A truly hectic day unfolded in the Tour as the breakaways dominated the race, Cofidis rider Ion Izagirre ultimately outlasting everyone else. The Spanish cyclist stole the show with a late attack at the peak of the Col de la Croix Montmain.
The stage began as it meant to go on, unbelievable! Austrian cyclist Michael Gogl (Alpecin–Deceuninck) managed to pick up a puncture before the race even began. The pace was high from the get-go as attacks characterized the early miles.
The early breaks were filled with big names such as two-time World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal–Quick-Step), Mads Pederson (Lidl–Trek) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo–Visma) all found themselves involved in ambitious groups.
A crash in the first 30km of the stage sees David de la Cruz (Astana Qazaqstan) and Quentin Pacher (Groupama) go down, and after seeming in some discomfort, de la Cruz is taken away in an ambulance and confirmed to have abandoned the Tour.
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Persistent attacks left the pack in ruins in the opening 100km, at one point in the stage the front group held more riders than the yellow jersey group itself.
The splits continued as a star-studded front group approached the final climb, Col de la Croix Montmain. Surprising everyone, Izagirre attacks from the leading group at the peak of the climb, building a lead of 8 seconds as he reached the top.
Thanks to a beautifully navigated descent into the town of Belleville-en-Beaujolais, along with the help of teammate Guillaume Martin who managed to disrupt the chasing group, Izagirre secured a 2nd stage for the French team. Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) arrived home in 2nd, while American Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) rounded off the top 3.
Despite the hilly landscape of stage 12, there were no major changes in the General Classification, as Jonas Vingegaard remained 17 seconds better than Tadej Pogacar.
The following stages will prove no easier for the bunch as the riders head for the Alps.
