2012 Tour de Luxembourg

The 72nd Tour de Luxembourg is a cycling stage race, which took place from 30 May to 3 June 2012. Traditionally, the itinerary of a prologue and four stages. 2012 brought the total distance over a distance of 726.4 kilometers. The race was one of the UCI Europe Tour in 2012 and was classified in the highest category there 2.HC.

• 3.1 ratings during the race

Participant

A total of 16 teams participate: five UCI ProTeam, including the Belgian Lotto Belisol team, nine UCI Professional Continental team, a UCI Continental team and a kind of Luxembourg national team.

Stages

List of stages

Prologue

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Race course

On the first day of the tour a prologue on the program. The 2659 meter long track shot through the Frenchman Jimmy Engoulvent as the fastest. He won for the third time after 2007 and 2010, the prologue of the Tour de Luxembourg.

On the second day of the first leg of the tour was in order. Two Breakaway, Albert Timmer and Jesus Rosendo, soon made ​​it and were able to extend their lead to up to three minutes. But already about 60 km before the finish was put the duo on the pitch. But just a few kilometers further made ​​the German Jens Voigt on the road to try his luck alone, but was found 12 km from the finish. So there was a bunch sprint at the André Greipel import his tenth win of the season.

Although In the third section examined numerous riders trying their luck in a breakaway, but have not really left out. And so the main draw was almost closed to the first mountain stage after 30 km. This went on Timmer of Albert was able to extend his lead in the mountains classification on. Shortly thereafter managed Kévin Van Melsen and Gediminas Kaupas to withdraw from the field and a lead of up to seven minutes out. 48 km from the finish Zielpasage was run for the first time and so only three 16 -kilometer laps had to be completed. In the last round, finally, the duo was then still sought. Two kilometers before the finish Andreas Klöden tried once more but ended quickly with a breakaway. So it was like the day before a mass sprint to again Andre Greipel won.

By the fourth day of the race is the longest and most difficult stage was scheduled. Early, Albert Timmer, Mathew Hayman, Jérôme Cousin, Jens DeBusschere and Staf Scheirlinckx sat on the field. The first three of the seven climbs of the day secured Timmer, who thus as many points secured, that it was no longer to take the jersey for the best climber. The breakaway of this stage was a gap of about 6:30 drive out before it again began to melt. This was mainly the work of Team RadioShack -Nissan apparently the a lot this day had before. And so it was plucked Fränk Schleck as well with his teammates Andreas Klöden and Jakob Fuglsang and Wout Poels on the first climb of the Col de l'Europe. The final round was to drive three times and in the end Poels was able to hold the sprint against all others.

On the last day of the race soon found himself a four-man breakaway. Tom Stamsnijder, Jimmy Casper, Jurgen Roelandts and Damien Gaudin made ​​up to try their luck on the 153.5 km long course on. Due to heavy rains and falls many riders finished the race early on, only 60 riders crossed the finish line. The four outliers were able to temporarily open a lead up to 3:25 minutes. Because of bad weather the race organizers decided the timing already perform at the first Zieldurchfahrung and let the seven times to be traveled and 6.8 kilometer Zielschlefe go without scoring. Just before the stage winner should be considered so, Roelandts ventured an attack and saved 25 seconds over the finish line, while his three companions were swallowed by the field. Even at the very end of the tour Roelandts could cross the finish line first as a soloist.

Ratings during the race

The table shows the leaders in their respective standings after each stage.