By W. G. S. D. Wijesinghe, Jadetimes news
Biniam Girmay continued to make history at this year's Tour de France by sprinting to his third victory on stage 12. The Eritrean cyclist, who previously became the first black African to win a Tour stage with his victory on stage three and again on stage eight, triumphed in a frantic bunch sprint in Villeneuve sur Lot, narrowly beating Wout van Aert. Mark Cavendish initially finished fifth but was later relegated. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, leading by one minute and six seconds over Remco Evenepoel, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard trailing by an additional eight seconds.
Overall contender Primoz Roglic experienced a significant setback after a crash late in the stage, causing him to drop from fourth to sixth in the general classification. Roglic, who finished with a ripped jersey and a bloodied shoulder, lost two minutes and 27 seconds on the leaders due to the incident. Tadej Pogacar was also briefly delayed by a crash early in the stage but managed to rejoin the main group without further issues. The 203.6km route from Aurillac to Villeneuve sur Lot, anticipated as one of the few remaining opportunities for a bunch sprint, ultimately saw Girmay's victory solidify his reputation as the fastest sprinter in this year's race.
A four man breakaway group, including Groupama FDJ riders Valentin Madouas and Quentin Pacher, Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno X Mobility, and Total Energies Anthony Turgis, gained a three and a half minute lead over the peloton but was caught with over 40km remaining. Girmay's win extended his lead in the green jersey points competition, with a significant 111 point advantage over Jasper Philipsen. The stage also saw incidents affecting Alexey Lutsenko and Roglic, impacting their standings. The upcoming stage 13, a 165.3km route from Agen to Pau, features relatively flat terrain but could challenge sprinters with hilly sections towards the finish. This stage, along with stage 16 in Nimes, presents one of the last opportunities for sprinters to claim victory.
