Tour de France stage 12 LIVE: Fierce battle to get into the breakaway at start of what might be last sprinter stage of the race
Another chance for the sprinters to shine, though the final climb, Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy, will probably tempt a few riders to try a late stage attack, but the sprinters’ team will have 20 kilometres to reel any attackers back in before reaching Chalon-sur-Saône
140KM TO GO
There's just 7km left until the intermediate sprint. Veistroffer will likely take the 25 points as he remains up the road by just under two minutes, but there's a lot of points to be fought for among the green jersey candidates.
Mads Pedersen remains in pole position in that competition and, having crunched the numbers, we believe he will be hard to depose. Have a read of our more detailed analysis regarding that competition.
The pace remains slow, as many, including the yellow jersey, take comfort breaks. That’s likely to change as they near the intermediate sprint, coming up in just over 10km, and the green jersey candidates start winding their lead-out trains up.
For now, though, Baptiste Veistroffer remains up the lead, with a lead of over two minutes.
150KM TO GO
The peloton has knocked off the pace, with just the one rider up the road - and it's that man again, the indefatigable Baptiste Veistroffer. Given all the efforts of riders to get into the break earlier, we can only imagine this is a temporary truce until hostilities open up again soon.
A new four-man group formed, and had serious firepower with Asgreen and Schmid. But also present were Paret-Peintre and Prodhomme, who are marking for their respective sprinters Merlier and Kooij, and the lack of cohesion has seen the group brought back.
160KM TO GO
For the first time, a small group managed to build a lead of a few seconds - Guernalec, Hessmann, Azparren and, despite the words of his team DS about not thinking this will be one for the breakaway, Astana's Teunissen. But they've been quickly brought back by teams still desperate to have representation in the breakaway. 20km in into the stage, the fight goes on.
Despite XDS Astana's hopes that the breakaway riders would hold fire until tomorrow, allowing their sprinter Max Kanter to have a clear run to sprint for the stage win, lots of riders are sensing that today is a big opportunity. Attacks keep coming, and keeping getting brought back as others aren't happy at having missed it.
“To be honest, with the stage we have tomorrow, I don’t think it makes much sense for riders to go in the breakaway today. There’s a big, big opportunity for the breakaways guys tomorrow. But let’s just be ready anyway.”
XDS Astana - DS
There's plenty of action at the front, but still no group has formed. There must be a lot of riders who fancy their chances of denying the sprinters today, as this is being raced in stark contrast to the start of the sprint stages during the first week of the Tour.
OFFICIAL START
And they're off! The pace is high, with the ever-aggressive Baptiste Veistroffer at the front of the peloton, but no attacks have opened up a gap in the opening kilometre.
The riders at the unofficial start. They're on the move now, and are just 2km away from the KM0. IF yesterday is an indication, there will be a lot of riders wanting to get up the road and get into the break - possibly even Mathieu van der Poel, after his surprise efforts yesterday.
The stage start today is being held at a Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours motor circuit - an appropriate setting given how this is expected to be another fast and furious sprint finish. They will be departing from there in a few minutes for the unofficial start.
Many records for the fastest this and the record ascent of that have tumbled over the years, and yesterday, the riders completed a Tour de France road stage with the fastest speed in the race’s history. Here’s race leader Tadej Pogačar’s assessment of how that 27-year record was broken.
For the second successive stage, this one looks like it should be nailed on for the sprinters. It is a little more complicated than yesterday, with three category four climbs in total, including one within the final 25km, so the sprinters teams will have to be careful about who they let into the day’s break at the start.
Tour de France 2026 stage 12 preview - Another shot at a sprint victory in Chalon-sur-Saône
Hello and welcome to stage 12 of the Tour de France!
