A largely flat run from Nevers to Chalon-sur-Saône should favour the fast men, but with the mountains looming, teams know opportunities like this are running out.
The Tour de France’s sprinters may not get a better opportunity than Thursday. In fact, it may very well be their last, despite there being another nine stages. The rest of the Tour features mountainous days, lumpy terrain and a time trial. It’s been a tough Tour from Day 1, so if one of the fastmen wants to grab a stage, today is the day.
Stage 12 of the Tour de France
Stage 12 covers 179.1 km from Nevers to Chalon-sur-Saône and, on paper, is one of the least demanding routes remaining. With the Vosges and a string of climbing-heavy stages waiting just around the corner, sprint teams will be determined to seize what could be their last straightforward chance to fight for victory.
The route heads east from the former Formula 1 circuit at Nevers Magny-Cours before winding through central France. Three Category 4 climbs, Côte de Lanty, Côte de Cuzy and Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy, should pose no problem for the pure sprinters, leaving their teams well positioned to bring back any breakaway before the finish.
The favourites
That makes another bunch sprint the overwhelming favourite.
Tim Merlier remains the rider to beat despite missing out on Wednesday’s finale. The Belgian has already collected two stage wins and continues to look like the quickest finisher in the race when his lead-out delivers him to the final 200 metres.
Olav Kooij will be one of his biggest challengers. Already a stage winner earlier in the Tour, the Dutch sprinter has consistently shown he has the speed to match Merlier and was again among the fastest riders in the previous sprint finish.
Jasper Philipsen hasn’t snagged a win yet, although he came close on Wednesday. Søren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility took a cheeky victory by launching early and outfoxing the bunch. The Alpecin–Premier Tech sprinter made a strong surge, but the Norwegian had built too much of a gap.
Another rider we haven’t seen in the mix as much as in previous years is NSN’s Biniam Girmay. If the Eritrean wants to win a stage, Thursday is likely his best opportunity.
The rest of the Tour de France
Friday has a nice little kicker—a Category 1 climb with around 25 km to go—so the sprinters will likely spend the day in the autobus and cruise to the line. Saturday? Three Category 1 climbs, a Category 2, and another tough climb close to the finish. Sunday brings a brutal summit finish. Then comes a time trial, followed by several more demanding days, including two days finishing on Alpe d’Huez. The traditional closer in Paris will once again climb Montmartre, so most of the sprinters will be doing wheelies and waving to the fans while the puncheurs go for the win on the Champs-Élysées.
You can watch Thursday’s action on FloBikes.com, and, as always, Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a report and analysis after the stage.