2012 Tour de France
| 2012 UCI World Tour, race 18 of 28 | |||
 | |||
| Route of the 2012 Tour de France | |||
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 30 June 2012–22 July 2012 | ||
| Stages | 20+Prologue | ||
| Distance | 3,496.9 km (2,173 mi) | ||
| Winning time | 87h 34′ 47″ (39.9 km/h or 24.8 mph) | ||
| Palmares | |||
 |
Winner |  Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
(Team Sky) |
| Second | Chris Froome (GBR) |
(Team Sky) | |
| Third |  Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) |
(Liquigas-Cannondale) | |
 |
Points |  Peter Sagan (SVK) |
(Liquigas-Cannondale) |
 |
Mountains |  Thomas Voeckler (FRA) |
(Team Europcar) |
 |
Youth |  Tejay van Garderen (USA) |
(BMC Racing Team) |
 |
Team | RadioShack-Nissan | |
The 2012 Tour de France was the 99th edition of the Tour de France. It began with a prologue time trial in the city of Liège in Belgium,[1][2] and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. As well as the prologue, the first two road stages took place in Belgium, and one stage finished in Switzerland.
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) won the overall race, and became the first British rider to win the Tour. Wiggins finished 3' 21" clear of compatriot and teammate Chris Froome, making them the first British riders to finish in the top three in the general classification, although some months later Wiggins was retrospectively promoted to 3rd in the 2009 Tour following the disqualification of Lance Armstrong. The yellow jersey was worn for the first week by Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan), who won the prologue.[3] Wiggins, second in the prologue, took the leadership of the race on stage 7, the first mountainous stage, which was won by Froome,[4] and maintained his lead throughout the rest of the race, winning both the long time trials, and not losing time to his main challengers for the overall title in the mountains. Froome came second in both the long time trials, and was alongside, or slightly ahead of, Wiggins on the mountainous stages. Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) was third place overall and the only rider to consistently keep pace with Wiggins and Froome in the mountains.
The points classification was won by Nibali's Slovakian teammate, Peter Sagan. Sagan won three stages, and was second or third in four others: German sprinter André Greipel of Lotto-Belisol, and world champion Mark Cavendish, another British rider on Team Sky, both also won three stages, but were less consistent, failing to score any points in the two uphill sprints won by Sagan. Team Europcar's French rider Thomas Voeckler, winner of two mountainous stages and top scorer on seven successive cols, won the King of the Mountains title, and BMC Racing Team's American rider Tejay van Garderen, in fifth place overall, won the award for the best young rider, while the team competition was won by RadioShack-Nissan, and Chris Anker Sørensen was given the award for the most combative rider.
Teams
All 18 teams in the UCI's Proteam category were entitled, and obliged, to enter the race. Four UCI Professional Continental teams, one Dutch and three French-based, were also invited.[5]
†: Invited Pro-continental teams
Pre-race favourites
2011 winner Cadel Evans attempted to defend his Tour title, but lost time on two key mountain stages and finished in seventh place. Runner-up Andy Schleck (and later declared 2010 winner) was not in the Tour due to a fracture of the sacral bone of his pelvis at the Critérium du Dauphiné.[6] The third still-active former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was suspended and did not start in 2012 Tour.
Other former Grand Tour winners who took part in this Tour de France were: Denis Menchov (2009 Giro d'Italia, and 2005 and 2007 Vuelta a España: finished 15th), Alexander Vinokourov (2006 Vuelta a Espana: finished 31st), Alejandro Valverde (2009 Vuelta a España: finished 20th), Vincenzo Nibali (2010 Vuelta a España: finished 3rd), Juan José Cobo (2011 Vuelta a España: finished 30th), Ivan Basso (2006 Giro d'Italia and 2010 Giro d'Italia: finished 25th), Michele Scarponi (2011 Giro d'Italia: finished 24th) and Ryder Hesjedal (2012 Giro d'Italia: withdrew injured).[7][8][9]
According to many critics before the race the favourite was the eventual winner, British rider Bradley Wiggins.[10][11] Having finished fourth in the 2009 edition and been a podium finisher in the 2011 Vuelta a España, Wiggins had already showed good form during the season by winning the overall title in the stage races Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Stages
The route was accidentally leaked by the ASO on its website on 10 October 2011,[12] eight days before the official presentation. The route featured a total of 101.1 km[13] in individual time trials and three uphill finishes: La Planche des Belles Filles (stage 7), La Toussuire - Les Sybelles (stage 11) and Peyragudes (stage 17). The Col du Grand Colombier, a climb that had previously featured in the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de l'Avenir and the Tour de l'Ain, was included for the first time, and was among six hors catégorie rated climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees.[14]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 30 June | .svg.png){kind=small} Liège – Liège | 6.4 km (4 mi) |  | Individual time trial |  Fabian Cancellara (SUI) | |
| 1 | 1 July | Liège – Seraing | 198 km (123 mi) |  | Flat stage | Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| 2 | 2 July | Visé – Tournai | 207.5 km (129 mi) | | Flat stage | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | |
| 3 | 3 July | Orchies – Boulogne-sur-Mer | 197 km (122 mi) |  | Medium-mountain stage | Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| 4 | 4 July | Abbeville – Rouen | 214.5 km (133 mi) | | Flat stage |  André Greipel (GER) | |
| 5 | 5 July | Rouen – Saint-Quentin | 196.5 km (122 mi) | | Flat stage | André Greipel (GER) | |
| 6 | 6 July | Épernay – Metz | 207.5 km (129 mi) | | Flat stage | Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| 7 | 7 July | Tomblaine – La Planche des Belles Filles | 199 km (124 mi) | | Medium-mountain stage | Chris Froome (GBR) | |
| 8 | 8 July | Belfort – Porrentruy | 157.5 km (98 mi) | | Medium-mountain stage | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | |
| 9 | 9 July | Arc-et-Senans – Besançon | 41.5 km (26 mi) | | Individual time trial | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) | |
| 10 July | Rest day | ||||||
| 10 | 11 July | Mâcon – Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | 194.5 km (121 mi) |  | Mountain stage | Thomas Voeckler (FRA) | |
| 11 | 12 July | Albertville – La Toussuire/Les Sybelles | 148 km (92 mi) | | Mountain stage | Pierre Rolland (FRA) | |
| 12 | 13 July | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Annonay/Davézieux | 226 km (140 mi) | | Medium-mountain stage | David Millar (GBR) | |
| 13 | 14 July | Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux – Cap d'Agde | 217 km (135 mi) | | Flat stage | André Greipel (GER) | |
| 14 | 15 July | Limoux – Foix | 191 km (119 mi) | | Mountain stage |  Luis León Sánchez (ESP) | |
| 15 | 16 July | Samatan – Pau | 158.5 km (98 mi) | | Flat stage | Pierrick Fedrigo (FRA) | |
| 17 July | Rest day | ||||||
| 16 | 18 July | Pau – Bagnères-de-Luchon | 197 km (122 mi) | | Mountain stage | Thomas Voeckler (FRA) | |
| 17 | 19 July | Bagnères-de-Luchon – Peyragudes | 143.5 km (89 mi) | | Mountain stage | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | |
| 18 | 20 July | Blagnac – Brive-la-Gaillarde | 222.5 km (138 mi) | | Flat stage | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | |
| 19 | 21 July | Bonneval – Chartres | 53.5 km (33 mi) | | Individual time trial | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) | |
| 20 | 22 July | Rambouillet – Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 120 km (75 mi) | | Flat stage | Mark Cavendish (GBR) | |
Classification leadership
There were four main classifications contested in the 2012 Tour de France, with the most important being the general classification. The general classification was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification was considered the winner of the Tour.[16] In 2012, there were no time bonuses given.[17]
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awards a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists get points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and is identified with a green jersey.[16]
There was also a mountains classification. The organization categorized some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reach the top of these climbs, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and was identified with a polka dot jersey.[16]
The fourth individual classification was the young rider classification, marked by the white jersey. This classification was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders who were born on or after 1 January 1987.[16]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team is the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that lead this classification were identified with yellow numbers[17] and for the first time in 2012, helmets.
For the combativity award, a jury gives points after each stage to the cyclists they considered most combative. The cyclist with the most votes in all stages leads the classification.[17]
- Notes
- In stage 1, Bradley Wiggins, who was second in the points classifications, wore the green jersey, because Fabian Cancellara (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
- In stage 2, Peter Sagan, who was second in the points classifications, wore the green jersey, because Fabian Cancellara (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
Final standings
| Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |
Denotes the leader of the General classification[18] | |
Denotes the leader of the Mountains classification[18] |
| |
Denotes the leader of the Points classification[18] | |
Denotes the leader of the Young rider classification[18] |
| |
Denotes the leader of the Team classification[18] | ||
General classification
| Rider | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
Team Sky | 87h 34' 47" |
| 2 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | + 3' 21″ |
| 3 | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) |
Liquigas-Cannondale | + 6' 19″ |
| 4 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) |
Lotto-Belisol | + 10' 15″ |
| 5 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) |
BMC Racing Team | + 11' 04″ |
| 6 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) |
RadioShack-Nissan | + 15' 41″ |
| 7 |  Cadel Evans (AUS) |
BMC Racing Team | + 15' 49″ |
| 8 | Pierre Rolland (FRA) |
Team Europcar | + 16' 26″ |
| 9 |  Janez Brajkovič (SLO) |
Astana | + 16' 33″ |
| 10 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) |
FDJ-BigMat | + 17' 17″ |
Points classification
| Rider | Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Sagan (SVK) |
Liquigas-Cannondale | 421 |
| 2 | André Greipel (GER) |
Lotto-Belisol | 280 |
| 3 | Matthew Goss (AUS) |
Orica-GreenEDGE | 268 |
| 4 | Mark Cavendish (GBR) |
Team Sky | 220 |
| 5 |  Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) |
Team Sky | 160 |
| 6 | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
Team Sky | 144 |
| 7 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | 126 |
| 8 | Luis León Sánchez (ESP) |
Rabobank | 104 |
| 9 |  Juan José Haedo (ARG) |
Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank | 102 |
| 10 | Cadel Evans (AUS) |
BMC Racing Team | 100 |
King of the Mountains classification
| Rider | Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Voeckler (FRA) |
Team Europcar | 135 |
| 2 |  Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE) |
Astana | 123 |
| 3 |  Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN)  |
Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank | 77 |
| 4 | Pierre Rolland (FRA) |
Team Europcar | 63 |
| 5 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
Movistar Team | 51 |
| 6 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | 48 |
| 7 | Egoi Martínez (ESP) |
Euskaltel-Euskadi | 43 |
| 8 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) |
FDJ-BigMat | 40 |
| 9 | Brice Feillu (FRA) |
Saur-Sojasun | 38 |
| 10 |  Daniel Martin (IRL) |
Garmin-Sharp | 34 |
Young Riders classification
| Rider | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) |
BMC Racing Team | 87h 45′ 51″ |
| 2 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) |
FDJ-BigMat | + 6' 13″ |
| 3 |  Steven Kruijswijk (NED) |
Rabobank | + 1h 05' 48″ |
| 4 |  Rein Taaramäe (EST) |
Cofidis | + 1h 16' 48″ |
| 5 | Gorka Izagirre (ESP) |
Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 1h 21' 15″ |
| 6 | Rafael Valls (ESP) |
Vacansoleil-DCM | + 1h 26' 53″ |
| 7 | Peter Sagan (SVK) |
Liquigas-Cannondale | + 1h 27' 33″ |
| 8 | Dominik Nerz (GER) |
Liquigas-Cannondale | + 1h 31' 08″ |
| 9 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) |
Team Sky | + 1h 41' 30″ |
| 10 | Davide Malacarne (ITA) |
Team Europcar | + 1h 46' 41″ |
Team classification
| Pos. | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RadioShack-Nissan |
263h 12' 14″ |
| 2 | Team Sky | + 5' 46″ |
| 3 | BMC Racing Team | + 36' 29″ |
| 4 | Astana | + 43' 22″ |
| 5 | Liquigas-Cannondale | + 1h 04' 55″ |
| 6 | Movistar Team | + 1h 08' 16″ |
| 7 | Team Europcar | + 1h 08' 46" |
| 8 | Team Katusha | + 1h 12' 46″ |
| 9 | FDJ-BigMat | + 1h 19' 30″ |
| 10 | Ag2r-La Mondiale | + 1h 41' 15″ |
Jerseys gallery
-
Bradley Wiggins at Stage 19.
-
Tejay Van Garderen at Stage 19.
-
Thomas Voeckler at Stage 19.
-
Peter Sagan at Stage 19.
-
Chris Anker-Sørensen (blue and yellow).
-
Radioshack-Nissan-Trek leads the peloton.
World rankings points
The Tour de France was one of 29 events throughout the season that contributed points towards the 2012 UCI World Tour. Points were awarded to the top 20 finishers overall, and to the top five finishers in each stage. Only riders on UCI ProTour teams were eligible to receive rankings points.[19]
|
|
Prize money
In total, around €3.5 million was distributed during the Tour. Initially, each team received €51,243, while each team with at least seven riders finishing the Tour received €1600 per rider. The winner of the General Classification received €450,000, with smaller prizes for each finishing position, down to €400 for the last rider.[22]
| Standings | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General |
€450,000 | €200,000 | €100,000 | €70,000 | €50,000 | €23,000 | €11,500 | €7,600 | €4,500 | €3,800 | €350 |
| Points |
€25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | €3,000 | €2,500 | €2,000 | – | €300 | |
| Mountains |
€25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | €3,000 | €2,500 | €2,000 | – | €300 | |
| Young |
€20,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €5,000 | – | €300 | |||||
| Team |
€50,000 | €30,000 | €20,000 | €12,000 | €8,000 | – | |||||
| Combative |
€20,000 | – | |||||||||
The stage winner was awarded €8,000 on a normal stage and €10,000 for a time trial. The money gradually decreases, with the 20th finisher receiving €200. The first person to cross the intermediate sprint wins €1,500. Money is also awarded for crossing the categorized climbs, for the best young rider of each stage, the most combative rider, and the best team of the stage.[22]
| Standings | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | €8,000 | €4,000 | €2,000 | €1,200 | €830 | €780 | €730 | €670 | €650 | €600 |
| Intermediate sprint | €1,500 | €1,000 | €500 | – | ||||||
| Hors Category Mtn. | €800 | €450 | €300 | – | ||||||
| 1st Category Mtn. | €650 | €400 | €150 | – | ||||||
| 2nd Category Mtn. | €500 | €250 | – | |||||||
| 3rd Category Mtn. | €300 | – | ||||||||
| 4th Category Mtn. | €200 | – | ||||||||
| Young | €500 | – | ||||||||
| Combative | €2,000 | – | ||||||||
| Team | €2,800 | – | ||||||||
Two other special prizes were awarded. The first to ascend the Col du Tourmalet and the Col de la Croix de Fer receive the souvenir Jacques Goddet and the souvenir Henri Desgrange respectively. Each prize awarded €5,000.[22]
| Pos. | Team | Prize money | Major awards | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerseys/awards | Stage wins | Top 10 Classifications (or best outside top 10) | |||
| 1 | Team Sky | €828,840 | |
6 | 1st & 2nd |
| 2 | Liquigas-Cannondale | €204,110 | |
3 | 3rd |
| 3 | Lotto-Belisol | €136,700 | 3 | 4th | |
| 4 | BMC Racing Team | €134,190 | |
0 | 5th & 7th |
| 5 | RadioShack-Nissan | €125,950 | |
1 | 6th |
| 6 | Team Europcar | €107,360 | Souvenir Jacques Goddet |
3 | 8th |
| 7 | FDJ-BigMat | €71,470 | 2 | 10th | |
| 8 | Astana | €70,490 | Souvenir Henri Desgrange | 0 | 9th |
| 9 | Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank | €66,690 | |
0 | 14th |
| 10 | Orica-GreenEDGE | €39,440 | 0 | 72nd | |
| 11 | Rabobank | €39,000 | 1 | 28th | |
| 12 | Ag2r-La Mondiale | €27,770 | 0 | 12th | |
| 13 | Garmin-Sharp | €26,970 | 1 | 35th | |
| 14 | Movistar Team | €25,120 | 1 | 18th | |
| 15 | Euskaltel-Euskadi | €19,830 | 0 | 17th | |
| 16 | Omega Pharma-Quick Step | €19,370 | 0 | 27th | |
| 17 | Cofidis | €18,570 | 0 | 36th | |
| 18 | Lampre-ISD | €15,700 | 0 | 24th | |
| 19 | Team Katusha | €12,830 | 0 | 15th | |
| 20 | Argos-Shimano | €12,590 | 0 | 103rd | |
| 21 | Saur-Sojasun | €11,480 | 0 | 21st | |
| 22 | Vacansoleil-DCM | €9,720 | 0 | 41st | |
References
- ↑ "THE PROVINCE OF LIÈGE HOSTS THE GRAND DEPART 2012". letour.fr. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ↑ "The Tour de France 2012 starts in Liège" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ↑ Benson, Daniel (30 June 2012). "Cancellara wins 2012 Tour de France prologue in Liège". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ↑ Westemeyer, Susan (7 July 2012). "Froome leads double Sky success on La Planche des Belles Filles". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ↑ "SELECTION OF TEAMS FOR TOUR DE FRANCE 2012". letour.fr. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ↑ "Andy Scheck with sacral fracture out for Tour de France". radioshacknissantrek.com. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ↑ "Cobo to ride Tour and Vuelta in 2012". cyclingnews.com. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ↑ "Hesjedal heads to Tour de France with another win on his mind". cyclingnews.com. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ↑ "Scarponi set to ride Tour de France". cyclingnews.com. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ "Wiggins may not yet be at his peak, says Holm". cyclingnews.com. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ↑ "Yates: Wiggins hasn’t peaked yet". cyclingnews.com. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ↑ "Le parcours du Tour de France-2012 dévoilé par erreur sur le site d’ASO". Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ↑ "5 km de chrono en plus". Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ↑ "2012 Tour de France route officially presented". Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ↑ "The Stages". The Tour 2012. le tour de France. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Christian, Sarah (2 July 2009). "Tour de France demystified - Evaluating success". RoadCycling.co.nz Ltd. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Zoom… 2012". letour.fr. Amaury Sport Organisation. 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 "Overall classification". Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ↑ "Points scale – UCI World Ranking". Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ↑ "2012 UCI World Ranking Detailed Gained Points". Union Cycliste Internationale. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ↑ "UCI World Ranking – 2012". Union Cycliste Internationale. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 "Sporting stakes / rules". Le Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ↑ "Sky tops Tour earnings list with nearly one million euros". Velonews.competitor.com. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
- ↑ "2012 Tour de France Prize List". inrng.com. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tour de France 2012. |
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