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Fabio Aru in yellow after Stage 12 of 2017 Tour de France (credit Bettini Photo via Astana Team).jpgTour de France Stage 12: Romain Bardet wins, Fabio Aru seizes yellow as Chris Froome cracks
Fabio Aru of Astana is the new leader of the Tour de France after Chris Froome of Team Sky cracked during a sensational finish to today's Stage 12 at Peyragudes, won by AG2R-La Mondiale's Romain Bardet.
The Italian leads the defending champion by 6 seconds with Bardet a further 19 seconds back after the race was blown apart in the final 500 metres of the 214.5 kilometre stage from Pau. Cannondale-Drapac's Rigoberto Uran - second today, with Aru third - had been only 35 seconds off the race lead, in fourth, but was subsequently docked 20 seconds for an illegal feed.
Team Sky appeared to have ridden the stage almost perfectly, retaining three riders - Mikael Kwiatkowski, Mikel Landa and Mikel Nieve - in support of Froome by the time the Porte de Bales was crested with 20.5 kilometres left and the trio were still there as the last but one ascent, the Col de Peyresourde, approached.
The one blemish on what seemed to be another mountain stage where their dominance at the front of the main group would exhaust rivals and set up Froome for a stage win was when Nieve misjudged a corner at the bottom of the descent of the Porte de Bales.
The Basque rider ended up between two caravans, Froome and Aru also taking the same line, startling the fans camping there who got a closer look at the leading pair than they would have expected.
Froome was led up most of the final 2.5 kilometre climb to the finish by Mikel Landa, the expectation being that the race leader would attack as soon as the road reared up for the closing 500 metres.
But the tank was empty and Froome finished 22 seconds behind Bardet, runner-up in Paris last year.
Italian champion Aru was the man who launched the final attack and while he didn't get the stage win, he will be in yellow as the race heads into the Pyrenees again tomorrow, but he may have to do so without Jakob Fuglsang's help. The Dane hurt his wrist yesterday in the same crash which ended Astana team mate Dario Cataldo's race, and was in evident discomfort today.
Although it was always going to be a GC day today, a 12-man breakaway went early and contained two riders who have won Grand Tour stages with trademark long-range solo attacks, Thomas De Gendt of Lotto-Soudal and Dimension Data's Steve Cummings.
De Gendt attacked the break as it was blown apart on Port de Bales, but was caught and overhauled by Cummings ahead of the summit.
The British champion was seeking a stage win for the third year running, but was caught with 8.5 kilometres left as the overall contenders raced towards the explosive finale.
Reaction
Stage winner Romain Bardet
I was very disappointed to miss out on the stage victory on Sunday but I feel an immense happiness today. I was the first cyclist to ride on this new road [leading to the finish today] when I was here with my parents [in May].
It was a long day on the saddle today, so it was important to mentalise the finish.
In May, Peyragudes was a desert but I knew it would be all fired up today.
Now that I got the stage win I was looking for since the beginning of the season, I can focus on GC.
Building on my past experiences, I wanted to reach the podium earlier than last year. That's my way to improve my cycling.
New overall leader Fabio Aru
It is impossible to describe my emotions and feelings. For every rider, it is a dream to wear the yellow jersey. In my career, I was wearing the pink jersey of the Giro and the red jersey of the Vuelta. So, I’ve missed just the yellow and today I’ve got it! I am super happy!
Honestly, it was a very tough stage, also the weather did it even harder. I want to thank my team, who supported me and kept me in front the whole day.
The last climb was very fast and steep. I attacked with more or less 350 metres to go and gave my all for a maximal result.
I congratulate Romain Bardet with a nice victory. But for me it is a great trophy to get this yellow jersey.
Unfortunately, yesterday Dario Cataldo was forced to quit the race after the crash. Also, Jakob Fuglsang had a terrible day today – he rode with an injury. So, I want to dedicate this yellow jersey to them and also to the entire team, who was close to me in these days.
There are a lot of important stages still ahead here at the Tour de France and already tomorrow we will have a short but difficult stage in the Pyrenees, which can change a lot.
I think we have a strong team and despite yesterday crashes we are ready to continue our fight at the Tour. We will move here step by step, stage by stage.
Chris Froome, now second overall
It was certainly a tough day for me at the end. My teammates did such an amazing job but I didn’t have the legs at the end to finish it off. It’s as simple as that – I just didn’t have the legs on the final kick.
The steep finish is brutal – it ramps up to over 20 per cent, which is a really, really hard finish.
I can only say congratulations to Romian Bardet for winning the stage and to Fabio Aru for taking the yellow jersey.
The race is certainly on now.
Steve Cummings, winner of today's combativity prize
This was one stage I could target. It's a pity Team Sky didn't give us more time.
At the end, I had no more legs… but I tried. There are some more nice stages to come. I have to recover from this one and try again.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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More importantly, why the hell did Froome have a Cheerio up his nose during his post race chat with Daniel Friebe???
Did you not read the peice on that? It's not a Cheerio, it's Snorthoop or somesuch, and it increases lung capacity by 900 percent, and of course lateral stiffness by 38.6%, and is clinically proven to reduce dandruff and increase fuel efficiency by at least twice that. And equally as obviously that's all true and there is no way money changed hands to effect the weating of the Snotloop during that interview.
The cognitive dissonance below the line here is quite something.
It's hilarious as a neutral seeing Brits turn themselves inside out to exonerate their preferred unrepentant dopers (Wiggins) and vilify Aru for the crime of being on Vino's team. And one day after the UK cycling media was beatifying Tom Simpson. "Yeah of course Astana are all doping, except for their best rider Landa who we bought after he tore everyone a new one at the Giro and shredded everyone yesterday."
Did they have a crystal ball as part of their decision making process? ;-p
Astana, a team run by an unrepentant doper, with a long history of employing dopers or staff heavily implicated in previous doping scandals. The team that was banned from the TDF due to its appalling track record. Excuse my lack of enthusiasm for seeing them do well...
You'd think that with such overwhelming evidence and history that they'd be permanently barred from the race.
But they're not.
Cracking ride, Fabio.
Who did smooth climbing, Sunday cruising Landa ride for when showing the class that got him signed for the Deathstar then =] ?
It's true - Aru certainly looks like he's working hard when the going gets tough. Surely that's a good thing, even if his face offends @davel, eh? Hopefully, the days of spinning up a col pumping out 600W whilst whistling a happy tune are behind us...
Give the guy a break!
Pleased Aru's looking strong as it makes it a closer race. I'm pretty much 'anyone but Froome' at the minute for this reason alone.
As for the anti Astana/ Aru breaking 'unwritten rules' etc I think it's overblown and one-sided. Froome didn't wait for poor Dan Martin who was taken out by Porte and lost time, he attacked his own leader when he was a domestique in 2012, and has taken TUE's. I don't think anyone has a squeaky clean rep in the peloton today TBH
You've got to be joking? The race was well and truly on, no one behind Martin stopped racing, let alone the guys who were ahead and didn't even see what happened.
What was Froome supposed to do, convince everyone to put their brakes on and wait until the flat to get going again I suppose.
Landa was riding for the stage / bonus seconds but failed. There was fk all he could do for Froome short of trying to push him up the hill.
Aru's not liked much within the team never mind the peloton I believe, and no wonder.
Not sure if it's been announced this morning so I might be behind with this, but has Bardet been penalised for taking a bottle (at almost the exact same moment as bennet I think it was who has been penalised) while I'd rather not see him lose 20 seconds as I'd rather he won than Aru, it does seem a little more biased than usual if he gets away scot free.
I'm hoping Froome was just on a not great day and it coincided with a stage finish that was just too steep to suit him well, I don't mind too much who wins from him or Bardet, but I'd like it to be a fight to the finish. Uran seems to be having a great tour so far, Cannondale's luck has definitely changed a bit this season, I'd love for him to hang on in there all the way to the end.
The UCI have reveresed the 20 sec penalty for Uran. Not sure about Bennet though.
Ey ey ba day ba wadladie day / Ay um ba day / Ba day ba wadladie day / Ey ey ba day ba wadladie day…
Sat with this all friggin day.
Me too.
Same as when they used it last year (and the year before...?).
He had the temerity to go on the attack when Froome bungled a gear shift, he's now public enemy no.1 to the purists...
I don't get it - why the "anyone but Aru" comments?
I don't know about anyone else but his lack of respect towards the yellow jersey is good enough for me.
I just *really* dislike his face. I've sort of pegged him as Nibali's uglier, more annoying younger brother.
On the forum, these claims about lack of sportsmanship only seem to go in one direction.
And on the road, the rules of the game seem to be set by a very limited number of individuals.
It's a bunch of bullshit.
He rides for Astana, that's instantly some minus points against his name, I know there's suspicion around other teams as well, but Astana are a class above for doginess, and led by a famous doper. And he has a climbing style that is on par with Froome's for unattractiveness (even if both seem to work well) Whereas Landa looked like he was out for a Sunday cruise going up the final climb.
Good for the race that Aru is in yellow and great race by Bardet, that final incline was indeed brutal. Froome is 32, Aru 27, Bardet 26. Landa is 27, if the rumours are true about him going to Movistar then that would be a big loss for Sky and win for Movistar. He should be outright leader in a Grand Tour and primed to take over from Froome.
It could be that Froome is a little bit past his best, certainly this year would appear to indicate so, but does makes for a much more interesting race. I think today's stage could be crucial in seeing whether Aru, Bardet can gain more time over Froome.
Go George!!
And yeah, it'd be great to see Bardet win.
Just spent all evening watching that re-live. I hardly fast forwarded it at all.
But how tight, eh? How tight is his grip? Aargh, another sober evening looms.
Even Mat doesn't explain stack and reach anymore. What's the world coming to?
It would be great if Bardet won - anyone but Aru / Astana, too.
Will be interesting to see how much Astana attempt to defend the yellow jersey with such a weak team. I'm hoping that Sky come up with some seriously interesting tactics for the alps, given they have such strong climbers.
I'm not anti Froome but would actually love to see Bardet win.
If Chris Froome holds the losses to 20-30 seconds for the remainder till TT. Then it's all to play for as Bardet and Aru are poor at TT compared to Froome
Interesting to see what Sky's tactics are now as they're used to riding defensively. Aru is a threat but Astana have been decimated by injuries. Bardet is a serious contender for the overall win given how strong both him and his AG2R team look as well as the set up of the remaining stages. Wouldn't be surprised to see him in yellow after tomorrow's stage.
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