NBC Sports Tour De France 2012: Viewing Information for Stage 20
The 20th and final stage of the 2012 Tour de France will take place on Sunday, and a winner will finally be crowned for this year's event, no matter how anti-climatic it might be.
Here's everything you need to know in order to watch the culmination of the Tour de France, courtesy of NBC Sports:
Where: Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Elysees (Stage 20)
When: Sunday, July 22 at 8 a.m. EDT
Watch: NBC Sports Network (Check local listings)
Let's take a look at the overall standings through the first 19 stages, per letour.fr.
1. | WIGGINS Bradley | SKY PROCYCLING | 84h 26' 31'' |
2. | FROOME Christopher | SKY PROCYCLING | + 03' 21'' |
3. | NIBALI Vincenzo | LIQUIGAS | + 06' 19'' |
4. | VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen | LOTTO-BELISOL | + 10' 15'' |
5. | VAN GARDEREN Tejay | BMC | + 11' 04'' |
6. | ZUBELDIA Haimar | RADIOSHACK-NISSAN | + 15' 43'' |
7. | EVANS Cadel | BMC | + 15' 51'' |
8. | ROLLAND Pierre | EUROPCAR | + 16' 31'' |
9. | BRAJKOVIC Janez | ASTANA | + 16' 38'' |
10. | PINOT Thibaut | FDJ-BIGMAT | + 17' 17'' |
Cyclists to Watch
Bradley Wiggins
Besides the obvious crowning of the 2012 Tour de France champion, Sunday is setting up to be quite a historic day for the culmination of this race.
Bradley Wiggins is currently running away with the Tour de France crown with a substantial lead over three minutes. Wiggins' impressive showing in the Tour's final time trial gave him enough of a lead that makes this race's finale a foregone conclusion.
When he does officially capture the biggest win of his cycling career, Wiggins will become the first Brit to win the race in the sport's history. That will be quite the monumental achievement, and if you're interested in witnessing history, I strongly suggest you watch the end of the Tour on Sunday.
Christopher Froome
He gave it his best, but in the end, Christopher Froome's valiant effort to win the 2012 Tour de France will fall short, leaving the Brit in second place and barring a major letdown. His lead over third place cyclist, Vicenzo Nibali, is almost three minutes and almost certainly insurmountable.
It was thought Froome could challenge Wiggins for the lead during the Stage 19 time trial, but it wasn't to be. Instead, Wiggins won the stage convincingly, with Froome finishing about one minute behind.
Froome's second place finish will mark the first time two cyclists from Great Britain have finished first and second in the Tour de France. For the first time in the Tour's history, the Brits will prove they are a dominant force in the world of cycling.
Tejay van Garderen
The American has an outside chance to move up from fifth to fourth place on Sunday, but no matter what, van Garderen should take home the white jersey as the race's top young rider.
Surpassing teammate and last year's winner, Cadel Evans, it appears the 23-year-old is ready to take the torch as the next great cyclist in the sport.
Tomorrow's finale will clinch that distinction for van Garderen. Clearly, he is the future of American cycling.
While he might have fallen short this year, the future is bright for van Garderen. Expect to see this young man at the top of the sport and more specifically, the Tour de France, sometime in the very near future.

.jpg)







