Stage 13’s 217-km trek from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Le Cap d’Agde is in the books, and Andre Greipel of Lotto-Belisol is the winner of the Bastille Day ride. It was a sprint finish in an unexpectedly difficult race but Greipel came on and just edged out Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale in a photo finish. The stage lasted just under five hours, with Greipel crossing the line in a time of 4:47:59.
2012 Tour de France Results, Stage 13: Andre Greipel Wins, Bradley Wiggins Maintains Yellow Jersey
It was a picturesque day in a beautiful part of France, with many vacationers taking in the race on the holiday. But the transitional stage, which takes the Tour from the Alps to the Pyrenees, was much more difficult than expected as significant crosswinds affected the competitors during the relatively flat portions. A number of cyclists, including Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar, dropped off during the Category 3 climb before the finish. The descent from that climb and the final stretch to Le Cap d’Agde was a mad dash, however, with Greipel taking the stage win in the final centimeters.
Donning the yellow, Bradley Wiggins came on strong towards the end and took the lead in the final kilometer around a dramatic turn. But he eventually stepped aside to try and deliver his teammate Edvald Boassen Hagen the victory. Wiggins will still hold on to the yellow jersey with a +2:05 lead over Sky teammate Chris Froome.
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