Tour de France contender Remco Evenepoel experiences setback on stage 12 to Hautacam, yet manages to maintain podium ambitions despite a less-than-expected performance
Remco Evenepoel, the rising cycling star, faced a challenging day during Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2025. Despite losing contact with his rivals, the Belgian rider managed to maintain his podium hopes.
Evenepoel found himself distanced early in the stage due to the tactics employed by other teams, which appeared to be supporting Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates. Furthermore, Evenepoel grappled with physical issues, such as leaden pedaling, on the grueling climbs like the Col du Soulor. However, he showed resilience by rejoining the General Classification (GC) group later in the stage.
Evenepoel's struggles resulted in a time loss of 3:35 to Pogačar, moving him down to third overall, now 4:45 behind the Slovenian rider. Despite this setback, Evenepoel's directeur sportif, Tom Steels, encouraged him over the radio, urging him to focus on the upcoming mountain time trial on Friday.
The 10.9 kilometre mountain time trial presents an opportunity for Evenepoel to distance those in fighting distance of the podium. As a master in Time Trials, Evenepoel may find an advantage in the first three kilometres of the upcoming time trial. If he can maintain his pace and respond to any accelerations, Evenepoel could potentially close the gap and challenge for the overall victory.
Meanwhile, Matteo Jorgenson lost more time during the race, moving Evenepoel into third overall in the virtual standings. The battle for the podium is heating up, with Jonas Vingegaard close behind Evenepoel in fourth, 2:09 off the pace.
In the stage itself, Pogačar surged away from Vingegaard and the rest during the race, passing Bruno Armirail, the race leader, a kilometre after lighting up the pace. Ben Healy lost touch three kilometers later into the climb, leaving Evenepoel to catch and leave him behind. The gap between Evenepoel and the Pogačar-Vingegaard group was down to 20 seconds on the Col des Borderes.
Evenepoel's performance during Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2025 demonstrated his tenacity and fighting spirit. As the race continues, fans will eagerly await his comeback in the mountain time trial on Friday.
Road cycling is a challenging sport, as demonstrated by Remco Evenepoel during Stage 12 of the Tour de France 2025. Evenepoel, a sports star, faces fierce competition, yet he continues to strive for victory, as seen in his resilience to rejoin the General Classification group and his determination to win the upcoming mountain time trial.
