Result: MARCEL KITTEL MADE it a hat-trick of stage wins, timing his sprint perfectly to get up on the line and pip Mark Cavendish. No change in the yellow jersey standings where Chris Froome still leads Alejandro Valverde by 3’25″.
How it happened: A five-man breakaway hit the front early on today’s 12th stage from Fougères to Tours and it was Francesco Gavazzi who took the intermediate sprint at the 166km mark, beating Juan Antonio Flecha to the points.
Flecha was the final man reeled in with just six kilometres to go as the peloton massed in anticipation of a bunch sprint to the finish. But, as has happened on so many flat stages this year, a crash inside the final three kilometres blew the stage wide open. A handful of Lotto-Belisol riders were involved in the pile-up, leaving Andrei Greipel friendless in the dash to the line, while both Richie Porte and Edvald Boasson Hagen from Team Sky were caught up as well.
It was Cavendish who struck for home first but the Manx missile was pipped by Kittel who got up to win by a half a wheel on the line.
The big winner: Kittel. Do the German and his Argos-Shimano team have Cav’s number now? With another flat stage to come tomorrow, they’ll have a chance to keep their winning streak going.
The big loser: Boasson Hagen. The Norwegian’s GC chances evaporated long ago but Team Sky still need him to work for Chris Froome and they’ll be waiting anxiously for the doctor’s report on his shoulder injury.
Who is wearing what jersey?
- Yellow (Overall): Chris Froome
- Green (Points): Peter Sagan
- Polka-Dot (Mountains): Pierre Rolland
- White (Young Rider): Michal Kwiatkowski
What about the Irish? Nicolas Roche (22nd) and Dan Martin (74th) both avoided the trouble in the late crash and finished in the main bunch. Martin is 13th overall, Roche is 41st.
What happens tomorrow then? Another flat stage for the sprinters as the race moves the 173-kilometres from Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
