Give or take one or two other stages that they have an outside chance in, this might already be the very last bunch sprint at this year’s Tour de France.

The kilometres that precede can be a little dull sometimes, but there’s no spectacle quite like a bunch finish, and part of that is the variety of different styles of the sprinters who try to win. Before we witness that again later today, be sure to have a read of our piece on the science of sprinting.

What kind of sprinter are you? Understanding the key strengths of Tour de France fastmen – and how to beat them

KOM – COTE DE CUZY

The break go over the second categorised climb of the day, another category four effort, and once again Veistroffer is allowed to take the point uncontested. The peloton continues to ride hard to control the break, and has them at just 45 seconds.

As the the weather, that was only a brief shower, and the weather is dry once again.

The heavens have opened! Many days of pressure in this hot weather has finally cracked, and rain has started falling heavily on the race.

This has been another quiet day for the yellow jersey, but you imagine that will change over the coming day, especially when we reach the mountains at the weekend.

In firm control of the jersey, Tadej Pogačar could ride defensively all the way from here until Paris, but he looks like a man on a mission, eager to right wrongs from the past and gain as much individual success as possible.

Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France tour of revenge is almost complete – Which demons are still left to slay?

There was some confusion amid the intermediate sprint. At first, it seemed as though Pedersen had been relegated from the sprint, and he was seen talking animatedly with the commissaire in the car, and his Lidl-Trek team saying they had been told that over the radio. However, the results have been confirmed, and Pedersen confirmed to have taken 20 points. Here are the official updated rankings:

1 Mads Pedersen 337

2 Biniam Girmay 282

3 Jasper Philipsen 271

4 Tim Merlier 237

5 Max Kanter 215

KOM – COTE DE LANTY

The break has just gone over the first climb of the day, the Côte de Lanty, with Veistroffer taking the sole point on offer. It wasn’t much of a test, and they were able to take it on quite easy as the pace is calm for now. That might change later, especially towards the end of the stage if any of the sprinter teams want to pile the pressure on to make life hard for their rivals.

Here are the four riders who eventually ended up in the day’s break. Once again Lotto and TotalEnergies have representation, while Bahrain and Groupama are clearly becoming more restless having made it into the second of the Tour without a stage win.

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Dark clouds are gathering over the peloton, and the weather could have to impact on the stage – be it rain, or possibly even crosswinds. EF DS Charly Wegelius is telling his team to be alert.

120KM TO GO

Caruso, Costiou and Vercher have joined what must be a relieved Veistroffer, who no longer has another prospect of riding all day at the front of him self by his own. They lead the peloton by just over a minute.

Three riders have managed to go clear from the peloton – Caruso, Costiou and Vercher. The rest of the peloton has slowed – it looks like that might be the end of the fight for the breakaway.

INTERMEDIATE SPRINT

Pedersen wins the sprint in the peloton for the points behind Veistroffer, profiting off a strong lead-out from his Lidl-Trek teammates. Philipsen was second, Merlier third, Kanter fourth, while Girmay drifted away in the finale and managed only fifth.

With the sprint done, hostilities have reignited and the attacks are coming out of the peloton again.

The sprinters teams have retaken control, and it’s Alpecin who lead the peloton with a long line of riders. They’re looking to lead out Philipsen for the intermediate sprint, who, after his reinstation yesterday, remains in contention for the green jersey.

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.

With one sprint stage remaining, the Tour de France green points jersey is Mads Pedersen’s to lose – Analysis

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.

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.

Yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar explains why stage 11 of 2026 Tour de France smashed 27-year-record for fastest average speed

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!