Tour de France Stage 12 Preview: The Sprinters Won’t Let This Chance Slip Away

Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours – Chalon-Sur-Saône: 179.1, 1800m+

A bunch sprint appears to be the most likely on stage 12 of the Tour de France, but as we saw on stage 11, things don’t always go to plan for the pure sprinters.

There are few surprises lying in wait for the riders, and few opportunities for attacking riders to gain enough time to fend off the teams of those looking for one more sprint.

The days ahead are considerably tougher so this could potentially be the last chance for at least some of the fastmen until Paris. The other remaining flat stage, stage 17, has a number of low categorized climbs mixed in that could give a break just enough of an advantage to sneak a win.

Expect close attention to be paid to the composition of any breakaways and, even if a group does gain time, the sprinters’ teams are likely to keep the gap to a manageable level.

There are just three climbs to contend with. The last of those fourth cat ramps comes 20km from Chalon-Sur-Saône and from there it should be flat out to the line and for what should be a massive bunch finish.

Dylan Groenewegen won last time around in 2019 and while his Rockets team are missing from the Tour lineup, expect a similar kind of rider to triumph. Jasper Philipsen for one will be antsy to salvage his Tour and not let another sprint opportunity slip away.

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