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sailor · 07-16-2005, 12:10 PM

Stage 12, July 14 -- Briançon - Digne-les-Bains

Bastille Day, and the stage won by a Frenchman.

A much flatter day than the two previous, with several Cat 2 climbs, but overall not one for the climbers. Again, breakaways were the theme of the day. One got clear almost from the start, but was caught after 58km. Soon, however, Manuel "Triki" Beltran, one of Armstrong's most important domestiques, crashed and had to withdraw from the race with a concussion. Bad news for Armstrong, Beltran was one of his most faithful and best teammates. Ouch.

Soon, another breakaway was clear, including Axel Merckx, son of the great Eddie Merckx. David Moncoutié of the Cofidis team soon attacked out of this break, and managed to stay away all the way into the finish. The rest of the field came in over 10 minutes back--no problem though, as all of these riders were far enough down that it doesn't affect any of the the serious contenders.

Notable abandons include Tom Boonen, the sprinter who dominated the early stages. He withdrew because of injuried sustained in an earlier crash, and did not start the stage.

07-16-2005, 12:10 PM	#33 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Stage 12, July 14 -- Briançon - Digne-les-Bains Bastille Day, and the stage won by a Frenchman. A much flatter day than the two previous, with several Cat 2 climbs, but overall not one for the climbers. Again, breakaways were the theme of the day. One got clear almost from the start, but was caught after 58km. Soon, however, Manuel "Triki" Beltran, one of Armstrong's most important domestiques, crashed and had to withdraw from the race with a concussion. Bad news for Armstrong, Beltran was one of his most faithful and best teammates. Ouch. Soon, another breakaway was clear, including Axel Merckx, son of the great Eddie Merckx. David Moncoutié of the Cofidis team soon attacked out of this break, and managed to stay away all the way into the finish. The rest of the field came in over 10 minutes back--no problem though, as all of these riders were far enough down that it doesn't affect any of the the serious contenders. Notable abandons include Tom Boonen, the sprinter who dominated the early stages. He withdrew because of injuried sustained in an earlier crash, and did not start the stage. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato Last edited by sailor; 07-16-2005 at 12:29 PM..