The summit finish of the famed Alpe d’Huez was always going to be a show of the highest order at the Tour de France, cheered on enthusiastically by the teeming Bastille Day crowds.
It was Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) who ignited the fireworks from the day's breakaway on the final ascent to claim a sensational stage 12 victory, in what he called "one of the best experiences of my life".
After a thrilling stage for the ages the previous day, stage 12 gave the riders little reprieve with 165.1km race from Briançon to the summit of L'Alpe d'Huez.
Pidcock and Chris Froome (Israel Premier Tech) bridged across to the day's breakaway after distancing the peloton on the descent of the Col du Galibier to join the escapees on the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Pidcock and Froome, along with Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) hit the base of Alpe d’Huez together with some six minutes ahead of the main group that included overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and other GC favourites Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Pidcock's teammate Geraint Thomas and Romain Bardet (Team DSM).
The Olympic gold medallist in mountain biking and cyclo-cross world champion kicked it up a notch and rode away alone 10km from the summit of the famous final climb. He held a strong and steady pace, weaving through the crowds closer to the top, and punched through the finish line to take his first Tour de France stage victory, at his first-ever Tour de France.
Meintjes finished second, Froome third and Powless fourth, as Pogačar and Vingegaard raced in for fifth and sixth, respectively, at 3:23 behind Pidcock.
Watch how stage 12 of the Tour de France unfolded in the highlights video above.
