Live CoveragePresented by

Tour de France 2012 stage 13

Live team coverage of stage 13 at the 99th edition of the Tour de France

Good morning and welcome to VeloNews.com’s live coverage of Stage 13.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:01:02 PM
Today’s stage will be a welcome relief from the mountains, covering 217 mostly flat kilometers (134.8mi) between Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux and Le Cap d’Agde. The route is tailor-made for a bunch finish, with only a single rated climb, the Cat. 3 Mont Sait Clair – which is situated about 23km from the finish.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:01:29 PM
Here's a peek at the arial map of today's route.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:02:52 PM
The stage profile will leave non-climbers breathing a sigh of relief after several tough days in the mountains.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:04:28 PM
Garmin-Sharp’s David Millar took the win in Friday’s Stage 12, outsprinting Ag2r La Mondiale’s Jean-Christophe Peraud in Annonay Davezieux. Following two significant climbs early in the stage, the peloton spent most of the day at a leisurely pace. Look for today’s average speeds to be much higher as the teams of the sprinters look to control the stage.

Stage 12 Results:
1. David MILLAR, Garmin-Sharp, in 5:42:46
2. Jean-Christophe PERAUD, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0
3. Egoi MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at :5
4. Cyril GAUTIER, Europcar, at :5
5. Robert KISERLOVSKI, Astana, at :5
6. Peter SAGAN, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 7:53
7. Matthew Harley GOSS, Orica-GreenEdge, at 7:53
8. Sébastien HINAULT, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:54
9. Cadel EVANS, BMC Racing, at 7:54
10. Luca PAOLINI, Katusha, at 7:54
11. Julien SIMON, Saur-Sojasun, at 7:54
12. Bradley WIGGINS, Sky, at 7:54
13. Marco MARCATO, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 7:54
14. Nicolas ROCHE, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:54
15. Christopher FROOME, Sky, at 7:54

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:06:41 PM
Sky’s Bradley Wiggins continues to dominate the general classification, holding a lead of 2:05 over his teammate Chris Froome. Liquigas-Cannondale’s Vincenzo Nibali sits in third at 2:23, with defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) trailing by 3:19.

1. Bradley WIGGINS, Sky, in 54:34:33
2. Christopher FROOME, Sky, at 2:05
3. Vincenzo NIBALI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 2:23
4. Cadel EVANS, BMC Racing, at 3:19
5. Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK, Lotto-Belisol, at 4:48
6. Haimar ZUBELDIA AGIRRE, RadioShack-Nissan, at 6:15
7. Tejay VAN GARDEREN, BMC Racing, at 6:57
8. Janez BRAJKOVIC, Astana, at 7:30
9. Pierre ROLLAND, Europcar, at 8:31
10. Thibaut PINOT, FDJ-BigMat, at 8:51
11. Andreas KLÖDEN, RadioShack-Nissan, at 9:29
12. Frank SCHLECK, RadioShack-Nissan, at 9:45
13. Nicolas ROCHE, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 10:49
14. Jerome COPPEL, Saur-Sojasun, at 11:27
15. Christopher HORNER, RadioShack-Nissan, at 12:41

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:10:21 PM
Currently a break of eight riders leads the peloton by 4:45.

The break consists of:

Maxime Bouet (FRA) Ag2r La Mondiale - 54th overall, at 1h04'58"
Michael Morkov (DEN) Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank - 85th overall, at 1h23'15"
Jerome Pineau (FRA) Omega Pharma-Quick Step - 95th overall, 1h32'29"
Matthieu Ladagnous (FRA) FDJ - 107th overall, at 1h38'57"
Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) Cofidis - 124th overall, at 1h51'43"
Roy Curvers (NED) Argos-Shimano - 141st overall, at 1h57'50"
Pablo Urtasun (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 153rd overall, at 2h06'35"
Jimmy Engoulvent (FRA) Saur-Sojasun - 163rd overall, at 2h21'12"

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:15:25 PM
The green jersey competition took a decisive turn yesterday as Orica-GreenEDGE's Matt Goss was relegated from 6th to 7th place and was penalized 30 points for failing to hold his line in the finishing sprint. Liquigas-Cannondale's Peter Sagan now leads the points competition by 254 to 198. Will the Slovak take a 4th stage win today?

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:20:56 PM
114km remaining, break leads by 5:21

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:21:41 PM
Do you anticipate Cav dropping out at some point given he is not in contention for the green jersey?

by Rick 7/14/2012 12:26:15 PM
That's a great question, Rick. Cav's plans have been the topic of much speculation. He's clearly stated that the green jersey is not his priority this year, but I suspect he's on the hunt for a stage win today. If he plans to abandon in advance of the London Olympics, he's given no public indication - though I wouldn't rule it out if he comes to a point where the team feels his Olympic prospects are threatened.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:26:18 PM
Welcome everyone. We're en route to the finish and it's been a massive traffic jam for four hours. Bastille Day, the beach, and a little bike race have conspired to keep Caley and I off the back all morning. Brutal!

by Matthew C Beaudin via email 7/14/2012 12:27:32 PM
109km remaining, 5:18 for the break of eight.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:28:30 PM
Included in the break today is Michael Morkov of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank. Today marks the 5th anniversary of Morkov's father's death. He's expressed his desire to win today's stage in tribute.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:30:48 PM
Look for strong wind along the Mediterranean coast to be a factor for the teams during the final 30km today.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:35:50 PM
101km, gap has fallen to 4:55.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:39:35 PM
You metric century riders can compare your times against the peloton. 100km remaining at 8:40am eastern. Let's see when they finish.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:41:40 PM
Cavendish may be eyeballing the finish line today before some Olympic training but I've got a feeling he will be seeing a lot of Frenchman trying to create breakaways and late attacks.

by David Fleck edited by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:42:54 PM
Somehow, I think Cav stays in this Tour. Especially if he gets a win today (which is probable)

by Matt Beaudin via mobile 7/14/2012 12:43:39 PM
Dan: who is doing the work on the front?

by Matt Beaudin via mobile 7/14/2012 12:44:18 PM
You could be right, David. July 14th is Bastille Day after all. Not sure Andre Greipel cares though.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:45:42 PM
Matt, a pair of Orica-GreenEDGE riders and most all of Sky at front of the peloton. Wiggins sitting 4th wheel.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:48:15 PM
94km remaining, gap has dropped by a full minute to 4:20.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:51:28 PM
Langeveld, Lancaster and Weening are the riders from Orica-GreenEDGE off the front.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:52:19 PM
Again, the break of 8 consists of:

Maxime Bouet (FRA) Ag2r La Mondiale - 54th overall, at 1h04'58"
Michael Morkov (DEN) Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank - 85th overall, at 1h23'15"
Jerome Pineau (FRA) Omega Pharma-Quick Step - 95th overall, 1h32'29"
Matthieu Ladagnous (FRA) FDJ - 107th overall, at 1h38'57"
Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) Cofidis - 124th overall, at 1h51'43"
Roy Curvers (NED) Argos-Shimano - 141st overall, at 1h57'50"
Pablo Urtasun (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 153rd overall, at 2h06'35"
Jimmy Engoulvent (FRA) Saur-Sojasun - 163rd overall, at 2h21'12"

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:53:11 PM
Eurosport notes that American Tejay van Garderen is currently locked in "a ding-dong battle" for white jersey with FDJ-BigMat's Thibaut Pinot.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 12:57:04 PM
Sagan takes intermediate sprint.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:00:26 PM
Peter Velits of Omega Pharma-Quick Step crashed on a crowd barrier near the intermediate sprint point. Now back on his bike and pacing back.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:01:48 PM
Lackluster intermediate sprint as green points jersey competition becomes less and less a competition. Big guns saving it for the stage win.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:03:02 PM
84.5km remaining, gap continues to fall rapidly. Now 3:39 to the break of eight.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:06:26 PM
Orica-GreenEDGE working off the front, followed by Sky. Wiggins sitting comfortably.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:07:22 PM
Goss relegated in yesterday's sprint and penalized 30 points. Goss calls penalty "harsh." Orica-GreenEDGE putting in a lot of work at the front today. A stage win would mean a lot to them.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:09:52 PM
Are we relegated to watching the polka dot and white jersey competition?

by Rick 7/14/2012 1:11:09 PM
Fortunes can change in an instant, Rick...but as for now it sure seems that way.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:11:11 PM
OPQS' Peter Velits has worked his way back to the peloton following crash at intermediate sprint.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:12:40 PM
79km, gap of 3:23.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:13:33 PM
Garmin-Sharp's Dave Zabriskie recently consulting with race doctor after being caught in a crash at the 128.5km mark.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:16:57 PM
The average speed over the first three hours is 42.1km/h (26.1mph).

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:18:06 PM
74.5km remaining, gap has fallen to 2:28...nearly a minute closed in 5km.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:21:19 PM
68.6km to the finish, 2:18 to the gap. Orica-GreenEDGE setting the pace.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:27:46 PM
Here again is today's stage profile. One sharp climb about 23km before the finish, but then it's the Mediterranian crosswinds that will worry the peloton.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:30:09 PM
Told we may have a special guest joining us shortly. He looks good in argyle.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:33:35 PM
Interesting press release from Leopard SA this morning:

"In response to malicious and unfounded rumours, Leopard SA, the company that owns the professional cycling team RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK, through its Board of Directors, formally denies any situation that could be interpreted as close to collapse or to bankruptcy."

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:37:11 PM
59km remain, 2:32 to the early break of eight.

by Dan Wuori 7/14/2012 1:38:55 PM
I think Cav gets dropped on the final cat 3. This race will be between Goss and Sagan. Look for late efforts by Chavenel or Voekler. Maybe even a rider like Gilbert.

by High3421 7/14/2012 1:42:51 PM