After the duel between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the Cantal mountains the day before, the Tour de France returned to flatter roads this Thursday, July 11, during the 12th stage between Aurillac and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, where sprinters including Biniam Girmay were present.
2 min
Eritrean Biniam Girmay was the fastest, winning to claim a third stage victory. He finished ahead of Wout van Aert and Arnaud Démare. The Intermarché Wanty team sprinter further strengthened the green jersey that distinguishes the best rider in the points classification.
“I believed in it. We were there.”commented the Frenchman Démarre who admitted that the Eritrean was stronger. Biniam Girmay is therefore the sprinter of this 2024 edition, like the Belgian Jasper Philipsen last year, who finished in 6th place today. “I never thought I would win three stages in the same Tour de France. It’s incredible! Today, the scenario was perfect for me. I still have strength in my legs. And the pressure is on the other teams who haven’t won yet “, commented Biniam Girmay on France 2.
Primoz Roglic the unlucky one of the day
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar is still the leader in the general classification. He easily retained his yellow jersey with a lead of 1:06 over Remco Evenepoel and 1:14 over Jonas Vingegaard. His compatriot Primoz Roglic, caught in a crash 10 km from the finish, crossed the line more than two minutes behind. Roglic drops from 4th to 6th place in the general classification, 4:42 behind Tadej Pogacar.
Riders Fabio Jakobsen and Pello Bilbao both retired during this stage. Friday’s 13th stage of the Tour de France between Agen and Pau will present one of the very last opportunities for sprinters to shine before the high-mountain finish this weekend.