Shortly before the demanding stages in the Alps, the favourites Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar did not make any unnecessary efforts. In the duel between the cycling stars at the Tour de France 2023, the Dane and the Slovenian stayed close together in the peloton and conserved their energy for the upcoming mountain
Izagirre wins stage 12 of the 2023 Tour de France
On the 168.8 kilometres to Belleville-en-Beaujolais, the 34-year-old Spaniard Ion Izagirre won the twelfth stage as a soloist ahead of Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson. In contrast to the previous days, no German rider managed a top place.
On Friday, the riders head towards the Alps. The next chapter in the duel between Vingegaard and Pogacar is expected to take place at the tough mountain finish on the Grand Colombier. There have been no changes in the overall standings. Last year's winner Vingegaard is 17 seconds ahead of the Slovenian Pogacar in the yellow jersey. The Australian Bora-Hansgrohe captain Jai Hindley is 2:40 minutes behind in third place.
Chaotic race with changing leading groups
After the undulating start on the way to the Beaujoulais vineyards, several riders outdid themselves with attacks, which initially had no effect. It remained a chaotic race with changing leading groups. Shortly before the start of the last three climbs, the peloton gathered around the favourites Vingegaard and Pogacar. Also there: Hindley and helper Nils Politt from the German team Bora-Hansgrohe. On the team radio, their sporting director Rolf Aldag had previously told Politt not to attack, but to stay with the Australian podium contender Hindley.
After Georg Zimmermann narrowly missed out on stage wins on Tuesday and sprinter Phil Bauhaus a day later, the German riders were not expected to put in a brilliant performance at the 2023 Tour de France. Especially as Zimmermann's Belgian team gave his colleague Lilian Calmejane the freedom that the Augsburg rider had enjoyed before finishing second.
Overall, Simon Geschke gave the German squad a positive interim report. "Second and third at the Tour are not bad results," the 37-year-old told the German Press Agency. "With seven starters from Germany, it will definitely be difficult to win a stage," he noted, however.
Jakobsen pulls out of the Tour de France 2023
The world-renowned cycling event has reached the halfway point. Sprinter Fabio Jakobsen will no longer be part of the second part of the tour. The fast man from the Netherlands announced before the stage that he was withdrawing from the Tour. He is still suffering from the consequences of a crash on the fourth stage. The Spaniard David de la Cruz had to abandon 142 kilometres before the finish in ninth place due to a crash.
Just over 2150 of the 3405 kilometres between the start in Bilbao and Paris have been completed. On the French bank holidays, the climbing specialists are hoping for a mountain festival on the Grand Colombier. After a flat start to the 13th stage on Friday near Lyon, the riders will have to conquer the finish mountain in the Jura mountains at an altitude of just under 1500 metres.
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