Saxo Bank’s Nicki Sørenson launched a pair of late attacks to win Stage Twelve of the 2009 Tour de France.
After riding in a seven-man breakaway for 125 km, Sørenson attacked, and then attacked again, dropping his pursuers and crossing the line more than half a minute ahead.
This was Sørenson’s first Tour stage win.
The first two hours of riding were filled with failed attacks. The peloton didn’t allow any escapes until nearly eighty kilometers into the race. When Sørenson’s group got away, the peloton didn’t pursue, because there were no serious General Classification threats involved.
There was a bit of excitement as the peloton came in, as the sprinters’ teams contested the green jersey for the best sprinter in the Tour.
Many teams contested the sprint, managing at the end to disrupt the Columbia lead-out train. Cervelo got two riders to the head of the peloton to lead out for Thor Hushovd, but Cavendish stayed right on Hushovd’s wheel. When the pair launched, Cavendish once again had superior speed.
Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer crashed coming into the town of Vittel. Both were able to continue, and since the crash occurred within three km of the finish line, they were awarded the same time as the peloton.Rinaldo Nocentini retained the yellow jersey; the General Classification remained the same.
Stage Twelve
Stage Twelve, 211 kilometers from Tonnerre to Vittel, was well-suited for a sprint finish but also offered opportunities for breakaways. The course contained six categorized climbs, five Cat. Fours and short, steep cat, Three climb forty km from the end. A breakaway which could get six or seven minutes over the final climb could possibly survive the final, mostly downhill run.
If it came to a sprint, the last kilometer sloped gently uphill, certainly not enough to slow Mark Cavendish and the mighty train Columbia.
The day was hot, the riders perhaps a bit tired, and with Stage Thirteen entering the Vosges mountains for some Cat. One climbs, it seemed possible that the day would be a slow one.
