The sprint teams weren’t interested in letting the break win today
The first half of the parcours was favorable to a breakaway today, so long as a decent sized group went away they had a decent chance of making it. However only three riders made the move, Romain Zingle (Cofidis), Fabricio Ferrari (Caja Rural) and Cedric Pineau (FDJ). Astana were delighted with that as Romain Zingle was the most “dangerous” man at more than one hour down, it gave them a free ride today, they would have allowed the break to take a 50 minute advantage. Instead it was the teams with stage wins on their mind who took up the chase, once the break’s lead had stretched out beyond 6 minutes. Orica GreenEDGE came first, then Garmin-Sharp, Argos-Shimano, Lampre-Merida and even Belkin. Their cooperation made it easy to keep the break under control and to slowly reel them in. As the peloton approached the final 35kms, the GC teams started to come to the front, raising the pace and causing the gap to tumble. The race was moving close to the coast and they were worried about crosswinds, getting to the front to avoid getting caught out by a split. They caught the break with a little under 19km to go and with an intermediate sprint pint just ahead, Ivan Basso (Cannondale) and Nicholas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) too the opportunity to earn some time bonuses. Basso got a 3 second bonus and Roche a 2 second bonus, they didn’t change anything in the GC for now but every second could count in the final reckoning.
BMC and Philippe Gilbert earn an excellent victory
After the sprint point teams started to get themselves organized and Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took the opportunity to launch a solo attack, quickly gaining a 10 second advantage. Rather than a sprinters team it was BMC who came to the fore, with Philippe Gilbert behind two team mates. The BMC riders were able to check Martin’s progress then close him down, though by that time Gilbert only had one support rider remaining. Orica GreenEDGE and Astana came to the front at this point and brought the race through some nasty technical stuff. As the race approached the finish, Orica, Garmin and Lotto Belisol all had their turn controlling the race but when the race reached the drag to the finish line, it was Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling) who launched the attack. Boasson Hagen immediately opened a decent gap but he was followed by Philippe Gilbert who showed great form to sweep past the Norwegian and win the stage. It was a terrific victory and a great moment for Gilbert, winning in the Rainbow Jersey for the first time. It was a job well done by his team as well, closing down Tony Martin is never easy, and even after that Gilbert had help getting in position as they reached the finale.
Looking ahead to stage thirteen
Stage 13: Valls – Castelldefels
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Like stage twelve this is a stage where the right break could go the distance, there is a lot of bumpy terrain which is to their advantage. Additionally there is no chance of this one finishing in a bunch sprint, so different teams would have to take up the chase. Once again wind could be a factor as much of the stage takes place near the coast, the final 25km pretty much runs alongside the water and if the wind is strong that will be a very dangerous section. With 55km to go, before the race reaches that vulnerable coastal section, they face the punishing Alto del Rat Penat, 4.3km at 10.6%, see below. The middle section is very steep, reaching up to 16% and if anyone is minded to do so, the peloton could be blown apart on this climb. If that happens then we can expect a madcap race to the finish as the various groups try to catch those ahead, and those ahead try to maintain their advantage. If the break has been kept in control then it’s a certainty that this climb will be a launch pad for a rider, or riders trying to jump clear. Edvald Boasson Hagen has shown the inclination to do so, as has Luis Leon Sanchez and both will be men to watch tomorrow. The finish itself is is another tricky one, but there shouldn’t be a large peloton racing towards it which should reduce the risk of crashes. The finish itself has an uphill ramp in the final 350-400m, if the race book can be trusted it looks to be an 8-10% ramp which makes this a stage for the classics finishers, if a reasonable sized group reached the end together. I though Gilbert would target this one, Stybar as well, but it’s going to be a tough stage for any team to control. The composition of the break will be interesting as well, they should be first over the Alto del Rat Penat and that’s a Cat 1 climb. If Nicolas Edet or Amets Txurruka have designs on the KoM Jersey then they might want to take those points, though with three very tough days to follow they may save their energy. It should be a fun one to watch.
Alto del Rat Penat
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