German Marcel Kittel claimed his third victory on this year’s Tour de France when he pipped Mark Cavendish on the line to take the 12th stage on Thursday.
Kittel, who won the first and 10th stages, stayed behind the Briton’s wheel in the final straight and went past Cavendish at the very last moment.
Britain’s Chris Froome avoided a late pile-up in the bunch and retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
Photo: EPA
Kittel became the first German rider to win three stages in the same Tour since fellow sprinter Erik Zabel in 2001.
With Tony Martin winning Wednesday’s time trial and Andre Greipel taking the sixth stage in a sprint, German riders have now won five stages on the Tour.
“I can go back and look at it over again, he was just faster,” Cavendish told reporters. “I don’t think myself or the team could have done anything different. He was just simply better, you know? The guys were really, really incredible for me today.”
“It was a good duel between Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Argos, and ultimately the guys went at the right time. They delivered me at the right time. I was just beaten by a better guy,” the Manxman added.
Slovakia’s Peter Sagan took third place at the end of the 218km flat dash from Fougeres. He leads the points classification with 307 and Cavendish moved up to second on 211.
The top positions in the overall standings remained unchanged, with Froome leading Spain’s Alejandro Valverde by 3 minutes, 25 seconds and Dutchman Bauke Mollema by 3:37. Fourth-placed Alberto Contador of Spain is 3:54 off the pace.
Dozens of riders were involved in the crash, but as it occurred inside the last 3km all were credited with the winner’s time.
Froome’s teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen was one of those affected and the Norwegian was later forced to pull out of the race with a shoulder fracture.
“Edvald Boasson Hagen has been forced to abandon the Tour de France following a fractured right scapula on stage 12,” Team Sky said in a statement. “Fortunately this doesn’t require surgery, but Edvald will return home to Norway for further investigation and treatment.”
It is the second time in this year’s race that Kittel has beaten Cavendish in a sprint.
Another specialist, German Andre Greipel, did not contest the finale, having been held up behind the crash.
Five men formed an early breakaway to open a 9 minute gap, but the sprinters’ teams reeled them in with 5km left.
Both Kittel’s Argos-Shimano and Cavendish’s Omega Pharma-Quick Step teams took the front to lead their sprinters. Kittel, with no lead-out man left, took Cavendish’s wheel and perfectly timed his final effort.
“It’s crazy, I’m speechless. My team really worked well today,” he said. “As we say in Germany, good things come by three. I want to congratulate [teammate] Tom Veelers for his hard work, despite what happened to him,” Kittel added.
On Tuesday, Dutchman Veelers crashed in the finale after bumping shoulders with Cavendish, who was cleared of wrongdoing by the race commissaires.
Yesterday’s 13th stage took the peloton over 173km from Tours to Saint Amand Montrond.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or