Stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday was difficult enough with the incredible elevation climb that riders had. Blazing temperatures didn't make it any easier.
Even the best riders in the world can struggle on stages like we saw today.
Tadej Pogačar was able to take advantage of some riders struggling, as he reclaimed the yellow jersey that he lost to Ben Healy at Stage 10.
Tadej Pogačar creates sizeable lead with Stage 12 win
It wasn't known how long Ben Healy could hang on to the yellow jersey, but his performance at Stage 12 opened up a huge opportunity for Tadej Pogačar to reclaim the GC lead.
Healy finished 25th overall at Stage 12, +13:38 behind Tadej Pogačar in the stage.
Once Pogačar decided to make a move and establish himself as the leader with over 10km to go, he was too quick for Jonas Vingegaard to keep up.
Pogačar had a 15-second lead over Vingegaard with 10km left, and it continued to grow as the remaining kilometers went by.
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Pogačar was noticeably grimacing at the end, trying to get through one of the toughest stages of the tour so far.
His lead on Vingegaard grew to +1:07 with 5km left, and to +2:10 at the finish line.
Tadej Pogačar now has a +3:31 lead in the GC race over Jonas Vingegaard, who is in second place.
The Tour de France resumes on Friday with an individual time trial for Stage 13.