Spain’s Sanchez rules 12th stage at Pyrenees
Luz-Ardiden, France — Spain’s Samuel Sanchez thrilled Basque fans with the stage win and France’s Thomas Voeckler surprised himself by keeping the yellow jersey on Bastille Day as the Tour de France finally hit the mountains yesterday.
Defending champion Alberto Contador ran into more, if modest, trouble on Stage 12 by losing some seconds to other race favorites on the final climb.
The 211-kilometer (131-mile) trek from Cugnaux to the Luz-Ardiden ski station featured three tough climbs in the Pyrenees — including two that are among the hardest in pro cycling.
After 11 stages on wind-swept flats and hills that favored sprinters and breakaway riders, Thursday’s mountains were expected to separate the overall race contenders from the rest of the pack.
The day’s toughest climbs — the Col du Tourmalet and the uphill finish in Luz-Ardiden — offered the favorites the chance to analyze each other’s climbing legs and look for signs of weakness among rivals.
Sanchez and Belgian rider Jelle Vanendert overtook a group of breakaway riders in the final climb and held on, with the Spaniard winning their two-man sprint in the last few hundred meters (yards). Vanendert crossed 7 seconds later.
“It’s incredible,” Sanchez said of his first Tour stage victory, after finishing fourth overall last year. The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider said he got extra inspiration from spectators waving the red, green and white flag of Basque country — a nearby region along the French-Spanish border.
“I can’t believe I won this in front of all our fans,” he said.
After leading a string of attacks on the other favorites, Frank Schleck of Luxembourg surged away and finished third — 10 seconds back — to vault into second place overall.
Italy’s Ivan Basso was fourth, Australia’s Cadel Evans was fifth, and Schleck’s younger brother Andy was sixth, each 30 seconds behind Sanchez. Contador came eighth, 43 seconds back.
Voeckler gave the home crowd a delight on Bastille Day, clinging to the yellow jersey that he expected to lose in the punishing climbs.
Overall, Voeckler leads Frank Schleck by 1 minute, 49 seconds, and Evans trails third, 2:06 back. Contador is seventh overall, 4 minutes behind. AP
