Tour De France 2016: Full Standings and Highlights After Stage 12 Results
Thomas De Gendt captured the victory at Stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday, as Chris Froome crashed in the final moments because fans blocked the road near the finish.
The 176-kilometre stage from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux produced action and drama, as high winds in the mountains on Bastille Day in France cut the race short.
Froome fell in the final seconds of the race, as a zealous crowd blocked the way, and the Brit ran up the hill on foot to the finish line before boarding a neutral bike to complete the race, with team cars chasing.
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The stage also saw a major crash for Team Sky earlier in the race, but the Manchester-based superteam recovered to catch the peloton.
The Tour's official Twitter account confirmed the result, as the Belgian won the stage:
Sky News provided footage of Froome's dramatic crash at the end:
The Tour confirmed the stage result:
Sky Sports Cycling provided a revised General Classification (GC) board after the race:
Stage 12 Recap
Blustery conditions caused difficult racing in the mountains of Stage 12 before a dramatic end on Thursday at the Tour.
Etixx-Quick-Step provided details of the mountain stage, which was reduced due to poor conditions:
The reduced stage had a tough 9 per cent gradient climb at the end, forcing the peloton to take a leisurely pace in the early stages.
French rider Adrien Petit of Direct Energie took an early lead, jumping clear of the peloton to gain a quick advantage. Several small packs followed the Frenchman to form minor breakaways, but the GC contenders and Froome were not interested.
A pack of 14 riders put distance between themselves and the peloton, including Bertjan Lindeman and Sep Vanmarcke of Lotto-Jumbo and Andre Greipel and De Gendt of Lotto-Soudal. They soon built a two-minute lead as the peloton remained calm and consistent.
The gap to the leaders expanded to nine minutes as Froome tucked into the chasing group, conserving energy before the brutal climbing at the end of the day. The peloton's pace was non-existent as they allowed the front riders a mammoth 15-minute lead with Mont Ventoux looming on the horizon.
The first incident of the day occurred with 32 kilometres to go when Australian cyclist Simon Gerrans crashed, taking members of Team Sky with him. Froome narrowly missed being unseated as the peloton slowed down ahead in respect of the accident. Froome and Sky gathered their thoughts and pedalled to catch up with the GC group, with no major injuries apparent.
The yellow jersey pack stepped up the pace with eight kilometres left, as the leading group shrunk with De Gendt, Dimension Data's Serge Pauwels and Cofidis' Daniel Navarro clear.
Team Sky responded to drive Froome forward, but their focus was on protecting their main rider through the large crowds on the roadside against the GC protagonists.
Movistar's Nairo Quintana kicked to put pressure on the yellow jersey as he climbed with verve, but Team Sky were concentrated on Froome's overall tactics to maintain his position. Meanwhile, the three riders at the front swapped the lead over the final five kilometres. The pain was written over their faces as the stage developed into two individual races.
De Gendt went all in with three kilometres to go, as Froome battled Quintana with a punishing uphill cadence. Pauwels followed the leader to maintain his individual chances. The Belgian looked strong as he caught and overtook De Gendt, but his countryman matched him as they both searched for victory in an exciting climax.
Froome kicked for home in the final 1.5 kilometres in a magnificent attack, leaving Quintana in his wake. The Brit charged forward, impressive out of his seat, as the GC pack fragmented.
Pauwels and De Gendt raced shoulder to shoulder with the finish line in sight, but Navarro caught the pair with only metres remaining. However, the Spaniard couldn't complete the job, as De Gendt stepped up his pace to win the stage by a slim margin.
The finish was a disaster for Froome, as fans and a held-up motorcycle blocked the road.
The GC leader came off his bike and was forced to run up the incline toward the finish. Cycling Central shared footage of Froome's foot race:
It was a farcical end to a brilliant race, and the Tour organisers will need to review safety after a bad end to the stage.
Journalist Michael Hutchinson noted the final classifications would need to be reviewed due to the pandemonium surrounding the GC finish:
Froome will be relieved to have held on to the yellow jersey. He would have extended his lead significantly if not for the crash.
The reigning champion had no way of avoiding the accident and will draw breath before Stage 13.
Froome's challenge is still intact, and he will believe he's capable of beating the current GC contenders after a powerful performance on Thursday.
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