Chris Froome

Four-time winner predicts a more controlled race with Vingegaard in yellow.

I've often struggled on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez. I'd like to change that if possible." Froome is still struggling to get back towards the sort of form that has deserted him since his career-threatening crash in 2019. "I don't think Pogacar is the kind of person to give up," Froome added. I imagine the race for GC is still underway today but in the grips of Visma it's going to be more controlled than it was with UAE. As for where this leaves the Tour, Froome once again pointed to Jumbo-Visma's collective strength in predicting a more controlled race from here on in. But he also highlighted a potential tactical error from the Slovenian.

'Where I've come from over the last three years, battling back from my accident to finish third on one of the hardest stages in the Tour, I can be really ...

The way he bridged the gap to me on the first climb. Pidcock had looked strong all day and he was a different class on the sweeping descents. This result was Froome’s best performance since his career-threatening crash at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, where he suffered a multitude of injuries. Powless and Ciccone were dropped on the lower slopes before Pidcock surged clear with a powerful dig. Congrats to them for the stage today. The four-time Tour winner took third on Alpe d’Huez with a performance head and shoulders above anything he has achieved since his major crash three years ago.

Israel-Premier Tech rider finished third on stage 12 of the Tour de France to Alpe d'Huez.

The way he bridged the gap to me on the first climb. Thanks to my team and my teammates for allowing me the chance to get up the road today." Congrats to them for the stage today. "Naturally I would have loved to have put my hands up and I tried to win the stage. "I have no regrets today," the 37-year-old said. He might not have had the legs in recent years, but he has remained popular with fans.

Bradley Wiggins has heralded “the return of Chris Froome” after the Brit rolled back the years to deliver a sensational third place on Alpe d'Huez.

Tour de France Tour de France Tour de France Stream the Tour de France live and on-demand ondiscovery+.You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk. “To get back to that level on the queen stage of the Tour de France and get third, I mean fair play mate. - Tour de France GC standings

Four-time winner finishes third after joining the attack of the day.

Tom and Louis had more in the engine than me today. I'll keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again,” he said, ever optimistic. I've been wanting to target a stage like today and try my luck in the breakaway.

Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) put in a memorable performance as he enjoyed his best performance on a bike since 2019 to take third place at Stage 12.

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Today, on the brutal slopes of Alpe d'Huez, Chris Froome taught us all a lesson. Three years on from a training crash which almost cost him his life – a broken ...

As long as Froome is racing, he’s fighting to win Grand Tour stages, because he never lost the grit and resoluteness that has won him so many races in the past. The journey he has taken to get there is a sign to us all to never give up on those dreams. It’s hard not to root for the comeback of a man who was once at the heights of greatness, was forced back down to the bottom with a sudden and literal bang, and has steadily worked his way up to the top of the sport with grit, focus and a very thick skin. But regardless of your feelings about Froome, it was hard not to be happy to see his famous style back at the front of a bike race today. When he had an adverse analytical finding for salbutamol in 2017, spectators dressed up as giant inhalers and ran alongside the British rider as he was on his way to winning the queen stage of the Giro d’Italia a year later. Regardless of the physical form he lost due to his crash, these are qualities that he will always have, and it's why we were mistaken to ever count him out.