tour de france stage 12

As it happened: Izagirre gives Cofidis another win on Tour de France stage 12

Basque rider emerges from the attacks to win hilly 168.8km stage to Belleville-en-Beaujolais

Tour de France latest results and news Tour de France 2023 - Stage 12 preview Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen flies to fourth sprint victory on stage 11 How to watch the 2023 Tour de France – live streaming

100km to go

120km to go, 140km to go, 145km to go, 150km to go.

Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 12 of the 2023 Tour de France.

After the quiet stage and then thrilling sprint finish and Jasper Philipsen’s fourth win in Moulins, we’re expecting a lot more attacks and perhaps even a GC battle today. 

The riders are currently signing on inside the Le Scarabée event venue. 

Ineos Grenadiers are on stage, with Egan Bernal getting a huge cheer. He could try to go in the attacks today.

Stage 12 takes the Tour through countryside dappled with vineyards that produce red and rosé wines. 

Roanne is to the west of the production of grapes that become Beaujolais, which hosted its only other occasion as a Tour stage start in 2008. 

That stage in the final week was won in a breakaway by Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel, and a breakaway could make its mark from Roanne again.

The rolling terrain across the 168.8 kilometres will cross climbs of the Col de la Croix Montmain and the Col de la Croix Rosier for a first-time finish for the Tour in Belleville-en-Beaujolais. 

Like stage 11, Paris-Nice has found a regular stop in this village on the banks of the Rhône River, last in 2014.

We expect attacks and breakaways to form on the  brutal stage 10 , with the hilly start meaning only those with great legs will make the move of the day. 

Expect  Krists Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech)  to want retribution after falling just short on stage 10 and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) will surely want to try again.

Neilson Powless  and Magnus Cort could also both perform well on a stage like this for EF. T

he former will also want to chase the 19 King of Mountains points available to extend his stint in the polka-dot jersey before the Alps.

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)  sits 17 seconds ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

Vingegaard admitted he is worried about early attacks from Pogacar and Vingegaard.

Logic suggests both will wait for the Grand Colombier (17.4km at 7.1%) summit finish on Friday but who knows in modern day 'Full-gas' racing.

After Jumbo-Visma, the last team to sign on is Alpecin-Deceuninck of stage winner Jasper Philipsen.  

Missing from the sign on is Fabio Jakobsen who decided not to start today due to his  crash injuries. 

Click below to read more about his abandon.

Fabio Jakobsen abandons Tour de France due to stage 4 crash injuries

The riders have gathered outside the modern Le Scarabée event hall. 

Roanne is a stage start for the second time after 2008. 

At the finish of that day in Montluçon, Sylvain Chavanel claimed his maiden Tour win, while Roanne was the setting for Wout van Aert's time trial win in the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, the day of Chris Froome’s horrific crash during training.

That day arguably marked the generational change in the sport, with the rise  of Tadej Pogacar, Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Jonas Vingegaard and then Remco Evenepoel.    

The riders are lone-up at the start. The flag is about to drop. 

The riders face a 10.4km neutralised ride to the official stage start.   

On y va! It's time to race.  

The four jersey wearers are tucked tight  behind the race director car. 

Nobody want to lose position up front today. 

This was the atmosphere at the indoor sign-on. 

🇫🇷 #TDF2023Bonjour Roanne 👋 pic.twitter.com/H0RzDJ9o46 July 13, 2023

Radio Tour has confirmed that Fabio Jakobsen is the only non-starter today.

These are likely the only quiet moments of the stage.

🤔 Breakaway? Sprint? Who will win today in Belleville-en-Beaujolais? Today's stage is a very difficult one to predict!🤔 Echappée ? Sprint ? Qui s'imposera à Belleville-en-Beaujolais ? L'étape du jour est particulièrement difficile à préfire !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/Oi2hxILfol July 13, 2023

3km to take off! 

1km to the drop of the flag but there is already a fight for position.  

Tom Pidcock is one of the GC riders up front.  

There's a slight headwind at the start. While a puncture for Gogl of Alpecin will delay the start for a moment.

Gogl gets a wheel change and he is given a tow by a race motorbike. 

Christian Prudhomme waves the flag and so the stage is underway! 

Allez! 

Boom! Mads Pedersen attacks and goes clear alone!  

But here come other riders. 

We have more riders on the move. 

Fred Wright, Mathieu van der Poel and Alberto Bettiol have joined Pedersen.

Other groups are forming behind them, as riders try to get away before the early climbs start.

Julian Alaphilippe and wout Van Aert are also part of a big group up front. 

The speed is high. 

The riders are trying to get in the right attack, without going too deep. It's a game of cat and mouse as riders chase each other like crazy. 

Now Mohoric takes off at speed but Van Aert closes him down.

Bernal and Skjelmose join them but here come the peloton.

The riders crest a minor climb but will soon start the Cat 3 Côte de Thizy-les-Bourgs. 

More attacks will surely come very soon.  

It's hard up front but at the back too. 

Caleb Ewan has been distanced and will have to fight to get back on. 

The Australian sprinter has yet to secure a win this year but has been close. However he faces four days of suffering as the Tour heads to the Alps.

Up front Mohoric lines out the peloton again as Peter Sagan suffers too. 

Victor Lafay sparks another surge and he is joined by Van Aert and Marc Soler, as the GC teams also position key riders.

Skjelmose pushes on as more sprinters are dropped.

The riders near the summit of the Côte de Thizy-les-Bourgs but the road keeps rolling. 

Dani Martinez of Ineos was first to the summit and pushes on with others.

The attacks and chases keep coming and coming.

Everyone wants to be in the move and is scared to miss the right attack. 

Gruppo compatto but the speed is really high. It could stay like this for a while as the riders race over a rolling plateau. 

Wow! The road rises and Van Aert does a massive turn on the front to try to split the peloton.

He has caused damage and split the peloton. 

Crash! 

A number of riders go down, including Quentin Pacher of Groupama.

David de la Cruz of Astana also went down hard. 

Van Aert is stilling surging at the front and has created a break.  

There are some big names in the move.

There are eight riders in the front group. 

Alaphilippe is also there, plus two riders from Lotto.

Mathieu van der Poel is there too as the peloton eases up. 

Suddenly the attack is up to 20+ but more riders are  coming across.  

Sadly David de la Cruz has abandoned the Tour after his crash. He was taken away by ambulance.

There is a chase group at just 30 seconds, with the peloton, including Philipsen, at 1:40.

Pogacar and Vingegaard are in the chase group ands closing the gap but Simon Yates, Powless and Gaudu are further back. 

They are 45 seconds down and need to react, while more attacks are going off the front.   

The riders are near the top of the Cat 3 Col des Écorbans climb. 

Near the front Pogacar and Vingegaard are marking each other but also playing games, making soft attacks. 

Ciccone edges away from another Van Aert to take the points at the top of the KOM.

Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) is still at 55 seconds. He was fifth overall and so other riders and teams will ride to keep him distanced. 

Surprisingly Adam Yates - Pogacar's teammate and key support, is also in the chase group with his twin brother. 

However this are fluid and ever changing. 

Simon Yates seems to be back in the front group but that was a worry for a moment.

Boom! Van Aert goes again! 

He clearly knows this is his last chance of a stage win before the Alps and he is going for it. 

Yet what does that mean for Vingegaard and protecting the yellow jersey?  

Van Aert is solo! That's how strong he is. 

Meanwhile, Landa, O'Connor, Kuss and others are at 1:30.  

Neilson Powless is also in the chase group at 1:35. He is struggling to score KOM points today.

Van Aert is swept up but he has only inspired  more attacks. 

The riders have  raced over 50km. the early part in the hills, at an average speed of 46.7km/h. 

As Movistar describe it, Otro arranque a fuego - another firey start.

50 km sin escapada en la 12ª etapa de @letour_es | #TDF2023.Sesenta ciclistas en cabeza, con cuatro de Movistar Team: @Rguerreiro94, @MatteoJorg, @aranburualex y @Nelsoliveira89.Otro arranque a fuego 🔥🤯📸 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/17kk7Axum8 July 13, 2023

The next move comes from Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma) 

There is a definite GC strategy at play here too. 

The attacks are chased down as the front group is reduced more and more. There are fewer Classics riders and more GC riders and their key domestiques.

After 65km raced, the riders will enjoy a descent into the valley. Then after 30km in the Beaujolais, the three nasty climbs feature.  

Mads Pedersen is on a great day and has joined Skjelmose and Kelderman. 

Lidl-Trek have 2 riders up front.

The yellow jersey group is only 25 seconds down on the front attack, as other chase in between. 

The racing has been so fast and so aggressive that there are six riders off the front and then 12 riders in the yellow jersey group.   

The chase group including Bernal, Kuss and Powless is at 3:45, with the green jersey at 9:00 and Ewan struggling even further back. 

And  there are still 90km in the hills to race!

The attack is now bigger than the yellow jersey group. 

Even Thibaut Pinot has jumped across to the attack.

The yellow jersey group is the same size as the attack, with 12 riders in each, so the break is finally going away. 

Julian Alaphilippe and Jasper Stuyven are in no-man's land, trying to go across to the attack. Loulou doesn't want to miss this train and a chance to win the stage.

Ouch... Alaphilippe and Stuyven are at 30 seconds and so may have missed it.

The yellow jersey group has swollen to 39 riders as some stragglers get back on but everyone else is at 6:00. 

The break of 12 are joined by Alaphilippe and Stuyven, with the Vingegaard group at 2:00. 

The race has, after 95km of attacking, finally settled. But the climbs will soon start again.

The rider are in the Beaujolais hills and vineyards. Yet the three categorised climbs are still to come. 

So much could still happen today, in  the fight for the stage win and also in the GC battle. 

Jumbo-Visma are now leading the Vingegaard group. Van Aert, Laporte and Kelderman are taking turns at tempo, letting the gap extendtslowly.   

The Powless, Landa group is at 6:30 and we'll see if they can close it. 

The first of the three climbs start in 5km.  

There are three climbs in the final 60km of the stage:

The Col de la Casse Froide: 5.3km  at 6.1%

The Col de la Croix Montmain: 5.5km at 6.1%

Col de la Croix Rosie: 5.3km at 7.6%.

The last climb also offers Bonus Sprint seconds, all with 28.5km to go and a fast ride to the finish.  

😅 A summary of the race so far, provided by @rusty_woods.😅 Un résumé de l'étape, par @rusty_woods.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/8YSmWidIiV July 13, 2023

Thibaut Pinot is in the front group and so targeting a stage win today. All of France and many watching around the world will be cheering for him. 

The riders are now on the Col de la Casse Froide. It climbs up through the fields and forests.

AG2R are leading the chase of the attack but are 3:00 down but the question is why. 

There only 18 riders in the group, with Fred Wright the latest to drop back.   

The break reaches the top of the Col de la Casse Froide. 

Their lead is down to 2:40 as some riders suffer in the group.  

Chute! 

A number of riders in the chase group go down, including Ciccone. 

He is okay but needs a new bike. Woods was also caught in the crash but was not hurt.

Ciccone has cuts and road rash on his arm and knee but rides on.

Van der Poel is off the front with Amador, perhaps trying to get ahead before the second climb of the finale. 

They lead by 15 seconds and will need that on the Col de la Croix Montmain: 5.5km at 6.1%.

The Col de la Croix Montmain is a real climb. It'll be interesting to see if it sparks other attacks. 

Vingegaard had to stay active and control Pogacar during the attacks but he's sat safely in the peloton now.  

Up front Jorgenson has jumped across as Pedersen is dropped and so too is Alaphilippe. He made a big effort to go across to the move and is paying for it now. 

There is a real shake-out in the attack on the Col de la Croix Montmain. 

The shake-out is also out front, with van der Poel cruelly jumping away from Amador. 

Was he not working with the Dutchman. Whatever, the climbers are on the move on  the climb. 

MvdP said he was ill with some kind of cold and took it steady during stages 10 and 11. 

Today he's on the attack again.

This was MvdP's attack.  

💥 @mathieuvdpoel attacks at the front and drops @Andrey_Amador.💥 @mathieuvdpoel attaque et distance @Andrey_Amador.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/70aggkS0hW July 13, 2023

Van der Poel takes a bidon of water from his father Adri on the side of ghe road.

Van der Poel crests the Col de la Croix Montmain, some 15 seconds ahead of the other attackers. 

There is still so much that can happen in the final 40km.

Behind AG2R are still chasing and leading the Vingegaard group, the gap is down to 2:50.

Van der Poel dives down the descent and tries to extends his lead on the chasers.

The chase starts, with Pinot going with Jorgenson on the descent. 

The quiet in the Vingegaard group has allowed some riders to get back on, including Mikel Landa.

Meanwhile the steeper Col de la Croix Rosie has started. 

Pinot and Jorgenson are close to catching MvdP.  

The chasers are at 35 seconds.

The riders come back together yet again, halfway up the climb.    

The race for the stage win is very tactical and could go lots of ways.

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) goes solo and Van der Poel is dropped. 

Meanwhile... Behind, Ineos take control of the peloton. What are they cooking? 

Izagirre crests the Col de la Croix Rosie with a lead of just 8 seconds.

Jorgenson and Pinot lead the chase.

Wout van Aert has been dropped from the Vingegaard group. Let's hope his leader does not need him in the final 25km. 

Ion Izagirre is diving  down the descent to try to win the stage.

Ineos are perhaps riding to protect the GC placings of Pidock and Rodriguez and so chase Pinot They are perhaps just riding on the front to stay safe on the technical descent.  

Crash for Torstein Træen. That's his third  and he is already racing with a micro fracture in his elbow.

Ion Izagirre has pushed his lead out to 40 seconds. 

That could be enough for the flat race to the finish. 

Ion Izagirre is going all in to stay away. He could give Cofidis their second stage win of this year's Tour after Lafay's win in San Sebastian on stage 2.

Behind the chasers aren't strong enough and organised enough.

Ineos have five riders on the front, including Bernal as they try to limit the time that Pinot gains in the GC.

If Pinot gains 4:00, he could move past Pidcock in the GC and take 8th place. Of course he will surely pay for his big effort in the Alps.  

Here is Ion Izagirre as he goes full gas.

En vrai. Ion, s'il gagne, on voit tout de suite une vidéo ressortir 🕺🎶#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/ujsPjIfGFJ July 13, 2023

Cofidis also has Guillaume Martin in the break and he's doing what he can to slow the chase.

It's July 14 and Bastille Day tomorrow and so Cofidis will have plenty to celebrate.

Ion Izagirre won a stage in the Tour de France to Morzine in 2016. 

He also won a stage of the Giro d'Italia in 2012 and La Vuelta in 2020.

Jorgenson makes an acceleration but the other  jump on his wheel. 

Izagirre leads by a minute and so he's not going to be caught.

Jorgenson gets away with Mathieu Burgaudeau but it's too late.

Ion Izagirre is on his way to victory in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

The last kilometre in Belleville-en-Beaujolais is a ride of celebration for the Basque rider.

Izagirre punches the air and celebrates his stage win in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Cofidis had to wait 15 years for a stage wi, now they have 2 in two weeks.

After 3:52 of full gas racing, Mathieu Burgaudeau takes second and Jorgenson is third. 

Tiesj Benoot is fourth a few seconds back, with Thibaut Pinot only sixth.

The GC group finishes 4:20 down on Izagirre but were all together. Vingegaard stays in the leader's yellow jersey. 

Here's the moment Ion Izagirre won alone. 

Simon Geschke invades the podium are to hug Izagirre. Everyone is overjoyed at Cofidis.

In the GC, Pogacar remains at 17 seconds, with Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) third at 2:40

On Friday the Tour climbs into the Alps with stage 13 to Grand Colombier and a 17.4km climb to the line at 7.1%. 

Here is Izagirre's victory celebration. 

It was a long time coming for Izagirre but he performed a master piece with a solo win from 30KM out. Relive the last KM ⤵️ Elle aura pris du temps, mais Ion Izagirre retrouve enfin la victoire sur le Tour, après un run solitaire spectaculaire ⤵️ #TDF2023 @continental_fr pic.twitter.com/DYYjouXe3l July 13, 2023

Here's the moment Izagirre won.

Izagirre waves and smiles on the podium. It is a big day for him. Chapeau!

To read our stage report and see our growing photo gallery of all the action, click below. 

Tour de France: Ion Izagirre secures solo victory on frantic stage 12

It was a fast but controlled day for race leader Jonas Vingegaard. He will be hoping for a similar day on Friday.

Thanks for joining us for full live coverage of stage 12. We'll be back on Friday, Bastille Day in France, for stage 13, to Grand Colombier in the Alps.

It's a 17.4km mountain finish and so a major GC day. Bring on Vingegaard and Pogacar!   

Latest on Cyclingnews

Tour of the Gila: Marlies Mejias Garcia wins stage 2 as Stephens retains race lead

Tour of the Gila: Scott McGill wins men's stage 2 Inner Loop Road Race

Lizzie Deignan gets green light to race La Vuelta Femenina

Gravel's newest star Torbjørn Røed leaves road behind with Unbound in mind

POC Aspire cycling glasses review: A sturdy and stylish modern classic

Tour de Romandie: Thibau Nys wins stage 2 as Plapp attacks for GC

Tour of Turkey: Tobias Lund Andresen wins stage 5 to retain overall lead

Mike's Bikes launches 'mega sale' with discounts on everything sitewide

Geraint Thomas returns to Giro d’Italia with ‘aggressive’ Ineos team primed to challenge Pogačar

Accessibility links

• Skip to content
• Accessibility Help

Media player

Tour de france stage 12.

And we'll keep you signed in.

Sign in or Register

Got a TV Licence?

You need one to watch live TV on any channel or device, and BBC programmes on iPlayer. It’s the law.

Live Reporting

Steve Sutcliffe

All times stated are UK

Ion Izagirre was the big winner on stage 12, with his first victory at the Tour since 2016, while Thibaut Pinot made some ground in the GC standings.

You can get all the details in our report.

Thanks for sticking with me. I'll see you all tomorrow at around 12:45 BST for what promises to be a cracker.

Grand Colombier awaits

A short, brutal stage awaits on Bastille Day as the race enters the Jura mountains on Friday for a summit finish on the fearsome Grand Colombier.

Former champion Egan Bernal cracked here in 2020 as Tadej Pogacar claimed victory on the way to the first of his two Tour triumphs.

While a showdown between the Slovenian and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is to be expected, Thibaut Pinot, in his final season as a professional, and several other French riders will aim to delight home crowds on their national holiday.

Post update

After pretty much 90km of solid full-throttle racing in the opening half and some (of the stage) Tadej Pogacar says "today was not too hard for me."

'I was confident in my strength'

Stage 12 winner Ion Izagirre: “It’s incredible. For the whole Tour so far I tried to break away and it didn’t work out but today yes.

"We were going well with Guillaume Martin all day. I attacked in the last climb from very far out and I could maintain the time difference to get the victory for myself.

"I was confident in my strength. I knew that if I earned enough lead, my adversaries wouldn’t have me in sight and it would play in my favour. I felt strong in the last kilometres. Many things went through my mind. It’s all very emotional.

"It’s a very Basque Tour de France. It started at home for us and we took two stage wins. I’m happy to follow the line drawn by Pello Bilbao.”

Pinot climbs GC standings

The one big mover in the top 10 of the GC standings is Thibaut Pinot, who climbs five places to move on to the coat tails of his teammate David Gaudu.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 50hrs 30mins 22secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +17secs

3. Jai Hindley (Aus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +2mins 40secs

4. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +4mins 22secs

5. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +4mins 34secs

6. Adam Yates (GB/UAE Team Emirates) +4mins 39secs

7. Simon Yates (GB/Team Jayco-AlUla) +4mins 44secs

8. Thomas Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +5mins 26secs

9. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +6mins 01secs

10.Thibaut Pinot (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +6mins 33secs

Cofidis march on

What a Tour this is becoming for Cofidis. The French team have now won two stages in this edition having endured a 15-year drought.

Stage 12 results

1. Ion Izagirre (Spa/Cofidis) 3hrs 51mins 42secs

2. Mathieu Burgaudeau (Fra/TotalEnergies) +58secs

3. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Movistar) Same time

4. Tiesj Benoot (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 06secs

5. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X) +1min 11secs

6. Thibaut Pinot (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +1min 13secs

7. Guillaume Martin (Fra/Cofidis) Same time

8. Dylan Teuns (Bel/Israel-Premier Tech) +1min 27secs

9. Ruben Guerreiro (Por/Movistar) Same time

10. Victor Campenaerts (Bel/Lotto Dstny) +3mins 02secs

The yellow jersey group cross the line with Tadej Pogacar deciding to stretch his legs in the final 50m by opening up a sprint.

Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel, who wins the combativity award is crawling towards the finish.

Tiesj Benoot, Tobias Halland Johannessen and Thibaut Pinot cross the line in fourth, fifth and sixth.

Burgaudeau crosses line in second

Mathieu Burgaudeau edges Matteo Jorgenson in a sprint for second.

Ion Izagirre wins stage 12

What a ride from the Spaniard, who claims his second stage at the Tour, some seven years after his first.

Ion Izagirre is going to win another stage at a Grand Tour.

Ion Izagirre still leads by a minute. He's got this surely.

Back down the road Tiesj Benoot has put the hammer down in a bid to get a podium place.

Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson finally break clear but barring a mechanical Ion Izagirre should not be caught from here.

Ion Izagirre has Guillaume Martin neutralising the slightest whiff of an attack from behind. I suspect the Frenchman will deservedly get a hug from his teammate if he sees this through.

Ion Izagirre is closing in on a famous victory here. The chasing group look resigned to the fact that they are not going to catch the Spaniard.

The chasing group look to have given this up. Ion Izagirre has over a minute now.

Matteo Jorgenson, saw his hopes of victory go up in smoke in the final 600m on the Puy de Dome a few days back puts in a burst but gets reeled straight back in.

Ineos Grenadiers' Spanish climber Omar Fraile is a lucky man not to come off there as a fan waves a flag right in his face.

Guillaume Martin is causing chaos in this chasing group who hand back six seconds to Ion Izagirre.

Official games

2023 Edition

• Stage winners
• All the videos

Tour Culture

• Commitments
• key figures
• Sporting Stakes
• "Maillot Jaune" Collection
• The jerseys

Stage 11 Évaux-les-Bains > Le Lioran

Length 211 km

Type Mountain

Stage 12 Aurillac > Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Length 204 km

Stage 13 Agen > Pau

Length 171 km

Prepare for the stage

Watch the videos from the stage

A few words from C.Prudhomme

The stage of the day in video

Come to the Tour

Ride like the pros

On the route of the stage

Find the best route, come on your bike, come by car-sharing, follow the tour, watch the stage on tv, follow the caravane du tour, play the video games, discover the towns of the day.

Receive exclusive news about the Tour

Accreditations

Privacy policy, your gdpr rights.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Tour de France 2023: Izagirre breaks away to win chaotic stage 12 – as it happened

The Basque veteran prevailed on a day the peloton travelled through wine country and at times seemed drunk in a stage that was little short of bonkers

• Read Jeremy Whittle’s report from Belleville-en-Beaujolais
• 13 Jul 2023 The top five on General Classification after stage 12
• 13 Jul 2023 The top five in stage 12
• 13 Jul 2023 Ion Izagirre wins stage 12!!!
• 13 Jul 2023 They're racing on stage 12
• 13 Jul 2023 Today's roll-out has begun
• 13 Jul 2023 Fabio Jakobsen has abandoned
• 13 Jul 2023 Who's in what jersey?
• 13 Jul 2023 Philipsen powers to fourth sprint win
• 13 Jul 2023 The top five on General Classification
• 13 Jul 2023 Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

131km to go: The three escapees are reeled in as another four riders including Pidcock and Wout van Aert try their luck with an attack. They crest the top of the mountain and have a short downhill before a series of uncategorised climbs.

133km to go: Alaphilippe, Omar Fraile and Matteo Jorgensen open a gap of 10 seconds on the bunch as the continue their climb to the top of Col des Éscorban. Back in the bunch, Tom Pidcock tries to leap across.

135km to go: Well into the second climb of the day, up the category three Col des Écorbans, Julian Alaphilippe mounts another attack, taking several riders with him. They’ve opened a tiny gap on the yellow jersey group.

136km to go: It’s been a frantic, helter-skelter start to today’s stage, reminsicent of the early stages of stage 10. We’re still waiting for a breakaway to form.

138km to go: The peloton has split into two distinct group following that crash on a fast downhill. David De La Cruz’s race is over and he is now in an ambulance. Fingers crossed he’ll be OK.

140km to go: Astana rider David De La Cruz hits the deck with another rider from Groupama FDJ and looks quite badly hurt, lying flat on his back in a ditch. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. His counterpart from the French team remounts and continues.

142km to go: Wout van Aert and three others, try to escape. There are two Lotto Dstny riders in the quartet.

144km to go: A group of 16 riders have been dropped by the green jersey group, who are around 20 seconds clear of the stragglers

145km to go: Dani Martinez is first over the top of the climb, followed by Giulio Ciccone.

147km to go: The peloton has opened a gap of around 37 seconds on a group containing the sprinters, who are in for another torrid afternoon.

150km to go: The peloton remains largely intact as they make their way up the climb with Mattias Skjelmose and Dylan van Baarle at the front. They pull away from the bunch along with another rider whose identity I will reveal as soon as I figure out who it is.

151km to go: Peter Sagan and Caleb Ewan have been dropped on the first climb. It’s sad to see a legend like Sagan struggling like this in his final Tour but fair play to him for raging against the dying of the light.

152km to go: Today’s first climb is the category three Côte de Thizy-les-Bourgs, which is 633m high and 4.3km in length with an average gradient of 5.6 per cent.

157 to go: The riders are approaching the first official climb of the day with the Slovenian Bahrain Victorious rider Matej Mohoric trying to put some distance between himself and the bunch. He’s unable to snap the elastic.

160km to go: The peloton remains intact but is quite strung out. Julian Alaphilippe is at the front, baring his teeth in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

161km to go: The early leaders are reeled in by the bunch. Thwarted in his lengthy breakaway attempt two days ago, Krists Neilands is next to try his luck with an attack.

162km to go: Fred Wright and Alberto Bettiol were first to leap across to join Pedersen and were followed by Mathieu van der Poel.

They're racing on stage 12

168km to go: Gogl gets a new wheel and a push back to the peloton from a Tour motorbike pillion passenger, Christian Prudhomme waves his flag, his car accelerates up the road and the riders begin racing. The road starts going upwards immediately and Mads Pedersen is the first to launch an attack.

The roll-out continues: Alpecin–Deceuninck rider Michael Gogl punctures his back wheel moments before the signal to begin racing is given, so there’ll be a delay until he gets his spoons, bucket of water and puncture repair kit out.

Mathieu van der Poel: Rated as the best lead-out man in gthe business, the Dutch Alpecin–Deceuninck rider was nowhere to be seen as his teammate Jasper Philipsen sprinted to his fourth bunch sprint win in this Tour yesterday. He has revealed he has been suffering from an illness over the past two days and simply didn’t have the energy to help his teammate yesterday.

“It’s not going worse so I hope I can improve from today on,” he said this morning. “I will see how the legs feel but I have already got my voice back. It’s not that I’m really sick but I’ve had some sort of infection. My sleep is OK but I’m not feeling 100 per cent. We’ll see how it goes today.”

Rolling, rolling, rolling … The roll-out continues and with over half the race concluded, it seems remarkable that Jakobsen is only the eighth rider to leave this year’s Tour. I’m happy to stand corrected but going on memory alone, the rate of attrition usually seems to be a lot higher.

Today's roll-out has begun

Stage 12: The riders are meandering through the neutral zone and will be given the signal to begin racing in approximately 10 kilometres time.

Fabio Jakobsen has abandoned

The Soudal-Quick Step rider and European champion has withdrawn from the Tour, stating that his knee is not recovering from the injuries he sustained in a crash towards the end of stage four. He says he has no chance of making it to Paris and has decided to abandon.

“Due to my stage four crash, and after discussions with the team, we decided it’s better for me to stop my Tour de France journey here,” he said. “At this point it seems impossible for me to get to Paris, as I am not recovering, and my body is not healing from the crash.

“I’m very sad to leave the Grande Boucle, because I had big goals for this race and wanted to be at my best with the team. I will now take some time to recover and clear my head, and hopefully be back at my best later this season.”

Unfortunately, @FabioJakobsen will not start stage 12 of the #TDF2023 . Read more about it here and join us in wishing Fabio a speedy recovery: https://t.co/gprrpP3a1M Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/qHLxT2rZOP — Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 13, 2023

Roanne, today’s starting town: “The town is renowned for its extraordinary number of starred chefs, inspired primarily by the Troisgros family,” explains the Tour handbook. “But Roanne has also made waves on the basketball court, its Chorale team winning the French championship twice, in 1959 and 2007.

“The following year, Roanne hosted a Tour start for the first time and in doing so provided Sylvain Chavanel with an instinct for victory, the Frenchman claiming his first Tour stage success in Montluçon at the end of one of his trademark breakaways. Since then, Roanne was the setting for a Wout van Aert time trial success in the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné.”

Christian Prudhomme on stage 12: “The formation of the breakaway will be one of the critical moments on this hilly stage,” writes the race director in the Tour handbook. “As the race passes through the vineyards that produce the Beaujolais vintages, there could well be a lot of action before the climbs of the Croix Montmain and Croix Rosier. The uphill finale may well produce an excellent sprint contest between a small group of riders.”

Who's in what jersey?

Yellow: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)

Green: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Polka-dot: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)

White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates)

Philipsen powers to fourth sprint win

Stage 11 report: Jasper Philipsen took his fourth win of this Tour de France , claiming stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins by sprinting clear of his closest rival Dylan Groenewegen, of Team Jayco AlUla, in the final 100 metres. Jeremy Whittle reports from Moulins …

The top five on General Classification

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 46hr 34min 44sec

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) +17sec

Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +2min 40sec

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +4min 22sec

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +4min 34sec

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

William Fotheringham on stage 12: This is the sort of stage the Tour organiser, Christian Prudhomme, loves, peppered with medium-difficulty climbs where anything can happen. Stage hunters such as Julian Alaphilippe, Magnus Cort and company will love it, and overall contenders who have flopped thus far will see a chance for redemption. But for a team trying to control the race, it will be a nightmare in the Beaujolais vineyards. For fans, it could be grand cru .

• Tour de France 2023
• Tour de France

Most viewed