Pogačar powers to big Pyrenees win to reclaim Tour de France yellow jersey

HAUTACAM, France (AP) — Tadej Pogačar powered to an impressive stage win on the first day in the Pyrenees to take back the Tour de France yellow jersey on Thursday.

On a day when many wondered if he would suffer any ill effects from his crash the day before, Pogačar showed none and put himself in prime position for his fourth Tour victory with a break on the stage-ending climb to Hautacam.

He finished more than two minutes ahead of main rival Jonas Vingegaard.

“You don’t know how the body reacts after the crash, but it was not too bad, it was not a bad crash,” said Pogačar, the defending champion. “I feel my hip only when I do acrobatics, but here I’m just riding the bike.”

Hautacam is the resort overlooking Lourdes and Stage 12 must have felt like a pilgrimage for all the riders. Ben Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two stages, finished well behind on a brutal day for the Irish rider.

In 2022, Vingegaard dominated Pogačar at Hautacam on his way to his first Tour victory. But the Danish rider is now 3½ minutes behind his main rival in the general classification. Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel is third, 4:45 behind Pogačar.

As if in a rush to face the grueling challenges awaiting in the mountains, the riders sped through the first 50 kilometers in just under an hour with the peloton chasing a large 52-man breakaway group.

But their efforts on the narrow, twisting roads through spectacular landscapes and stone-house villages took their toll as exhausted riders dropped behind, one by one.

Birds of prey circled overhead as the riders suffered below.

Pogačar made his move with 11.8 kilometers remaining with help from UAE teammate Jhonatan Narváez, who looked over his shoulder and allowed Pogačar to accelerate past. Vingegaard initially gave chase but couldn’t keep up with his rival, who overtook French rider Bruno Armirail for the lead with 11 kilometers to go for his 20th stage victory — third in this race.

“I was just looking forward for today. And then all the people were all the time coming to me and saying, ‘Oh yeah, this is the revenge time,’ and blah blah blah. And then when we approached the bottom of the climb, it was just a reverse story of a few years ago,” said Pogačar, a 26-year-old Slovenian.

Pogačar finished 2:10 ahead of Vingegaard, with German rider Florian Lipowitz 2:23 off the pace in third.

Armirail, who had been leading, followed 10:46 after Pogačar. Healy finished 13:38 off the pace.

Riders took time before the stage in memory of Samuele Privitera, the 19-year-old who died after a crash while racing in Italy the day before.

Privitera crashed in the first stage of the Tour of Valle D’Aosta.

“The risk that we are taking sometimes is too far.” Pogačar said before racing.

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Ireland's Ben Healy crosses the finish line after losing his overall leader's yellow jersey in the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard crosses the finish line in second position, losing time on his adversary Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar during the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Stage winner Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar catches his breath after the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Dario Belingheri/Pool Photo via AP)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar climbs towards Hautacom to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Ireland's Ben Healy crosses the finish line after losing his overall leader's yellow jersey in the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard crosses the finish line in second position, losing time on his adversary Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar during the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Stage winner Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar catches his breath after the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Dario Belingheri/Pool Photo via AP)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar crosses the finish line to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)