Jeremy Whittle was in Nimes to report on Mark Cavendish equalling Eddy Merckx’s record number of stage wins but had to settle for chronicling a maiden win for Nils Politt instead. Read on ...
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Top five on GC after stage 12
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 47hr 22min 43sec
- Rigoberto Uran (EF Education–Nippo) +5min 18sec
- Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +5min 32sec
- Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) +5min 33sec
- Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citreon) +5min 58sec
The peloton crosses the line: Mark Cavendish wins the sprint, hoovering up the majority of whatever Green Jersey points remain. The placings at the business end of General Classification will remain unaltered.
Imanol Erviti: Spare a thought for the Movistar rider who finished second. He’s 37 years old, has never won a Tour de France stage and is unlikely to get a better chance than he had today. He does have a few Vuelta stage wins under his belt.
Stage 12 top three
- Nils Politt (Bora Hansgrohe)
- Imanol Erviti (Movistar)
- Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal)
And in fourth: Stefan Kung rolls over the line almost two minutes behind Politt and is followed seconds later by what’s left of the original 13-man breakaway.
Nils Politt wins the stage!
The Bora Hansgrohe rider wins his first ever stage in a Grand Tour after a fine ride. Erviti finishes second and is followed over the line by Sweeny.
1km to go: Politt passes under the flamme rouge, looks to the camera, smiles and taps his helmet. He knows!
2km to go: Politt continues to increase his lead over Sweeny and Erviti. It’s up to 33 seconds now as he negotiates the tight turns to the finish line in Nimes. It’s a life-changing moment for the German 26-year-old who has a peep over his shoulder to make sure there’s nobody on his tail
3km to go: A day that began badly for Bora Hansgrohe with Peter Sagan’s withdrawal from the race is going to end in triumph with a stage win for Nils Politt.
5km to go: Politt increases his lead to 20 seconds. He seems home and hosed barring a mechanical or a fall.
7km to go: His jaw clenched, Politt powers on looking for the stage win. Sweeny and Erviti are unable to put a dent in the gap between them for now.
10km to go: Politt attacks and Sweeny and Erviti don’t seem to have any answers. The German has the stage at his mercy and could score his first ever top level professional win. He has 17 seconds on Sweeny and Erviti.
13km to go: In the lead group, Stefan Kung seems to have cracked. He’s back at his team car picking up some grub and a bidon - my understanding is you’re not allowed to do that inside the final 15 kilometres but I could be wrong. . He’s 30 seconds behind the leading trio: Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Nils Politt (Bora Hansgrohe) and Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal).
14km to go: The gap from the leading four to the chasing Alaphilippe group goes out to a minute. The peloton is 15 minutes behind the leaders.
15km to go: The leading quartet begin a small, uncatgorised but stiff enough climb. Will anyone use it as a launch pad for an attack?
17km to go: “The other riders won’t know much about Sweeny, about what he’s good at,” says Brian Smith on commentary. “Their sporting directors will be looking up the internet to see what his strengths are.”
20km to go: Messrs Kung, Erviti, Sweeny and Politt continue to work well at the front, increasing their advantage over the nine chasers to 45 seconds. Sweeny, a 22-year-old Australian making his Grand Tour debut, is the least experienced of the quartet by a considerable margin. It looks like Wiggins was right - the stage winner does look likely to come from this group.
23km to go: Nils Politt is first past the post at the intermediate sprint at Uzès. The Alaphilippe group, as it shall be known, is 31 seconds behind.
31km to go: Having said that, the four men in front are time-trialling impressively and will take some catching.
34km to go: On his Eurosport motorbike, Bradley Wiggins has just bridged the gap from the breakaway to those who have broken away from the breakaway. It’s a long one. He describes the four men in front as “power houses” who caught the rest of the gang napping. He predicts that the winner of today’s stage will come from this quartet. The gap is 29 seconds at the moment and I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
37km to go: Kung, Erviti, Sweeny and Politt manage to open a gap of 25 seconds on the rest of the breakaway.
40km to go: Harry Sweeney and Stefan Kung attack off the front of the breakaway but are unable to get away.
42km to go: Lotto Soudal are the only team with two representatives in the breakaway: Harry Sweeny and Brent Van Moer.
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43km to go: Now Imanol Erviti (Movistar) attacks the breakaway but his move is quickly closed down.
48 km to go: Nils Pollitt (Bora Hansgrohe ) attacks off the front of the breakaway and is joined by Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) and Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo). They open a bit of a gap but are soon reeled back in. The breakaway is in turmoil with everyone racing at full pelt.
49km to go: Also, once the road widened, the peloton wouldn’t be long chasing down Pogacar. He’s good ... but he’s not that good.
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51km to go: The peloton passes an ostrich farm, prompting curious bemusement from the feathered residents. Tadej Pogacar’s UAE team-mates are controlling the pace.
“Just curious,” writes Ger. “But is there anything preventing the UAE team from fanning right across these narrow (ish) roads, blocking the peloton as Pogacar sprints on down the road ahead?”
An interesting question. For a start, they don’t need to, which leads to the question of why another team doesn’t try it to try with their leader and peg back Pogacar. Also, I’m not sure it would be quite as straightforward a tactic as you make it sound.
59km to go: The gap from our 13 leaders to the bunch is 12min 20 sec.
Here’s Lizz with the weather: “Now it’s started raining at 20km from the finish,” writes our roadside reporter. “We’ve retired to the car for ten minutes - hope it passes quickly.”
A word from our roadside reporter: “I agree about the Olympics, but perhaps this fiasco will sound the death knell for their current bloated form,” writes Lizz Poulter, who has sent pictorial evidence I am sadly unable to download of all the tat she, in her words, “won” from the Tour caravan this afternoon. “Sorry though for athletes who have trained so hard and may only have this one chance for glory (Dina Asher-Smith?). Perhaps Cav’s resurgence will encourage them, but they have such short careers usually. Anyway, back to inanity or cycling - they’re halfway here now, I think.”
69km to go: The gap is out to 11min 41sec and in the breakaway, Nils Politt has taken two of the three King of the Mountains points available today. Stefan Küng got the other one.
81km to go: There’s just one climb today, the Category Three Côte du belvédère de Tharaux which is 297m tall and coming up in around 15 kilometres. With King of the Mountains Nairo Quintana in the bunch, nobody of any significance in the breakaway will be troubling him by being first over.
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86km to go: The gap from the breakaway to the bunch is now out to 10min 26sec.
90km to go: Away from the Tour, it has just been announced that the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead without any spectators. While it’s aklmost certainly the right decision, a farcial event has just got even more ridiculous. Like all events, the cycling, whether in the velodrome or on the road, will be a pale imitation of itself without fans. These Games shouldn’t be taking place anyway – Tokyo no longer want to host them but are being forced to do so or risk financial catastrophe by the IOC. Rant over.
An email: “As much as I admire the cyclists who dragged themselves up Mont Ventoux twice yesterday (particularly the sprinters),” writes John O’Gorman. “I think you have eclipsed them with your personal double Mont Ventoux – back-to-back Tour de France live duties sandwiching a trip to Rushden Towers, including a Football Weekly pod. Chapeaux!”
Thanksd John, for showing your appreciation to the real sporting hero. And would you believe, I couldn’t get a taxi or Uber for love or money at the close of play in the early hours, so had to walk four miles home from Rushden Towers.
105km to go: The gap from the breakaway group to the peloton has just hit nine minutes and looks like it’s only to get bigger. The highest placed rider on GC in the breakaway is over 50 minutes behind the maillot jaune Tadej Pogacar.
Today’s breakaway: André Greipel (Israel-Start Up-Nation), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo), Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic), Harry Sweeny and Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal), Luka Mezgec (BikeExchange), Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies).
More on Cav’s kit: Bradley Wiggins has just reported that Mark Cavendish was “a bit rattled” at the start of today’s stage because the race organisers didn’t give him his green skinsuit to wear. He is instead wearing a green jersey with navy shorts.
“He loves to ride in his skinsuit on sprint stages like this,” says Wiggins. “I’m not sure why that happened. Who knows? Do you think they’re doing it so he doesn’t get the record? I don’t know. That’s a bit far-fetched. But hey, I know he wasn’t too happy about it because I did see him at the start this morning. He’s in his blue Deceuninck Quick-Step shorts and a short-sleeved jersey today because he wasn’t given his skinsuit by the race organisers.
“It rattled him a little bit because Mark’s a perfectionist who likes things as he needs them to be so he can execute his job.”
118km to go: Mark Cavendish pulls up at the roadside, borrows a spanner from one of his mechanics and performs some repairs on his right shoe. He remounts, gets a push down the road and pedals his way back towards the bunch.
123km to go: “That’s a group full of hitters that’s going to go to the finish today,” says Wiggo on Eurosport, as he urges his chauffeur to speed past the breakaway group. “Thirteen riders in that group so it doesn’t look like it’s going to be the day for Mark Cavendish chasing that record.”
Should Cavendish miss out, I’d quite like to see his fellow veteran Andre Greipel prevail. The 38-year-old German done very well to get into that breakaway but does he have enough in the tank to go all the way and win in Nimes?
Tadej Pogacar to race Vuelta a Espana after Tour de France as team avoids questions about his dominance
— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) July 8, 2021
Team boss Matxin 'not willing to go there' when asked about his leader's dominating rideshttps://t.co/tYxw3lUaDS
Your breakaway: André Greipel, Edward Theuns, Julian Alaphilippe, Imanol Erviti, Nils Politt, Stefan Küng, Stefan Bissegger, Connor Swift, Harry Sweeny, Brent Van Moer, Luka Mezgec, Sergio Henao, Edwald Boasson Hagen.
127km to go: The gap is out to 5min 48sec after the peloton slows down and stops the chase.
134km to go: A group of 13 riders, including Julian Alaphilippe, has opened a gap of just over two minutes on the peloton.
Bradley Wiggins speaks: Working for Eurosport in his roll as roving reporter following today’s race on the back of a motorbike, Wiggo has just reported that the peloton is back together, but quite a few riders have been left behind and are struggling badly. We do, however, have a breakaway, more of which anon.
Some early stage reading: Here’s a column I wrote 11 years ago, in which I outlined my crucial role in Mark Cavendish’s success. If he does go on to equal or even break The Cannibal’s record in this Tour, I fully expect him to give me the credit I deserve.
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An email: “Nimes is my favourite city in France,” writes Andrew Benton. “Not only was it the first in Europe to have municipal parks 250 yrs or so ago, but the still standing Roman amphitheatre and other Roman bits show it’s place in history. Could it go into the history books for something even more important - the place Cav equalled Merckx’s record ? Come on, Cav!”
In his post-stage interview yesterday, Cavendish said he was very tired, which is understandable considering how long it’s been since he finished a Grand Tour. When asked if he thought he’d equal Merckx’s record today, he gently masde the point that while he’d be trying, winning sprint stages in the Tour is very difficult, lots of other people would be trying to beat him and a lot of things would have to fall into place for him to be successful.
145km to go: They’re going at a blistering pace and have been since the gun. Anyone hoping for an easy day today following yesterday’s exertions on Mont Ventous is going to be effing and jeffing for all they’re worth.
146km to go: Correction: Geraint Thomas is in the second group, while Richie Porte is in the third.
147km to go: The main bunch, containing all the big-hitters and GC contenders, has opened a gap of 30 seconds on the the second group of 37 riders. There’s another group of 30 or so riders a further 15 seconds behind them.
150km to go: Geraint Thomas is caught in the third echelon, as is Michael Matthews. It’s no big deal for Thomas, who is basically using the rest of the Tour as a training camp for the Olympics. Matthews, however, is in the hunt for intermediate sprint points and won’t be getting any today unless the pace slows and the peloton regroups.
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153km to go: Three or four separate echelons have already formed behind the main bunch. Those riders who are in them are going to be in a world of hurt as each has to go as fast as the man in front. “This could continue says Brian Smith on Eurosport. all day,”
155km to go: The bunch is already being buffeted by crosswinds of 20 or 30 miles per hour coming from the right hand side. A group of about 20 riders has already been left behind and has formed an echelon across the road.
They’re off and racing in Stage 12: The riders cross as bridge over the Rhone at full gas and take a tight turn into a big roundabout. The bunch is already strung out.
The roll-out continues: The signal to start racing is delayed so a rider who suffered a mechanical issue is given time to get assistance and rejoin the bunch.
An email: “I’m off to watch on the roadside just outside Uzès - depending on parking/ verge space either in Blauzac or Malaïgue,” writes Lizz Poulter. “Hope Cavendish wins the sprint points in Montaren/Uzès and if possible nails his record-equalling stage win in Nîmes later. If my phone battery lasts I’ll send you inanities throughout the day.”
Please do, Lizz ... it could be a quiet afternoon and we’re all about the inanities. And if you do run out of battery, you could always write any messages for me on a large cardboard sign and hold it at the roadside as the peloton passes. What could possibly go wrong, eh? Eh?
The roll-out begins: Led by Nairo Quintana in the polka-dot jersey, Mark Cavendish in green, Jonas Vingegaard in white and Tadej Pogagac in yellow, the peloton begins the ceremonial departure from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. Vingegaard, it should be noted, is actually second in the Best Young Riderr standings behind his fellow tyro Pogacar.
Today’s start. There’s a 10-minute delay because of high winds. They could make for an entertaining day’s racing if the peloton gets caught in crosswinds and starts to smash up. Expect to see everyone busting a gut to be near the front as getting caught in the wrong place if the bunch splits can have disastrous consequences.
And then there were 147 ...
This just in! Peter Sagan is out of the race. The Slovakian rider has had a quiet Tour following a bad collision with Caleb Ewan in the sprint finish at the end of stage three. He suffered a knee injury that day which he is reported to have exacerbated by banging the offending joint off his own crossbar yesterday. He has not signed in this morning.
And then there were 148 ...
The peloton lost another eight riders yesterday, either through abandonment or finishing outside the time limit. Rather surprisingly, Britain’s Luke Rowe was among those to finish outside the time limit and will be sorely missed by Ineos Grenadiers. Tony Martin was an early casualty yesterday, finally calling time this year after yet another heavy crash left him sitting disconsolately in a ditch covered in his own blood.
Stage 11 report ...
“Wout van Aert triggered memories of the five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx with a spectacular solo victory in the 2021 Tour’s daunting Mont Ventoux stage, as the first chinks in the armour of the defending champion Tadej Pogacar appeared on the second ascent of the Giant of Provence,” wrote Jeremy Whittle from Malaucene.
Top five on GC after stage 11
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 43hr 44min 38sec
- Rigoberto Uran (EF Education–Nippo) +5min 18sec
- Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +5min 32sec
- Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) +5min 33sec
- Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citreon) +5min 58sec
Stage 12: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes (159.4km)
Will Fotheringham’s stage-by-stage guide: There are two scenarios for this run through the gorges of the Ardèche and the hills to the west of the Rhône. Either the race will follow the usual pattern of doomed breakaway, late catch, bunch sprint.
Or the mistral will blow from somewhere between north-west and east and all hell will break loose late on as the bunch splinters in the wind. The former scenario favours the sprinters, the latter the strongest team in the race: Ineos or Deceuninck, with Sagan as a wild card.
