Tom Pidcock becomes youngest ever winner on Alpe d’Huez

Tom Pidcock became the youngest ever winner of a Tour de France stage on the Alpe d’Huez ahead of a rejuvenated Chris Froome while Jonas Vingegaard defended his new status as race leader as one of cycling’s most famous climbs once again delivered drama.

Pidcock’s first ever WorldTour win was a spectacular one amid the rowdy crowds of this stunning sporting arena, with the 22-year-old riding away from Louis Meintjes and Froome, who enjoyed his best day on a bike since the horror crash in 2019 which threatened to end his glittering career.

Behind, Tadej Pogacar tried to attack Vingegaard 24 hours after losing the yellow jersey to the Dane, but his late digs did nothing to shake the Jumbo-Visma man and the pair came home together with Geraint Thomas on their wheel, Romain Bardet distanced to lose second place overall.

But the glory belonged to Thomas’s Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Pidcock – an Olympic mountain bike champion, a cyclo-cross world champion, and now a Tour stage winner on his debut in road cycling’s biggest race to again beg obvious questions over just how far he can go in the sport.

Pidcock and Froome, two different generations 15 years apart in age, attacked together on the Galibier, the first climb of the 165km stage from Briancon which began by taking the peloton back the way they had come a day earlier.

After bridging over to a seven-man breakaway already clear, Pidcock upped the pace on the Col de la Croix de Fer to get rid of passengers, leading a reduced group of five down the descent at speeds over 100kmh.

Once on the Alpe d’Huez, Pidcock again looked a man in a hurry, attacking with 10km still to go. Meintjes and Froome responded but gradually slipped back as Pidcock showed greater power and poise amid