Before the stage on Wednesday, which had a drastic effect on the 2022 Tour de France, it seemed polite.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar had described his first pursuer Jonas Vinegaard as "the best climber in the field".
The subtext seemed to resonate that the Dane was possibly the best climber after Pogacar personally.
But at 5 p.m. on the summit of the Col du Granon it was clear: Pogacar was right in his praise for the opponent.
Vinegaard not only won the first rock-hard mountain stage of this Tour of France, he also inflicted a heavy defeat on the seemingly invulnerable Pogacar.
Not only could the winner of the last two tours of France not follow Vinegaard's brilliant start, he was 2:52 minutes behind and saw the yellow jersey move from his shoulders to Vinegaard's.
"It's unbelievable, words fail me.
I've always dreamed of that,” said the Danish winner at the finish.
"Our plan was to make the race very tough." The plan worked, also thanks to the clout of his team Jumbo-Visma, which was clearly superior to Pogacar's UAE Emirates team.
Colombian Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) came second, followed by Romain Bardet (DSM), who is now the new overall second.
Pogacar is now 2:22 behind Vinegaard in third place.
There was something of the Twilight of the Gods on the Col du Granon, which was tackled by the Tour peloton for the first time in 36 years.
Freiburg's Simon Geschke (Cofidis) defended his mountain jersey with another strong performance, Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe) fell far behind after his courageous performance the day before.
The question now remains whether Pogacar can counterattack on the king's stage this Thursday on the legendary climb to Alpe d'Huez.