Tadej pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) left his mark on the first major mountain stage of the 2025 Tour de France. The Slovenian won with panache at the summit of Hautacam, after a dazzling climb, and took the Yellow Jersey from Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), who was in great difficulty on the slopes of the Col du Soulor.
The day after a minor fall on the descent of the Col de Portet-d'Aspet, Pogacar responded in the best possible way: by attacking from a sitting position, 12 kilometers from the summit of Hautacam, leaving the last rider able to resist him, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). The latter, a double winner of the Tour (2022, 2023), tried to limit the damage but finally crossed the line with 2 minutes and 11 seconds late, unable to keep up with the pace of the reigning world champion.
"I had a good feeling. After the crash, I wanted to test my legs and I felt it was the right time. Jhonatan [Narváez] did an incredible job at the beginning of the climb.", Pogacar said upon arrival.
A coup that reshuffles the cards of the general classification
From the foot of the Col du Soulor, the first major climb of the day, Yellow Jersey rider Ben Healy showed signs of weakness. Isolated, then distanced, the Irishman lost more than 15 minutes at the finish and dropped out of the top 10 overall.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), who rode in white at the start in Tarbes, also suffered. After dropping back several times on the final climb, the Belgian finally crossed the line in eighth place, losing nearly three minutes to Pogacar and slipping to fourth place in the overall standings.
In the provisional classification, Tadej Pogacar takes the lead again, with 3'07'' ahead of Vingegaard, now his closest pursuer. Behind, Florian Lipowitz (RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe), sensation of the day, completes the provisional podium after an impressive climb, concluding in third place of the stage.
Bruno Armirail, local hero, caught 11 km from the finish
Left on a river escape composed of 47 runners, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) long believed he could play for the win in front of his home crowd. Alone in the lead approaching Hautacam, the climber from the Hautes-Pyrénées resisted until 11 kilometers from the finish, before being swallowed up by the infernal train of the favorites. A performance nevertheless praised on the line, in a festive atmosphere at the summit.
