Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay of Intermarché-Wanty secured his third stage victory in the 2024 Tour de France on Thursday, July 11, winning the 12th stage in a sprint finish at Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Girmay outpaced Wout Van Aert and Arnaud Démare to claim the win, further solidifying his lead in the green jersey competition.The stage was marred by a significant crash approximately 11-12 kilometers from the finish line, which dramatically affected the general classification. Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic, who started the day in fourth place overall, was caught in the crash and suffered a shoulder injury. As a result, Roglic lost 2 minutes and 27 seconds, dropping to sixth place in the general classification, now 4 minutes and 42 seconds behind the leader.Despite an early scare, Tadej Pogacar managed to avoid serious trouble and retained the yellow jersey. He maintains a lead of 1 minute and 6 seconds over Remco Evenepoel, with Jonas Vingegaard in third place, 1 minute and 14 seconds behind.The Tour also saw several abandonments, with Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen of DSM-Firmenich PostNL withdrawing after 20 kilometers due to not feeling ‘100%’. Additionally, Michael Morkov of Astana became the first reported COVID-19 case in this year’s Tour and was withdrawn by his team.As the race heads towards the Pyrenees, Friday’s stage will offer sprinters one last chance before the mountain stages begin. The 13th stage will cover 165.3 kilometers from Agen to Pau, potentially setting the stage for further changes in the general classification.
Key points
- Biniam Girmay won his third stage of the 2024 Tour de France, strengthening his lead in the green jersey competition.
- Primoz Roglic crashed 11-12 km from the finish, losing over 2 minutes and dropping to sixth place overall.
- Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, maintaining his lead over Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard.
- Several riders abandoned the race, including Fabio Jakobsen and Michael Morkov, the latter due to COVID-19.
Contradictions👾There are slight discrepancies in the reported distance from the finish line where Roglic crashed, with sources mentioning 10 km, 11 km, and 12 km.
