Tour de France LIVE: Stage 12 updates & results

Summary

Stage 12: Briancon to Alpe d'Huez, 166km
Summit finish on famous Alpe d'Huez
Three hors categorie climbs
Second time up Col du Galibier in two days
Vingegaard in yellow jersey as overall leader
Bardet second - 2mins 16secs behind
Defending champion Pogacar third - 2mins 22secs adrift
GB's Thomas fourth, Yates sixth

Live Reporting

Chris Bevan

'An important day for the French'published at 13:08 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
We've been waiting for a move from a French rider - it is Bastille Day after all... and we've just seen one!
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Recreating the route from 1986published at 13:07 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Alpe d'Huez has seen some memorable battles in the 70 years since the legendary Fausto Coppi led the race up the mountain for the Tour's first ever summit finish, and today deliberately mirrors one of the most famous of them all.
Today's stage from Briancon to the Alpe is an exact replica of the 18th stage of the 1986 Tour, when team-mates Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault broke clear then put aside their personal rivalry for the overall lead, crossing the finish line hand-in-hand.
Image source, Getty Images
Postpublished at 13:05 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
140km to go
No fireworks yet from the big hitters today, but there's been a few attempts to get across from the main bunch to the escapees.
At the moment Giulio Ciccone is about 40 seconds behind the breakaway, while Louis Meintjes and Georg Zimmermann are another minute or so back.
Then come the peloton, another two minutes back.
"It's not over yet"published at 12:55 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
Image source, Reuters
Speaking of jerseys, Jonas Vingegaard is the man in yellow today after his heroics on Wednesday. Let's not write off defending champion Tadej Pogacar just yet though, hey?
Pogacar cracked at the end of yesterday's stage after fending off repeated attacks by Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma team-mates, but is he about to concede defeat. Not a chance...
"It is not over yet," Pogacar said at the stage finish. "He got three minutes today, maybe tomorrow it's me who gets three minutes. We will fight until the end."
The stage is set then. This is the General Classification after stage 11, with less than a minute separating second from seventh.
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 41hrs 29mins 59secs
2. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM +2mins 16secs
3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
4. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) +2mins 37secs
6. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 06secs
7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +3mins 13secs
8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +7mins 23secs
9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz/Astana) +8mins 07secs
10. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 29secs
More points for Wout van Aertpublished at 12:53 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
Today's intermediate sprint came after 12km, at Le Monetier-Les-Bains. The front six were first over, obviously, but the man in green, Wout van Aert, was at the front of the main bunch to hoover up nine points and this is how that leaves the green jersey standings.
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), 3132. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), 1553. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), 1484. Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost), 1295. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), 116
Image source, EPA
An early move...published at 12:48 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
148km to go
More on Alpe d'Huez later, of course... much more! - but here is what is happening on the road.
Today's stage has only just begun but the race is already heading uphill and a six-man breakaway has been allowed to escape early on the way up Col du Galibier.
Those riders are: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Gerhard Schönberger (B&B Hotels-KTM), Kobe Goossens (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) and Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic).
They are about one minute and 20 seconds clear at the moment.
Geraint's verdict...published at 12:42 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
So, a huge test awaits... but the atmosphere on the unique arena that is Alpe d'Huez is quite a pay-off for all the pain.
This is what Geraint Thomas thinks...
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Stage 12 - Shut up legs!published at 12:37 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
Image source, Tour de France
So, Wednesday had the highest stage finish, and the highest point of the race... today has got the highest vertical gain (4,750m), and almost 65km of climbing in total, with the race heading uphill for over a third of the total 165.1km route.
That is going to hurt. I'm sure a lot of the 159 remaining riders who just rode over the start line about 20 minutes ago will be echoing the thoughts of Tour legend Jens Voigt at some point today, and thinking - or shouting - "shut up legs!"
70 years of Alpe d'Huezpublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 14 July 2022
Image source, Getty Images
So, we're still in the high mountains, the day after the race has been blown completely apart, and waiting to see who has got what left in the tank after a stunning day of what has been a truly extraordinary Tour, even by this race's ridiculous standards.
What else could you ask for?
How about a summit finish on the famous Alpe d'Huez, celebrating 70 years of one of the Tour's most iconic climbs?
Oh, and it's Bastille Day too; France's national holiday. There is always a party on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez (and all 21 of its hairpin bends), but this one is going to be extra special.
If you had any other plans for today, it's pretty simple: cancel them now.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Dutch fans have traditionally made bend seven of Alpe d'Huez their own
Let's do it all over againpublished at 12:30
Image source, EPA
So, have you got your breath back yet? I hope so...
Yep, Wednesday's 11th stage of the Tour de France delivered a truly epic day of bike racing in the high mountains that saw the main contenders go head to head in a Battle Royale in the Alps.
A thrilling story of team tactics, spirit and raw power unfolded on the slopes, before Jonas Vingegaard ultimately climbed into yellow, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar cracked.
The good news? We're going to do it all again today, in the 2022 Tour's Queen Stage.
Image source, EPA