Fabio Aru nabs yellow jersey from Froome, Frenchman Bardet wins Tour stage 12

PEYRAGUDES. KAZINFORM French cyclist Romain Bardet took Stage 12 of the 2017 Tour de France on Thursday, a brutal mountainous run that saw the pack tackle four major climbs in what was the first Pyrenees stretch and one that saw Briton Chris Froome lose his grip on the yellow jersey to uphill specialist Italian, Fabio Aru, EFE reports.

The AG2R La Mondiale rider Bardet climbed into Peyragudes, a summit finish near the Spanish border, and stopped clock the on the 214.5 kilometer (133 miles) stage at 5 hours, 49 minutes and 38 seconds, followed 2 seconds later by Colombian Rigoberto (Cannondale Drapac Pro) Uran and team Astana's Aru.

Aru followed Bardet's successful attack as the riders closed in on the summit finish and took the overall lead in the individual rankings from Froome, who will hand over the yellow jersey after dropping 21 seconds on the final ascent.

Stage winner, Bardet, secured himself a 3rd place position in the overall rankings, 25 seconds behind Aru.

Thursday's stage included the Port de Balès, an hors categorie summit that set the pace of the race; no sooner had the riders descended from that 1,775 meter (5,823 feet) summit than they were faced with a category 1 crawl up Col de Peyresourde which ceded to a category 2 race up to the finishing line.

An early attack by New Zealand's George Bennet (Team Lotto) on the final climb was stifled by the pack, but the leaders couldn't match a similar surge just minutes later by the 26-year-old Frenchman, Bardet.

Friday's Stage 13 will take the riders over three category 1 summits as they peddle their way from Saint-Girons to Foix, skirting the Pyrenees on this 101km long cimbers' showcase.