Tour de France Stage 12: Another Day for the Sprinters Despite The Rain

The Tour de France Stage 12 was another day for the sprinters. There was a breakaway of four riders. It is interesting, there are intermediate sprints and hills along the course. With a breakaway of four riders, when usually only five riders get points from these intermediate way points. The lead of the breakaway was less than a minute with more than 50 miles to go in the stage.

It rained during the stage, then the sun came out. That is noteworthy because it has been so hot. There has not been a stage of less than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. When it rained, the temperature fell into the seventies, but then it stopped, and the temperature rose right into the 90s. Will the Tour ever cool down?

Tour de France Stage 12 Summary

Stage 12 of the tour de France was another stage for the sprinters. It was not totally flat, though it was flat enough for us to repeat the cycle of a breakaway getting caught as the Peloton, driven by the teams of the sprinters, rode at a break neck pace to catch them.

Baptiste Veistroffer was in the breakaway again today. Ewen Costiou was also in the breakaway, though he left it when the gap fell to 35 seconds. Damiano Caruso was in the breakaway, as was Matteo Vercher. Eventually, both Vercher and Caruso both left the breakaway as well. The breakaway became another Baptiste solo effort. He tried to stay away again, but he led by less than 30 seconds, so staying away was not likely.

With about 30 miles left in the stage, American Quinn Simmons attached and the Peloton was split. Because of the frantic chase to catch him, and the handful of riders who went with him, Veistroffer was captured and the teams tried to ride quickly to set their sprinters up for the win. Then 14 riders staged another breakaway and quickly built a 20-second advantage.

The mini break was caught and there were more moves off of the front, including one by Quinn Simmons, who high-fived his father while leading the race. There was great drama to see who would win the race, though the riders rode very quickly. Tim Merlier won for the third time in this tour. Olaf Kooij was second. Jasper Phillipson was again third. Biniam Grimy was fourth. Milan Fretin was fifth.He outsprinted because this was a stage for the sprinters; there was no change to the overall lead of the race. Tadej Pogacar retained his yellow jersey. Jonas Vindegaard remained in second place overall. Remco Evenepoel is third. Juan Ayuso is fourth. Paul Sexias is fifth.

There was a huge crash with about 300 meters to go. The Peloton was traveling 50 miles per hour. The crash occurred near the front of the Peloton, and about a dozen riders fell. The rest of the field was delayed, but the crash was in the final 5 kilometers of the stage, so all of the riders got the same time.

Reinstatement

About two hours after the stage yesterday, the relegation of Jasper Phillipson was reversed by the UCI, and he was reinstated. The UCI often does not reverse its decisions, even if it is wrong, so this reversal was welcome news. There is no appeals process. Even if it did alter the results. This reversal was unusual, but it was good for the race as Phillipson is an important rider.

Jonas to Retire?

Though he says he gets stronger in the third week of the tour and is looking forward to the longer climbs in the Alps, it is clear Jonas Vindegaard is the second-best rider in the world. He cannot beat Tadej Pogačar head-to-head anymore. There is some thought that he could just give up. He also might be sick and he has been seen wearing a mask during interviews after the stages and when he is mingling with other riders. Maybe he will retire, or maybe he is ill; however, it is clear he is not as good as Pogačar.

Conclusion

This is one of the last flat last stages we have in the tour. The stages next get hilly as we approach the Alps. Though stages 17 and 21 are flat as well. This is potentially the last day in the tour for the sprinters, so it was expected they would take advantage. This stage finished in Chalon-sur-Saône, the fifth time the tour has finished in that town. Tomorrow’s stage 13 is a hilly trip from Dole to Belfort. There is one category 1 climb on the stage.