2012 Tour de France, Stage 11 to Stage 20#Stage 14
(39,5 km / h)
Peter Sagan ( LIQ )
The 14th stage of the Tour de France 2012 took place on 15 July 2012 and led by Limoux, Languedoc -Roussillon to Foix in the Pyrenees. With a length of 191 kilometers, there were two mountain Prices 1st category and one of the second category.
Route
The route led predominantly to the west, in the final part in a northeasterly direction through the Aude and Ariège. After the start in Limoux (179 m), it was first up on Quillan (288 m) to the Col du Portel (601 m), the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees. About Lavelanet (504 m) Tarascon- sur -Ariege ( 479 m) was reached where the intermediate sprint was held and there was also the aid station. From there we went up to the Port de Lers ( 1517 m), a mountain stage of the first class. After the passage of Massat (658 m) for the first time in the history of the Tour of up to 18% steep climb to Mur de Péguère ( 1375 m ) conquered. From this pass the first category, there were still nearly 40 miles to the finish in Foix (410 m).
Race course
Still 163 of the original 198 riders took this step in attack. After starting several solo riders and groups tried to pluck, but the box would not let her grant. Closed, it crossed the Col du Portel, the mountains classification at Thomas Voeckler went. About one- third of all drivers had been suspended on the rise, but was able to catch later. At kilometer 35 on the front Peter Sagan, Steven Kruijswijk and Sérgio Paulinho deposed. A little later, Philippe Gilbert, Edward Worganow, Cyril Gautier, Gorka Izagirre, Sébastien Minard, Sandy Casar, Luis León Sánchez and Peter Velits joined them.
The driver now eleven comprehensive top group continuously increased their lead on the field, who already was for ten minutes at 72 kilometers. The intermediate sprint Sagan chose for himself; Fastest of the field that was behind 13:20 minutes at this time, André Greipel had. At the start of the climb to Port de Lers the field lay a quarter of an hour behind the tip. Be first Paulinho crossed the pass. In the descent Gautier suffered a defect, but was able to catch back to the top after a few kilometers. In increase to the Mur de Péguère Sánchez increased the pace and ripped apart by the group. With him only Sagan, Izagirre, Gilbert and Casar could keep up; the latter won the mountains classification.
Near the summit suffered around 30 riders of the peloton punctures. As it turned out, nails were scattered on the road. The most prominent victim was Cadel Evans, who had to stop three times within a short time due to a defect; the first defect on the pass, he lost over a minute, as he waited for the crew car. Bradley Wiggins also had to descend briefly due to a defect and change his bike. The group around Wiggins slowed the pace considerably, so that the Evans group was able to catch later. Robert Kišerlovski crashed due to a defect and had to abandon the race with a suspected broken collarbone.
In the meantime, Sánchez launched eleven kilometers from the finish an attack, leaving his four companions are. With 47 -second lead he won his fourth Tour stage altogether. The peloton came with a backlog of 18:15 minutes to the finish.