Stage 12 of Tour de France gets underway
July 16th, 2009 - 8:41 pm ICT by IANSTonnerre, France, July 16 (DPA) The 12th stage of the 2009 Tour de France got underway Thursday with sprinters looking at one of their last chances for a stage win before the race heads into the Alps.
The 211.5-km course includes six modest climbs, the most difficult of which is rated Category 3 and comes 40 km from the finish line in the spa resort of Vittel.
With mountain stages beginning Saturday, and the Alps looming on the horizon, this will be the last chance for a sprinter to grab a stage win before the race’s final stage, on July 26 in Paris.
However, the hilly terrain and what is promising to be an unseasonably hot day may work in favour of a group of breakaway riders.
With a strenuous mountain stage coming up Friday, Italian Rinaldo Nocentini may be spending his last day in the race leader’s final jersey.
The 31-year-old AG2R rider leads Astana’s Alberto Contador by 6 seconds, with another Astana rider, seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong, 8 seconds back in third place.
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Tags: alberto contador, astana, breakaway, category 3, champion lance armstrong, finish line, hilly terrain, hot day, lance armstrong, mountain stage, race leader, rinaldo, spa resort, sprinter, sprinters, strenuous mountain, time tour, tour champion, tour de france, vittel
