Stage 12: Lannemezan > Plateau de Beille, 195km
I cannot imagine going to bed last night with the knowledge of the profile that was facing me the next day. It resembled the lower jaw of a Sharks mouth but in reality was the vicious mountains of the Pyrenees: The Col de Portet d'Aspet (2nd cat.), the Col de la Core (1st cat.), the Port de Lers (1st cat.) and the Plateau de Beille (HC). So a series of climbs over 195km, steadily getting worse...just like the weather.
It started out blazing hot but by the top of the final climb which seen rain, hail, a thunder storm and temperatures plumet, it was anything but a hot summers day in the South of France. It was the ideal stage for the risk takers to try and put pressure on Chris Froome and some of his rivals needed to do just that; to attack him several climbs from the finish and on the descents, to weaken the Sky team around him and perhaps force him into a mistake or into the red zone a panic.
As things turned out he couldn't have had it much smoother. Not a move in anger was made against Froome until the slopes of the vicious Plateau de Beille, though by then Froome still had team-mates Richie Porte and the extremely impressive Geraint Thomas alongside him.
Long before that however the stage winning moves had been made. A large group had gone clear and began to fracture and with 76km to go in the valley just after the col de la Core, Michal Kwiatkowski along with Sep Vanmarcke and Preidler went clear. On the Port de Lers, Preidler was dropped while behind a chasing group of Romain Bardet, Joaquim Rodriguez, Jakob Fuglsang along with a handful of others formed. The peloton itself was a long way behind and no longer a factor in the stage.
The weather conditions continued to get worse while Kwiatkowski and Vanmarcke pushed on. They crossed Port de Lers with a mere five second lead but carried a 1'50" led onto the final climb. With 13.5km to go the tenacious and gritty but heavier built Vanmarcke lost contact and Kwiatkowski was off along and after the stage win. It looked as though he might hang on but gradually he began to slow, his effort to get clear starting to take its toll and as the men behind began to close in, it began to look clear as to why they had let them go before.
Behind it was Rodriguez who looked the strongest and one by one he got rid of his chasing companions and set out in search of the World Champion. With 7.5km to go the catch was made and the balance of the stage swung in the direction of the Spaniard. Fuglsang and Bardet continued to chase but Rordiguez never looked like giving up his lead and took what was, surprisingly, his first ever mountain stage win at the Tour.
Further down the road on the same climb, the attacks of Froome were beginning. First Contador went, and Froome stuck to his steady rhythm and brought him back, then Nibali kicked only for Valverde to follow. Each were reeled in and finally Quintana made a move. Once more Froome measured the chase to within his limits, and soon they were altogether again. Even Froome himself kicked with 4.5km to go but once he realised the others were matching him, he eased off and accepted them all finishing on the same time at the top.
So no major shakeup to the general classification, at least not those hoping to still beat Froome in this Tour, though with each passing stage it's hard to see that happening.
| Result: | Classement: |
| 1. Rodriguez (KAT) in 5h 40' 14" 2. Fuglsang (AST) +1' 12" 3. Bardet (ALM) +1' 49" --- 9. Valverde (MOV) +6' 46" 10. Froome (SKY) +6' 47" 11. Quintana (MOV) 13. Van Garderen (BMC) 14. Contador (TSC) 16. Nibali (AST) all s.t. | 1. Froome (SKY) in 46h 50' 32" 2. Van Garderen (BMC) +2' 52" 3. Quintana (MOV) +3' 09" 4. Valverde (MOV) +3' 58" 5. Thomas (SKY) +4' 03" 6. Contador (TSC) +4' 04" --- 9. Nibali (AST) +7' 47" |
