Tom Pidcock won his maiden Tour de France stage in style with a solo victory atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez.
Four-time Tour champion Chris Froome and fellow Briton Pidcock were part of a five-man breakaway during stage 12.
And Pidcock, making his Tour debut aged 22 for Ineos Grenadiers, became the youngest winner on the Alpe d’Huez.
It sent the world cyclo-cross champion and Olympic mountain bike champion back into the top 10 overall, as Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey.
Pidcock is only the second Briton to win on the summit of Alpe d’Huez after Geraint Thomas in 2018, when a stage last ended there.
Asked afterwards when he knew he would win a testing 165km route that had begun in Briancon and took in two other huge mountains, the Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer, Pidcock replied: “Honestly, only with 800m to go.
“I didn’t really know what to do. I kept going because I didn’t want to get caught. I don’t know if I went too hard or whatever, but actually I paced it really well.”
Pidcock had continuously gained time on his fellow escapees with some dynamic descending earlier in the day, but only broke clear for good on the famous final climb, with 10km to go.
As well as battling stifling heat in the Alps, he had to ride through a wall of fans as spectators packed the roadside, creating a unique and raucous atmosphere for all the riders.
“That was unbelievable, one of the craziest experiences ever,” Pidcock added. “I could barely hear anything, I’ve probably got hearing damage.
“It was just ridiculous – there were many points where I thought I was going to get taken out – but it was one of my best experiences in cycling. It was unreal, slaloming through people’s flags and fists.”
A first stage win on the Tour since 2016 ultimately eluded Froome, but the 37-year-old clearly relished his performance in what was his best day in the race since suffering severe injuries in a crash in 2019.
“I gave it absolutely everything I had today to win the stage, and I don’t have any regrets,” Froome said.
“Where I have come from in the last three years, battling back after my accident, to finish third on one of the hardest stages of the Tour, I can be really happy with that.
“I am going to keep pushing. I don’t know where my limits are, but I am going to keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again.”
It was also a productive day for Thomas, who finished with two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar and race leader Vingegaard, rolling over the line in seventh.
That was enough for the 36-year-old Welshman, who went on to win the Tour after his victory here in 2018, to move up into third overall.
Pogacar is now second, while Romain Bardet fell two places to fourth after being dropped in the final 5km.
Vingegaard, who took the yellow jersey from Pogacar in dramatic style on stage 11, looked content to protect his lead and comfortably dealt with two attacks by Pogacar in the closing stages.
Stage 12 results
1. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) 4hrs 55mins 24secs
2. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +48secs
3. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +2mins 06secs
4. Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-EasyPost) +2mins 29secs
5. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 23secs
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
7. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers)
8. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 26secs
9. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
10. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +3mins 32secs
General classification after stage 12
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 46hrs 28mins 46secs
2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
4. Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM) +2mins 35secs
5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 44secs
6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea-Samsic) +3mins 58secs
7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +4mins 07secs
8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +7mins 39secs
9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 32secs
10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-hansgrohe) +10mins 06secs
