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Friday, July 12, 2024

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Verily, great grace may go with a little gift; and precious are all things that come from a friend. - Theocritus

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Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• June 29 - July 21: Tour de France

Upcoming racing:

• July 27 - August 11: Olympic cycling

Latest completed racing:

• June 9 - 26: Many National Championships
• June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
• June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
• June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
• June 2 - 9: Critérium du Dauphiné
• June 5 - 9: ZLM Tour
• June 7: GP Canton Aargau
• June 2: Brussels Cycling Classic

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Tour de France Stage 12 reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the Tour stage 12 report from stage winner Biniam Girmay's Team Intermarché-Wanty:

This Thursday, July 11, Biniam Girmay took his third Tour de France victory, triumphing once more in the bunch sprint in the streets of Villeneuve-sur-Lot at the end of stage 12.

The Eritrean rider finished the job started by Mike Teunissen, who perfectly prepared the leadout and led him down the home straight. At the end of the 200-kilometer race, Biniam Girmay was ahead of Wout van Aert and Pascal Ackermann.

In the points classification, Biniam Girmay further consolidated his lead with 328 points, 107 more than his closest rival Jasper Philipsen, whom he had also beaten in the intermediate sprint.

Biniam Girmay’s latest victory is the ninth Grand Tour success in the team’s history. It is the fourteenth victory of the season for Intermarché-Wanty, and the twelfth for Girmay in the colors of the Belgian World Team.

If he finishes the Tour, it looks like Biniam Girmay is going to take the sprinter's green jersey home.

Biniam Girmay:
“I’d like to thank my team-mates and the staff. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to prove that I’m the fastest man on this Tour de France. I’m so proud of them. I knew from the start of the Tour that I could achieve good results if all the conditions were right. Over the last two weeks, I’ve proved that I can win any sprint if I’m in the right position. I didn’t feel any stress in the team today. As the final sprint approached, I told the team managers that I was feeling very good. I simply asked my team-mates to give me some support, and that was it. After the crash, I tried to stay out of danger in the chaotic last kilometer, and suddenly, in the last 600 meters, I found Mike Teunissen. He did an incredible job. He brought me up from fifteenth place to the perfect wheel. From then on, I was sure I was going to win. I didn’t feel any wind, and this slightly uphill finish suits me just fine too. I’m so happy, the confidence this green jersey gives me is indescribable. It’s the jersey I want to wear all the way to Nice.”

Here's the Tour report from stage 12 second-place Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Wout van Aert finished second in the twelfth stage of the Tour de France. After a hectic final, the 29-year-old Belgian only trailed green jersey wearer Biniam Girmay in the bunch sprint. Team leader Jonas Vingegaard reached the finish line unscathed.

Wout van Aert finished just slightly behind Biniam Girmay. Sirotti photo

The riders were treated to another long stage. After 204 kilometres on hilly roads, a bunch sprint in Villeneuve-sur-Lot awaited. Van Aert started with doubts after his crash in stage 11. He decided during the stage to sprint. Ahead of the sprint, Van Aert was well positioned, although he had to brake a few hundred metres from the finish to avoid a collision with the crowd barriers. The Belgian managed to relaunch, but he was passed by winner Girmay just before the line. 

"It was chaotic at the end, but I was always well positioned", Van Aert said afterwards. "I sprinted well, but before I knew it I was between Arnaud Demare and the crowd barriers. I sprinted alongside him, but I got trapped. It's sour because that might cost me the win today." 

"Now I regret it, but I want to look at the positive aspect”, he added. "After the crash yesterday, I was in pain. It's no secret that I had doubts before the start because of the pain in my arm and hip. I am happy that I could already sprint again today. That's a good sign." 

Sports director Frans Maassen was glad to see Van Aert sprinting again. "During the stage he told me that he felt good, so he was allowed to take his chance. Things are not going his way in this Tour for now, but we are relieved that he was able to sprint for victory again the day after crashing. He had the legs to win today. That is positive. I am also relieved we were not involved in the big crash ten kilometres from the line. We were well in front as a team, so we could escape it. Although it was hard to see Primoz Roglic lose time."

Here's the Tour report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

The peloton spent stage 12 in the historical region of Occitanie, renowned for its stunning landscapes, charming medieval towns, and incredible legends which have stirred the imagination of kings, knights, troubadours in the Middle Ages, when people used their limitless imagination to bring to life new worlds and lay down the foundation of what would become the Renaissance.

It was a quiet day until the last 40 kilometers, when two separate crashes spread some panic in the bunch, just as it was increasing the speed in anticipation of the bunch sprint. Fortunately, none of the Soudal Quick-Step riders were involved in these incidents, which split the peloton and even ruined the lead-out trains.

The one who emerged victorious in Villeneuve-sur-Lot was Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty), while Remco Evenepoel concluded safely in the reduced bunch and kept hold of the white jersey, which sits on his shoulders since the end of the opening weekend. The stage seven winner continues to be second on the general classification, which shouldn’t see any significant changes in Pau, where the riders will travel to on Friday.

Remco Evenepoel has a firm hold on the white jersey, Sirotti photo

And here's the Tour stage 12 report from Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:

A day that could potentially have been one for the breakaway, there were lots of attacks in the opening part of Thursday’s stage but eventually a four-man move went clear, and after a crash which saw the yellow jersey involved – the attacks stopped. Unfortunately, Fabio Jakobsen would step off the bike during the stage and abandon the race; not feeling 100 percent.

Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil before the start of stage 12. Sirotti photo

The rest of the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL squad rallied round each other well, and looked to set up Bram Welten for the finale. With the breakaway caught it was nervous in the last ten kilometres and a crash split things in the peloton. Some good positioning from Romain Bardet saw Nils Eekhoff, John Degenkolb and Welten come through unscathed, as the French climber brought them to the front inside the last five kilometres to go. It was a fast and technical run-in, with Eekhoff helping to set the pace at the front to keep things stretched out while Degenkolb stuck with Welten. The Team dsm-firmenich PostNL duo were in a good position through the last kilometre but it was a hectic finale and when a gap opened up for Welten to launch, he kicked as hard as he could but had to sit down in the saddle in sight of the line, still managing to take a nice 14th place – his first ever top 15 in a Grand Tour.

At the finish Welten said: “We were disappointed to lose Fabio but we managed to switch our mindsets and really just went for it in the final. It was special to be the finisher in a race like the Tour.” For me it was special to be the finisher in a race like the Tour de France and have the support of the team. The guys were really good towards the last kilometres and we rode really well with each other going into the finale. If we keep going like this then I think we can still manage to get a good result here in the sprints.”

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Matt Winston added: “Having lost Fabio early in the stage, I think the guys rallied around each other really well after that. We held the focus throughout the stage and brought Bram into the sprint in a really good position. The spirit is still really good in the team and we look forward to the coming days where we will try and take our opportunities once more.”

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