Pogačar was dropped by Jonas Vingegaard during the second ascent of the ‘Giant of Provence’ and was forced to play catch-up before finishing alongside several contenders, but behind winner Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma).
EF Education-Nippo’s Rigoberto Uran and Ineos-Grenadiers’ Richard Carapaz were among those with the Slovenian at the line, while O’Connor’s struggles saw him slip from second down to fifth.
Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ) were the other notable names to have lost ground in the climbs, with the latter now trailing a place on the podium by 25 minutes.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), 1st overall
“The pace was very strong throughout the climb and when Vingegaard attacked in the final, I couldn’t keep up with him, as he was pushing hard," Pogačar said.
"I kept my composure, I knew that the summit was not far and I concentrated on keeping a decent rhythm and still having the energy in my legs to push downhill."
Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-Nippo), 2nd overall, 5'18" behind
Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma), 3rd overall, 5'32" behind
“I am not surprised by Vingegaard, because he has always proved to be one of the strongest climbers,” Pogačar said of the 24-year-old.
Richard Carapaz (Team Ineos-Grenadiers), 4th overall, 5'33" behind
“In the end we managed to drop some of the GC guys,” Ineos sport director Gabriel Rasch said.
“The team were amazing again and Carapaz was there at the end. It’s about staying at a high level.”
Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroen), 5th overall, 5'58" behind
"I was obviously suffering, I think everyone could see that," O'Connor said after the stage.
"But I tried to do what I could do to stay within the time. I was exploding, but I did my best and that's what matters."
Enric Mas (Movistar Team), 8th overall, 7'11" behind
David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ), 15th overall, 30'51" behind
The Tour de France continues with Stage 12 tonight and you can catch all the action from 9:30pm (AEST) on SBS, SBS On Demand and the SKODA Tour Tracker app.
