T adej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stamped his authority on the Tour de France as the race visited the high mountains for the first time, attacking 12km from the top of Hautacam to score a dominant solo stage 12 victory.

Pogačar ascended the 13.25km HC climb of the Hautacam in 35 minutes and eight seconds. Only Bjarne Riis in 1996 was quicker, by 30 seconds. The Slovenian smashed Vingegaard’s time on the same climb from 2022 by 1:27, and that, memories of that fateful day three years ago, is key to how he performed this time around.