If you didn’t watch Stage 12, a leg-breaker that threw the peloton into disarray, here’s a recap of what happened:

As one might have expected, Tadej Pogacar asserted his dominance on the final climb up the Hautacam, riding clear of the field with just 12.5 kilometers to go. By day’s end, Pogacar had opened a gap of 2’10’’ on Jonas Vingegaard and regained the yellow jersey. Remco Evenepoel finished a distant 3’35” behind.

Biggest surprise of the day? Florian Lipowitz of Team Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe finished third in the stage, a result which catapulted him into fourth place overall. He’s been strong throughout the season and could pose a real threat in the latter stages of the Tour.

Perhaps the biggest story of Stage 12 was the meltdown of Team Visma: Matteo Jorgenson had a terrible day on the bike, as did Simon Yates. A one-off or an omen of things to come? I’m not sure. Just a few days ago everyone was speculating about the perceived chinks in Team UAE’s armor, which has amounted to a big ball of nothing. So, call me skeptical; I expect both teams to bring their A-games in the coming stages.

A Crazy-Looking Time Trial Route in Stage 13

I’ve been a cycling fan for years but have never seen a time trial route like this one: just under 11 kms, but straight up a mountainside! Just take a look at that profile map – it reminds me of an iceberg!

Normally I’d expect this to be a stage for Remco and Jonas to redeem themselves but, with this route, all bets are off. If the race didn’t air at 6:00 am EDT, I’d grab a bowl of popcorn and get comfy on the couch. Looks like it will be tea and toast, as I sit in front of the TV!

Tour de France By the Glass Recommendation: Cim de Cel from Casa Beal in Andorra

I always try to feature a French wine for each stage, but today we’re technically closer to Spain and Andorra so I branched out a little . . .

Wine production is a fledgling industry here, and most of the vineyards are small with limited output.  That said, Andorra does have several wineries that strive to craft beautiful wine in the challenging mountain conditions.  Casa Beal produced the first wine in Andorra, a Gewurztraminer called Cim de Cel. 

Owned by the Visa-Tor family, Casa Beal is surrounded by an oak forest, and lies at 1,100 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest-altitude wineries in Europe. It has a privileged location in Sant Julià de Lòria, from where there is an excellent view of the surrounding valley.

Because the vineyards lie at altitude where they experience a large diurnal shift in temperatures (and there are breezes that decrease humidity) Gewurztraminer’s aromatic character is preserved, and acidity in the grapes is preserved.

Cim de Cel is pale yellow with glints of green. It has intense aromas of exotic fruit (litchi and papaya) with a floral note of rose petals and pepper. On the palate it is full-bodied with balancing acid, which heightens the tropical fruit notes on the finish. A perfect match with one of the local specialties, Summer Chicory Salad with Pine Nuts and Lardons (in photo below).

Enjoy the crazy iceberg time trial. See you back here tomorrow with info on Stage 14.