps. 

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar had another battled but they finished together, with Geraint Thomas and others after looking at each other. 

"Today was also a super, super hard day," Vingegaard said. 

"It was incredibly warm today. At the bottom of the Croix de Fer it was plus 35C, it felt like, and in the end it was a really hard day. 

"Tadej [Pogacar] attacked me a few times at the end and I would also expected him to, luckily I was able to follow him every time and I'm happy with that."

Vingegaard admitted he suffered after the hard, aggressive racing on Wednesday on the Col du Granon.

"After yesterday, I didn't have the best legs today. I didn't feel bad but I think everyone was suffering so much in the heat that it was just a hard race," he said. 

"Today, I didn't think about taking additional time. I was just thinking about trying to maintain the gap I have on Tadej."

The Jumbo-Visma leader was blown away by the huge crowds on L'Alpe d'Huez.

"There were so many people, it was incredible," he said. 

"To be honest, they appeared better than I would have expected. I've seen L'Alpe d'Huez before and there is almost no place to ride and today was better, and everyone was cheering in a good way."

This is a view from other side. Pidcock's emotions are clear to see.

These are the full results from today's stage. 

This is how Tom Pidcock got across to the break of the day. Later he rode away from them on the climb to L'Alpe d'Huez.

At just 22-years-old Pidcock is the youngest winner at L’Alpe d’Huez, bettering Lucho Herrera who was 23 when he scored the first ever Tour de France stage victory for Colombia on the climb. 

Cyclingnews journalists Barry Ryan, Alasdair Fotheringham and Daniel Ostanek are in L'Alpe d'Huez and have spoken to Pogacar, Vingegaard, Thomas and others. 

They will have special news stories plus analysis of the day on Cyclingnews very soon.    

For blow by blow coverage of the stage, scroll through our live coverage. 

For our full report, photo gallery and to check the full results from our friends at FirstCycling, click below.  

Pidcock claims sensational L'Alpe d'Huez victory on stage 12 of Tour de France

Stage 13 of Tour de France is over 192.6km from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Étienne, taking the Tour out of the Alps via hilly stage. 

It seems perfect for another breakaway, although some sprinters and their teams might want to try to control the attacks in hope of winning the sprint. 

BikeExchange-Jayco seem the best candidates for that role but face a mighty task

Join the Cyclingnews live coverage of all of stage 13 to follow the action.

Thanks for joining us in the Alps in such a high number, we hope you enjoyed every moment  as we did. 

Vive le Tour!