Le Tour 2014 – Stage 12

Bourg-en-Bresse – Saint-Étienne

Distance: 185.5 kilometers.

Another hill section with the categorized climbs [4-3-3-4] spread out along the route and a flat run to the finish.

For the fourth time Peter Sagan comes up in second place at the end of a stage, as Kristoff takes it at the end. Simon Clarke won the Red Numbers for his breakaway efforts but was gathered in at the end.

As expected Andrew Talansky didn’t start the stage. De La Cruz’s Tour ended with a broken collarbone as the result of a crash.

Vincenzo Nibali ( Ita – AST – 041 ) [Yellow] 51h 31′ 34″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 051 ) [Green] 341 points
Joaquim Rodriguez ( Esp – KAT – 021 ) [Polka Dot] 51 points
Romain Bardet ( Fra – ALM – 082 ) 4 [White]

Team: AG2R La Mondiale ( ALM – 081-089 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – KAT – 023 )
Combative: Simon Clarke ( Aus – OGE – 183 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Vincenzo Nibali ( Ita – AST – 041 )
2 Richie Porte ( Aus – SKY – 007 ) + 02′ 23″
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte ( Esp – MOV – 011 ) + 02′ 47″
4 Romain Bardet ( Fra – ALM – 082 ) + 03′ 01″
5 Thibaut Pinot ( Fra – FDJ – 127 ) + 03′ 47″
6 Tejay Van Garderen ( US – BMC – 141 ) + 03′ 56″
7 Jean-Christophe Péraud ( Fra – ALM – 081 ) + 03′ 57″
8 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 061 ) + 04′ 08″
9 Jurgen Van Den Broeck ( Bel – LTB – 131 ) + 04′ 18″
10 Jakob Fuglsang ( Den – AST – 042 ) + 04′ 31″

The Rest of the Top 30:

11 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 074 ) + 04′ 39″
12 Geraint Thomas ( GB – SKY – 008 ) + 05′ 17″
13 Alberto Costa Rui ( Por – LAM – 111 ) + 05′ 34″
14 Mikel Nieve Iturralde ( Esp – SKY – 005 ) + 06′ 03″
15 Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 151 ) + 06′ 47″
16 Christopher Horner ( US – LAM – 114 ) + 07′ 33″
17 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 067 ) + 07′ 42″
18 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre ( Esp – TFR – 169 ) + 08′ 01″
19 Leopold Konig ( Cze – TNE – 201 ) + 08′ 25″
20 Tony Gallopin ( Fra – LTB – 134 ) + 08′ 57″
21 Cyril Gautier ( Fra – EUC – 154 ) + 09′ 12″
22 Yury Trofimov ( Rus – KAT – 029 ) + 10′ 32″
23 Steven Kruijswijk ( Ned – BEL – 064 ) + 10′ 35″
24 Brice Feillu ( Fra – BSE – 211 ) + 11′ 32″
25 Frank Schleck ( Lux – TFR – 161 ) + 11′ 51″
26 Tanel Kangert ( Est – AST – 046 ) + 15′ 27″
27 Tom Dumoulin ( Ned – GIA – 106 ) + 17′ 17″
28 Jan Bakelants ( Bel – OPQ – 072 ) + 20′ 42″
29 John Gadret ( Fra – MOV – 013 ) + 23′ 51″
30 Peter Velits ( Svk – BMC – 149 ) + 24′ 24″

Did not start:

Andrew Talansky ( US – GRS – 091 )

Did not finish:

David De La Cruz Melgarejo ( Esp – TNE – 203 )

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

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