Key events
91km to go: The front of the race is on the first categorised climb but it’s a piffling affair compared to what is coming up later in the stage. There is one KOM point on offer to the winner, and they probably won’t even bother racing for it. This prediction may be proved incorrect in record-quick time …
94km to go: Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) is receiving medical attention, having been in the front group. It looks like he may have dislocated his finger. The medics are taping it up. He might have a six-minute gap to the peloton now and will really struggle to ride the rest of the stage on his own and make the time cut.
95km to go: “It would be good to have someone in the break,” Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers, the Tour de France champion in 2018, told TNT Sports before today’s stage. “You never know … we keep trying.”
Matt Stephens asks: How has his race been so far, overall? “Up and down. I feel like, I don’t know, a bit inconsistent. But maybe part of that is mentally, when you’re not fully in the race, racing for GC. It just hurts a bit harder when it doesn’t really have to: you can just sit up, and wait for another day.
“Just got to keep pushing. You know, it’s my last Tour, try and enjoy it. Yeah, try and get in the break and animate the race a bit. But it’s tough because you need legs. It’s not to bad, it’s not so bad, it’s just yeah, it’s a different way of racing, you know?
“But I’m enjoying it, we’re getting more and more little wins as the days go by. Obviously not a win, but you know, we’re taking positives from each day, and the group’s getting better together, so we keep trying.”
102km to go: The Côte de Labatmale, a category-four, is coming up. Then it’s the sprint and Mathieu van der Poel, third place in the green jersey standings, is in the front group. Will he go for it? Presumably he will if he gets half a chance.
Points classification: top five after stage 11
Milan 231 pts
Pogacar 163pts
Van der Poel 156pts
Girmay 154pts
Merlier 150pts
104km to go: “That group is going to split,” observes Adam Blythe. “It’s way too big to just go rolling along as it is.”
Now, as it to confirm Blythe’s point, there is action at the front, and the gap between break and peloton goes up again, to 1min 55sec. Certain riders and teams are clearly thinking they need to get busy and make sure the peloton doesn’t get back in touch. Which makes perfect sense when you consider there is a prestigious stage win on offer to one lucky rider in this group.
106km to go: “I think the worst possible case for Pogacar (and the best case for the viewers) is Visma getting a well timed stomp on, being able isolate him and then relentlessly attacking, rider after rider, like the other year,” emails Bill. “It’s what the mountains are for.
“Mind you, I think he’ll survive it and maintain the GC time gap, but to go all the way through to Paris and win is going to require some thrilling heroics on his part.
“He’s described Visma’s efforts so far as “annoying” but that would surely be up there with “wasp in the car that won’t fly out the window as you’re driving down the motorway”.
“However, I do quite like the guy, he seems very affable, as do all the contenders for GC. And I do agree, the stage winner is in the break already.”
Thanks for your email Bill.
109km to go: The likes of Matteo Trentin, Tobias Foss, Luke Durbridge, Bryan Coquard and Fred Wright have been driving the escape group. Plenty of horsepower.
It feels like the 35-year-old Trentin has been around for years, but that’s mainly because he has.
112km to go: “There will be a very small group together on the final climb,” predicts the former pro rider Zdenek Stybar on TNT Sports, in context of the draining punch-up this stage has been in its early stages.
113km to go: The gap is down to 1min 30sec. The Nils Pollitt effect, you see. He is still grinding it out at the front of the main bunch.
The average speed has now dropped to a far more serene 50.3km/h.
115km to go: There are four categorised climbs on today’s route.
The category-four Côte de Labatmale (1.3km, 6.3% average gradient), the summit coming after 91.4km.
The intermediate sprint, at Bénéjacq, comes after 95.1km.
The Col du Soulour, the first category-one ascent of the Tour, summits after 134.1km (11.8km, 7.3%).
The category-two Col des Bordères is 3.1km long at 7.7% average gradient, with the summit arriving 141.4km.
Then the hors-catégorie Hautacam to finish – 13.5km long, with an average gradient of 7.8%.
117km to go: As there are some strong climbers in this big 52-rider group up front I fancy the stage winner will be among them.
118km to go: “Not sure what all the excitement is about,” emails Richard Hirst.
“If a certain twosome don’t go sauntering past the leading group on the final climb, if not before, I’ll eat my baguette.”
Interesting, Richard, very interesting.
119km to go: “It’s the race that keeps on giving,” says Robbie McEwen on commentary, referring to the near 52km/h average speed today. Or taking, if you look at it from the riders’ perspective.
122km to go: The gap is down to 1min 44sec. Carlton Kirby says it’s 52 riders up front. 51 or 52, it’s a lot.
Oh, I believe I may have initially missed Stian Fredheim (Uno-X Mobility), so that makes 52 in the break.
125km to go: Michael Woods (Israel-PremierTech) and Guillaume Martin (Groupama–FDJ) must be among the favourites to win today as they’re up in the front.
126km to go: To recap, there’s been a massive split in the bunch, with a 51-rider group powering up the road about 45min ago. Neither Pogacar nor Vingegaard, or anyone in the top 10 of the GC, is in that front group. Rodriguez of Ineos is the best-placed rider, in 12th place, over 5min down on the race leader Ben Healy.
128km to go: The gap is 1min 57sec. The average speed is creeping up towards 52km/h.
130km to go: Visma–Lease a Bike were presumably hoping to test Pogacar out after his crash. (Although Vingegaard said it would depend on how his legs feel.) And of course they still can try and test Pogacar and UAE, even if there is a big break up the road and the stage winner is not a GC rider. All the signs are pointing at being a breakaway day plus significant GC day too.
132km to go: The peloton is completely strung out as they try to control the gap to this break. The gap has stabilised at around 1min 52sec. It’s another hard, hard day and they haven’t even started the climbs. What sporting event is tougher on the competitors than this?
133km to go: The average speed today is 51.5km/h. It’s hot hot hot!
135km to go: The question of Pogacar’s condition today after the crash is an interesting one. UAE will presumably be willing to risk a certain amount of damage in the GC – let’s say Rodriguez taking yellow for Ineos – with a view to letting Pogacar recover. As long as they don’t lose some ludicrous amount of time overall, of course.
136km to go: My bet is that the stage winner comes from the front group, but that it’s completely splintered down to a tiny lead group with plenty of distance left to go in the stage. (Obviously the category-one Col du Soulour, with the summit at 134km, will separate the wheat from the chaff.)
137km to go: An email from Nick entitled “Split”.
“If it lasts, could it be that UAE need an easier day for Pog, and Visma aren’t willing or able to attack? Those question might completely redundant by the time they reach the Hautacam.”
Regarding Van der Poel’s radio problems from yesterday, Luke Rowe recently said this in a reader interview:
“One thing a lot of people don’t realise with cycling is that the radio quality is terrible. You’ve got to be short, sharp and direct. If there’s any sitting on the fence, you’re fucked.”
141km to go: If Nils Pollitt, Pogacar’s teammate, can’t close this gap it shows how well the front group is working together. He is an absolute machine.
Obviously Pogacar and Vingegaard are back in the main bunch, if you can still call it that, with a 51-rider breakaway up the road. If one of them was up front and one of them behind we’d all be having kittens right now.
142km to go: There are 51 riders up front, I believe: Wellens, Benoot, Schachmann, Sweeny, Barré, Rex, Buitrago, Lenny Martinez, Stannard, Wright, Arensman, Foss, Laurance, Rodriguez, Swift, Pithie, Vlasov, Nys, Skjelmose, Theuns, Martin, Madouas, Penhoët, Van der Poel, Alaphilippe, Hirschi, Storer, Trentin, O’Connor, Durbridge, Schmid, García Pierna, Venturini, Castrillo, Romeo, Rubio, Armirail, Paret-Paintre, Buchmann, Coquard, Izagirre, Teuns, Tejada, Velasco, Cras, Gachignard, Turgis, Woods, Blackmore, Lutsenko, Drizners, Fredheim.
Their advantage is now 1min 57sec.
146km to go: Nils Pollitt is working on the front of the peloton. But the break’s advantage is up to 1min 52sec. So much for a nice easy day for the GC teams with a nice, unthreatening break up the road …
147km to go: “Currently watching live updates as the last two days of school are filled with movies and emptying cupboards for the students,” emails Sarah. “Cannot wait to see what happens on the climbs today!”
151km to go: Carlos Rodríguez of Ineos is the biggest GC threat in the front group of 50-odd. He is 12th overall, 5min 44sec down.
Then Guillaume Martin is the next closest (10min 44sec down), O’Connor (11min 50sec) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), 12min 45sec.
153km to go: It’s 1min 30sec for the big break now.
“Have they just split into faster vs slower riders or is there something else going on?” asks Dave on email.
I’m not sure I quite understand the question … certainly the peloton behind are not there by choice. They’ve been caught out by an attack and presumably it was aided by some crosswinds or headwind.
Benoot, Schachmann, Barré, Lenny Martinez, Vlasov, Theuns, Madouas, Alaphilippe, Hirschi, Michael Woods are all in this massive front group. They’ve got 1min 10sec. It looks highly likely that the stage winner will come from this group.
“This is going to get complicated,” says Sean Kelly on commentary.
155km to go: Half the Ineos team is in the front group. Ben O’Connor and some teammates is also there. The front group now has a minute and growing … could this move have a profound effect on the overall? It has the potential.
159km to go: It’s a group of 50, or 47, depending on whose data you trust. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) is in there. Mathieu van der Poel, too, and Guillame Martin, who is more than capable of winning the stage as William Fotheringham wrote pre-race.
They have 51sec.
160.5km to go: The front group has 41sec.
Huge split in the bunch
162km to go: The peloton has cracked in two, and the group ahead has 29sec.
The front group has 40-50 riders. Team directors, and live bloggers, will frantically be trying to work out who is in the front group. They have 35sec.
162km to go: Why not send me an email?
166km to go: Victor Campenaerts (Visma–Lease a Bike) has a crack off the front. He is pretty quickly swept up by a peloton that speeds up in response.
168km to go: The pace is hot, overall, but has again slowed slightly with no one attacking right now. “A lot of teams interested,” says one of the Ineos sports directors on team radio. You can say that again. But there is no definitive breakaway yet. Plenty of riders in the bunch will be praying it goes soon so they can have a nice little rest.
170km to go: Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) is prominent at the front. Now Ben O’Connor (Jayco–AlUla) comes past the Welshman and attacks. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) is also up there.
There was one race withdrawal this morning: Cees Bol (WorldTeam XDS Astana) has abandoned due to illness. Commiserations if you had him in your Velogames team.
172km to go: Oh, and I should mention that the first categorised climb comes before today’s intermediate. The Côte de Labatmale (1.3km, 6.3% average gradient) summits after 91.4km of racing, then the sprint point is at 95.1km, a little over halfway through the stage.
174km to go: Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-PremierTech) has clipped off the front of the bunch. The front of the bunch is now strung out after what appeared to be a momentary ceasefire in the fight for the breakaway.
176km to go: There are a few uncategorised lumps on the way to the intermediate sprint: Tarasteix is 350m tall, at 66.3km, while Ger is 390m, coming after 74.1km. Nothing that will intimidate Milan or his fellow green jersey hopefuls.
179km to go: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) is visible up near the front, hoping to get in the break and win the intermediate sprint at Bénéjacq after 91km before the climbers come to the fore.
Interestingly the first attack came from yesterday’s stage winner, Jonas Abrahamsen, of Uno-X Mobility. Milan is right up front, and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) is marking him.
The race is on!
Christian Prudhomme waves his flag and the race has begun.
The riders are out on the road behind the race director’s car. The flag is about to drop. If predictions are correct there is going to be a huge fight for the break …
“Looking forward to today since the tour started,” emails Fergal. “I pedalled up the Hautacam last week while on a cycling trip with my girlfriend. It is indeed a very tough climb, especially in the heat – even at the 10km/h we averaged, half the speed of the pros. Also did Col du Solour, which is not so punishing. Would love to see Jonas and Tadej hit the slopes of the Hautacam together today. Praying for a not-so-one-sided race this year.”
“I’m OK. Nothing too bad,” Pogacar tells Matt Stephens after his crash yesterday. “My whole left arm is open, burned off skin. And I hit my hip a little bit and my shoulder, but luckily I was back on the bike quite fast. Today is another day. It’s not the first time I crashed and continued the race. It’s more important the legs than my arm. I have a super-strong team around me. I am so grateful I can rely on them, even if I have a hard day today, but I hope not.
“It’s really sad to lose another young talent,” Pogacar says of Samuele Privitera’s death at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta yesterday. “It’s devastating. It’s one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Sometimes the risks we are taking are too far. I’m really sad for all his family. May he rest in peace … he deserves to “not be bothered” now. It’s a sad loss.”
Mathieu van der Poel has said he didn’t realise, to start with, that two riders remained ahead of him when he attacked clear of the chasing bunch on yesterday’s stage.
“Already all week with the radio communication, there’s so much communication in the Tour that sometimes there’s no connection for us,” Van der Poel told TNT Sports
“So I thought at a certain point that the attack was to win the race, but then I saw quite quickly that there were some riders still in front of me, so I just tried to ride as fast as possible to the finish line.”
“It’s a very long climb,” Vingegaard tells Matt Stephens on TNT Sports. “It will take between 30 and 40 minutes [to climb the Hautacam]. In general, today will be a very hard day.”
Will he be marking Pogacar or attacking? “It depends on the legs. If you don’t have the legs it’s more about following. I guess we’ll see, on the last climb, how the legs will be … It’s never a bad thing to have a guy in the break.”
Tomorrow is a hard uphill individual time trial. Will he keep that in mind today? “No, there is no hiding today. You have to go full-gas today, tomorrow, and also the day after.”
Before the Tour I spoke to Gary Imlach, ITV4’s brilliant long-time anchorman, and Brian and James Venner from VSquaredTV, who have been producing the live and highlights coverage since 1986.
This is the final year of ITV’s contract, who acquired the rights after Channel 4 gave them up a quarter of a century ago. Have a read:
“Today is the day when we’re going to see cards being shown,” says Adam Blythe on TNT Sports. “And it’s an exciting day because there’s a lot of flat before it [the big climbs]. There’s stuff that could go perfectly (for GC teams) but there’s a lot that could go wrong too.”
William Fotheringham
There is always a sense of phoney war in the run-in to the Tour de France’s first stage in the high mountains, and at least one debate of the opening 10 days of this year’s race fits that context to a T. Has Jonas Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team at times been towing the bunch deliberately in order to ensure that Tadej Pogacar retains the yellow jersey? It’s a gloriously arcane question, the kind that only comes up in the Tour’s opening phase, but it distracts from a point that could be key in the next 10 days: how the two teams manage the race will probably be decisive.
Pogacar spoke to media after yesterday’s crash: “I’m a bit beaten up, but we’ve been through worse days. I think everybody was a bit à bloc. There were attacks from Matteo [Jorgenson] and Jonas Vingegaard, they really put everybody on the limit. Unfortunately one rider decided to follow from left to right side of the road. He didn’t see me and he just completely cut me off, my front wheel.
“Luckily, I just have a little bit of skin off. I was scared when I saw the sidewalk that I was going [to hit] my head directly to the sidewalk, but luckily my skin is tough and stopped me before the sidewalk.”
Regarding today’s stage, Pogacar said: “Tomorrow is a big day. We’ll see how I recover. Normally the day after a crash you’re never at the best, but I will give my best and we’ll see. I think we’re ready as a team for Hautacam.”
Those quotes from Jeremy Whittle’s report, which you can enjoy here:
William Fotheringham
First proper mountain stage up the grim ascent above Lourdes where Miguel Indurain destroyed the field in 1994. There’s a long preamble to the Col du Soulor, the first category-one pass of the race, so expect a massive break targeting the stage win. If the favourites give the break leeway, the winner will be someone who can climb but won’t win overall, so why not the Frenchman Guillaume Martin?
There are four categorised climbs on today’s route. The appetiser is the category-four Côte de Labatmale (1.3km, 6.3% average gradient), the summit coming after 91.4km. The Col du Soulour, the first category-one ascent of the Tour, will test the riders’ legs even further, cresting after 134.1km (11.8km, 7.3%). The category-two Col des Bordères is a comparatively friendly 3.1km long at 7.7% average gradient, with the summit arriving 141.4km into the stage. Then it’s the Hautacam to finish – 13.5km long, with an average gradient of 7.8%. Ouch!
There is also one intermediate sprint, at Bénéjacq, after 95.1km.
Preamble
The first 11 stages have, as usual, been punishing and endlessly challenging for riders and fascinating and rewardingly complex for fans. But with the first category-one and HC (hors catégorie/beyond categorisation) climbs of this year’s Tour, today’s stage 12 is in a sense where the race really starts.
Will it be a breakaway day, a GC day, or a bit of both on the 181km ride from Auch to Hautacam, finishing at the summit where Jonas Vingegaard scored a decisive victory on stage 18 in 2022? Who are the ambitious riders who have been targeting this stage for victory since the route was announced, duly saving their energy, where possible, in recent days? Can Ben Healy delight Irish fans by somehow defending the yellow jersey for EF Education–EasyPost?
The defending champion Tadej Pogacar – who suffered a late crash yesterday, prompting Healy and others to slow the pace in the style of old-fashioned peloton patrons – will be man-marking Vingegaard on the way up the mountain, and vice-versa. But there is a big question over how Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates will fare in the high peaks, particularly in view of the loss of key climbing lieutenant João Almeida.
It’s going to be a fascinating stage, and there are almost certainly surprises and copious amounts of high drama in store. Allez!
Stage stage time: 12.25 UK