Tour de France 2024 stage 12 preview - Sprinters return to spotlight

Stage 12 of the Tour de France is one that both breakaway specialists and sprinters will have circled in their road books since the 203.6km route was announced last year. There is a lot of climbing in the two-thirds of the stage from Aurillac, but no major ascents and the reward of a flat finish into Villeneuve-sur-Lot should invigorate the sprint teams.

From a rolling start, the first of three category 4 climbs begins 62km later with the Côte d’Autoire (2.7km at 5.9%), then after another 20 kilometres ticks by they will tackle the Côte de Rocamadour (2km at 5.8%), which will be ridden in the opposite direction to the route taken by the 2022 Tour time trial. 

The only intermediate sprint comes in Gourdon at the mid-point of the race, and 25km from the final categorised climb, the Côte de Montcléra (2km at 4.6%). That last chance for KOM points arrives with 68 kilometres to go, a long descent urging any breakaway to hit the gas as the sprint teams can begin to make inroads. 

The final 5km into Villeneuve-sur-Lot are flat. The last two times the village hosted the Tour also came down to chasers trying to make a catch, with Erik Dekker stay away near the banks of the Lot river in 2000 for his victory.

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Stage 12 Sprints

• Intermediate sprint, km 110

Stage 12 Mountains

• Côte d’Autoire (2.7km at 5.9%), cat. 4, km 62.8
• Côte de Rocamadour (2km at 5.8%), cat. 4, km 84.3
• Côte de Montcléra (2km at 4.6%), cat. 4, km 135.5