The 12th stage of the Tour de France 2012 took place on July 13, 2012 and led from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Annonay - Davézieux . With a length of 226 kilometers, there were two mountain classifications in the 1st category and one in the 3rd category.
From Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne ( 500 m ) the route led in a predominantly westerly direction to Annonay-Davézieux through the departments of Savoie , Isère , Drôme and Ardèche . After 21.5 kilometers started in Saint-Pierre-de-Belleville ( 362 m , the first increase in the first category for) Col du Grand Cucheron ( 1188 m ). After 71 kilometers, began in Chapareillan ( 289 m ) the climb to the Col du Granier ( 1134 m ). Then it went downhill in the direction of Annonay-Davézieux, where an intermediate sprint was taken in Marcilloles on the way at km 153 . Shortly before the finish, the drivers expected an increase in category 3 at kilometer 207.5.
Race course
14 kilometers after the start, a breakaway group of 19 riders formed, who had a lead of around 1:30 minutes in the Arc Valley . This group included the Croatian Robert Kišerlovski , the British David Millar and the French Cyril Gautier and Jean-Christophe Péraud . In the ascent to the Col du Grand Cucheron, individual drivers fell from the top group, while the field split up. Kišerlovski won the mountain prize ahead of Péraud. David Moncoutié , who was between the front and the field, had a serious crash on the descent and had to give up the race after medical treatment.
At the beginning of the climb up to the Col du Granier, eleven drivers were still in the lead, around 50 seconds ahead of Egoi Martínez , who had broken out of a chasing group. A few kilometers later, Martínez caught up with the lead. At the top of the pass five drivers were still ahead: besides Kišerlovski, who also won this mountain classification, these were Péraud, Martínez, Gautier and Millar. The group around the overall leader was about a minute behind. In the descent and on the subsequent level, the lead of the group of five increased steadily, as the field hardly performed any follow-up work.
Millar was first of the intermediate sprint; The best of the field, which is now closed again, was Australian Matthew Goss, around eleven minutes behind. Around 50 kilometers from the finish line, the maximum lead was 13 minutes, after which it decreased slightly. Kišerlovski also won the third mountain classification. Martínez was the first to launch an attack four kilometers from the finish, but did not get away decisively. Finally, Millar and Péraud were able to separate themselves from the three other escapees two kilometers before the end of the stage; The stage winner was Millar. The main field reached the goal just eight minutes behind.
In the sprint for the other places, Goss prevailed, but he blocked Peter Sagan's path with a swivel. The jury then put Goss at the end of the group. In addition, 30 points were deducted from Goss in the sprint rating. These decisions increase Sagan's lead from 22 to 56 points.