PLATEAU DE BEILLE, France – A brief look at the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday:
Stage: The toughest and last of the three Pyrenees stages took riders over 121 miles from Lannemezan to an uphill finish at the Plateau de Beille ski station.
Winner: Joachim Rodriguez. Despite high heat then hard rain, the Spanish leader of the Russian Katusha team broke away to collect his second stage win, following another uphill finish in Stage 3.
Yellow jersey: Chris Froome. The 2013 champion overcame repeat attacks from his top rivals, and didn’t lose time to them in the title chase.
How did the “Fab Four” perform?: Nairo Quintana of Colombia, two-time champ Alberto Contador of Spain, and 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali all finished with the same time as Froome.
Quote of the day: “I love it when it rains like that. I really enjoy it. It’s like being back home in Wales” – Froome’s Sky teammate, Geraint Thomas, musing about the downpour.
Stat of the day: 6:47. Rodriguez was 6 minutes, 47 seconds faster than Froome, trimming his deficit to the British leader by more than one third.
Next stage: Stage 13 on Friday takes the pack over three lower-grade climbs in a 123-mile trek from Muret to Rodez, in one of the least-populated corners of France.
Associated Press
