Olympic cross-country champion Tom Pidcock dominated the field at Alpe d'Huez to win stage 12 of the Tour de France on Friday.
The 22-year-old Brit - who rides for Ineos Grenadiers - broke away from the peloton alongside compatriot Chris Froome during the gruelling mountain ride from Briancon to Alpe d'Huez.
Pidcock, who also became world cyclo-cross champion earlier this year, descended expertly before crossing the line with a time of 4h 55'24", and emotion soon took over for the youngster.
Second-placed Louis Meintjes of Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux was 48 seconds behind Pidcock, while Israel–Premier Tech's Froome also finished on the stage 12 podium.
Speaking to Eurosport after his maiden stage win, a starstruck Froome hailed an "unbelievable" achievement atop Alpe d'Huez, as he also won the Combativity Award after his relentless attack.
"Only with 800 m to go [I knew I'd won], I didn't really know what to do," Froome said. "I wanted to get going, I didn't want to get caught, I honestly don't know if I went too hard but I paced it pretty well.
"That was unbelievable, one of the craziest experiences ever. I've probably got hearing damage! That was ridiculous, at many points I thought I was going to get taken out.
© Reuters
"I've never been over 100 km an hour but it helps when the roads are closed! I'm lucky that I can descend otherwise I wouldn't have won today, I knew if the break was close enough I could cut across on the descent because it was pretty twisty.
"It was lucky that Chris was in front because we work well together. I don't know what's happened behind but it's been a good day!"
Pidcock has also earned a slice of Tour de France history, as he broke Lucho Herrera's 38-year-old record to become the youngest rider to win a stage on Alpe d'Huez.
Third-placed Froome, who finished over two minutes behind Pidcock, insisted that he had "no regrets" over the way the race went on Friday, adding: "I gave it absolutely everything I had today to win the stage, and I don't have any regrets.
"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. And 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."
Pidcock has also moved up to eighth in the general classification standings, as Jonas Vingegaard held off a late attack from reigning champion Tadej Pogacar to retain the yellow jersey.
GB's Geraint Thomas sits third in the GC standings, with France's Romain Bardet in fourth and Adam Yates close behind in fifth before the 193 km flat stage from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne on Friday.
Ben Knapton
