The unthinkable happened. The titan Tadej Pogacar (UAE) cracked on the Col du Granon, unseated from the yellow jersey by Jonas Vingegaard (JV). It was a team effort by Jumbo Visma, which took turns pressing a fierce pace on the Slovenian wunderkind. Wout van Aert, Primoz Roglic, Vingegaard, on and on. Again and again, until Pogacar cracked in the final mountain climb and lost time in bunches to a host of GC rivals. Romain Bardet (DSM) powered into second and Pogacar falls to a precarious third in the overall time.

The one weakness of Pogacar was not in the man, but in his team. United Arab Emirates already lacked depth, and the situation worsened when the team lost first Vegard Stake Laengen, and then George Bennett, to Covid-19 positives. Without protection, Pogacar had no room for error. If the peloton felt some schadenfreude at UAE’s troubles, it also felt some anxiety as the virus is an equal opportunity destroyer.

The overall standings have received a severe reshuffling. Pogacar all of a sudden looks vulnerable. If Primoz Roglic (JV) and Wout Van Aert (JV) have enough left in the tank to attack the Slovenian on future mountain stages the way they did on Stage 11, the yellow jersey is Vingegaard’s for the losing.

Elsewhere in the race Team Ineos-Grenadiers continue to look strong with 3 riders in the top-11: G. Thomas (3rd), Yates (6th), and Pidcock (11th). If the opportunity presents itself, IGD could try the same type of team attack on Vingegaard that undid Pogacar.

Wout Van Aert (JV) holds onto the green jersey. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) holds onto the polka dots. And Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic) wins the Most Combative prize, even as he saw teammate Nairo Quintana sail past him up the Col du Granon. Quintana came in second on the stage and remains Arkea’s most potent GC threat, 5th overall after Stage 11. Sepp Kuss (JV, 18th) unseats Neilson Powless (EF, 20th) as the highest placed American in overall time.