Tour de France Stage 12 Analysis

Stage 12 was supposed to be hotly contested with plenty of action. However, it turned into an absolute nightmare at the finish, with one of the more chaotic scenes you will see in cycling this year.

The Crash

By far the biggest talking point of the day was the motorbike crash that occurred in the last few kilometers. Richie Porte, Chris Froome, and Bauke Mollema were clear of the other general classification riders and were approaching the finish when a motorbike stopped in the middle of the road. Porte went crashing into the back of the motorbike and the others behind him were involved in the wreck as well.

At first it appeared that Porte was the only one with an issue, as the T.V. motorbike gave us an image of him with a mechanical problem. A few meters up the road we saw the image of Froome running up the hill in distress trying to find a neutral bike. It was complete chaos as the leader of the race desperately tried to limit his losses. In the end he finished well back from the rest of the general classification riders.

The reason the motorbike slammed on the brakes was due to the large crowds that were blocking the road. Unfortunately, it appears that the race organizers did not plan this stage well. There should have been barriers in the final kilometers to ensure that the riders made it up the climb without an incident.

In the end the race jury decided to neutralize the times in the final kilometers, which means Froome will retain his yellow jersey heading into tomorrows first time trial.

Froome Extends Lead

With the times being neutralized Froome was able to actually gain time on his competitors. He now sits 47 seconds ahead of Adam Yates, who is in second place.

Dan Martin did not have a good day on the final climbs and as a result Mollema, Nairo Quintana, and Romain Bardet all moved up a spot.

Thomas De Gendt Wins

The man who won the stage was largely overshadowed by the events of the day. De Gendt rode a brilliant last kilometer to claim the stage over fellow countryman Serge Pauwels. The Lotto-Soudal rider had been distanced for a time by Pauwels and Daniel Navarro, but was able to catch up and rejoin the group. When they approached the final straightaway neither of them could match him in the sprint to the finish. As he went on to win his first career Tour de France stage win.

Stage Highlights

Le Tour de GENDT ! / De Gendt day of glory! #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/dFLbmPZxuP — Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 14, 2016

.@ChrisFroome à pieds dans le final de l'étape / @ChrisFroome is running in le Ventoux ? #TDF2016https://t.co/o3fgyrRRST — Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 14, 2016

Tweets Of The Day

Someone found a Pokemon up on Ventoux #TDF2016 — Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) July 14, 2016

You can stop running now Chris Froome – you're still in the #YellowJersey #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/1VijueYK6N — Team Sky ? (@TeamSky) July 14, 2016

Stage Results

Le Top 10 de l'étape / The Top 10 of the stage #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/UUxDiJGJJx — Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 14, 2016

General Classification Standings

Points Classification

Peter Sagan 309 Pts Mark Cavendish 219 Pts Marcel Kittel 202 Pts Bryan Coquard 125 Pts Michael Matthews 124 Pts

Mountain Classification

Thomas De Gendt 89 Pts Thibaut Pinot 80 Pts Rafal Majka 77 Pts Daniel Navarro 68 Pts Tom Dumoulin 58 Pts

Young Rider Classification

Adam Yates Louis Meintjes +1’42” Warren Barguil +3’41” Emanuel Buchmann +13’46” Wilco Kelderman +25’27”

Team Classification

BMC Movistar Team Sky Astana AG2R La Mondiale

Stage 12 Stats

De Gendt claims his 1st stage win and the #MaillotaPois after a duel with Pauwels and Navarro. #TDFdata #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/uDRKhMB03b — letourdata (@letourdata) July 14, 2016

4 riders assumed half of the work in the leading group, on the way to the Mont Ventoux. #TDFdata #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/YQpXg4VgCB — letourdata (@letourdata) July 14, 2016

Main Photo: