L'Alpe d’Huez - British rookie Tom Pidcock, riding for Ineos, showed world class skills as he won stage 12 of the Tour de France on the Bastille Day holiday on Thursday.
A daredevil descent lit the fuse for the 22-year-old's win while an explosive acceleration on the final ascent of the Alpe d'Huez finished the job.
Jonas Vingegaard maintained his overall lead with defending champion Tadej Pogacar on his wheel.
South African Louis Meintjes was second in the stage, with former four time winner Chris Froome third.
They were part of an escape group that Pidcock first caught with a breath-taking descent and then dropped on the last Alpine climb of this 109th edition of the Tour.
Pidcock is the Olympic mountain-bike champion and the cyclo-cross world champion and the beauty and bravery of his descent of the Col du Telegraph set him apart from the other riders.
"On the descent people did not want to risk chasing me," the lad from Leeds said a the finish line.
"My first stage win on my first tour. Not bad," he said.
"Even if I get dropped every day now I don't care," said Pidcock who climbed to eighth with his feat.
A day after his triumph on the Col du Granon, Danish Jumbo rider Vingegaard, chaperoned by teammates held off a blistering attack from Pogacar, who is second in the overall. Ineos leader Geraint Thomas followed them over the line and climbs to third overall.
AFP