00:03The last rider is coming in and that is a rider who's crashed. Looks like Soren
00:08Varenskold's hit the deck. These riders will fight another day tomorrow. It is a
00:15sprint day. Soren Varenskold comes across and goes for the finish line. Soren
00:22Varenskold wins the stage. The finish was definitely not good enough and at one
00:29point I have to draft back a bit to be on the sprint trains and then I end up in
00:33the washing machine and that's that's just not easy to find the gaps and yeah
00:37it's not an excuse I'm just not good enough at that. Nowadays how do you win
00:42the green jersey? Having the most amount of points when you reach Paris. I think you
00:49win the jersey the way Matt Pedersen ride. Go in the attacks, get points and of
00:53course you'll be there in the sprints.
00:56This year we have modified a bit of the points. We have
01:00privileged the very very plates where we are almost sure of having a sprint massif and
01:05there we have increased the number of points. So we are passing from 50 to 70 and also
01:09we have modified a little bit of the sprint intermédiaire. We have put a little
01:12more points in the sprint intermédiaire. All this is the goal of the
01:15goal is to favor the sprinters for the fight with the maillots verts. So it is
01:21better to be a bit regular on all these sprints and win a massive number of points.
01:27The match is the little track team going to make everything explode in the final hills of today's stage.
01:33We have to see if it will be smart or not but we didn't make any big plans about that.
01:37For sure there will be some guys to go for the breakaway.
01:40The sprint team who has a sprinter here is going to work to take the breakaway back. There is always
01:45competition and everybody has their own plans and we just try to take our
01:50opportunity like always. I'm really chasing my dream to win stage again here and in the tour so let's hope
01:56today maybe it's going to happen.
01:57I know how much power the guys have to use in the last part of the race so it's maybe
02:02not necessary today to burn them completely but yeah it could be any actions.
02:15Almost the last chance for the sprinters on this edition. More complicated than yesterday with the last of the three
02:21category four climbs within the final 25k, the sprint teams will have to keep an eye on the day's break.
02:28To be honest with the stage we have tomorrow. I don't think it makes much sense for artists to go
02:36in the breakaway today. Big big opportunity for breakaway guys tomorrow but let's just be ready anyway.
02:46A few attacks from kilometre zero failed to land. There was a lack of cohesion as the peloton managed to
02:52cover the moves yet they appeared happy to let Baptiste Vastroffer go once again a solo runner on the Tour
02:57de France.
03:00I'm running two panels with the Twitter teams to organize everything.
03:05Yeah boys, it's just another sprint there just make sure that we are there and we race around the GC
03:12guys, all the reds, we don't care.
03:27The sprint team is in the peloton preparing for the upcoming intermediate sprint.
03:32Weistroffer set to take the maximum 25 points, but the real fight for the green jersey points
03:36came just under a couple of minutes later.
03:39Now the sprint opens up, Philipsen goes on the right-hand side, oh, oh, oh, oh, Pedersen
03:44closes it off, and Philipsen has to freewheel, it's going to be Pedersen from Philipsen, that
03:51was closed, Pedersen, Philipsen, Malia was there, Cantor was there.
03:56Yeah, there he goes, he's explaining, he's been giving a warning for closing on Philipsen.
04:04You have the points, you have the points, they just gave the results now.
04:10After the first sparks, a lull in the peloton, three riders take an advantage to go join
04:15Lotto Intermarché's soloist up the road.
04:20Cast 1.15, 1.15, 1.15, 1.15, 2.15, 2.15, 2.15, 3.15, 3.15.
04:2860 kilometres to go, Costio and Weistroffer shed Caruso and Vesche, with the latter duo accepting
04:34their peloton fate, Costio then accepted the inevitable catch, while Weistroffer continues
04:39to show he'll never throw in the towel.
04:46Our solo leader, Baptiste Weistroffer, has done a wonderful job.
04:51Quinn Simmons then kicked as Lidltrek tried to drop the sprint teams with 35k remaining.
04:57Joined by teammate Vesche, along with the likes of Filippo Gana and Fred Wright, but it would
05:02take some collective effort to deny the sprint teams, no surprise Merlis' team sounded the alarm.
05:22This turning into an unpredictable finale with 15k left, riders trying to shake things up,
05:27including Pedersen, the Dane accelerating, off the front.
05:33Matt Pedersen is in front, trying to surprise, to attack.
05:43We just didn't expect this much action on the final run-in to the conclusion of this stage.
05:49Vinokarov goes to the front for XDS Astana, who now start to take control.
05:55Vlazon Street, the pack enters the sprint zone, the pack enters the sprint zone now.
06:01This is going to be an interesting run-in to the conclusion of this stage.
06:06Oh, a big bump, that was a massive bump, out the way of Gaviria, and now Gaviria's
06:13lead-out train starts to get ready.
06:15Yeah, Gaviria is just there in the middle, yeah, he was trying to get, but look on the left,
06:19here we go, this is a big move from Albusin, Premier Tech.
06:21This is a big acceleration, 1100 meters of racing to go, they've under the red kite now,
06:27Philipsen has got three lead-out men, and himself, and they get ready now,
06:32Stuyven is ready with Merlier, Fred Wright is there, Hubarts is there as well,
06:37and it's 600 meters to go.
06:40And Pedersen well placed on the wheel of the rider from, and here goes Jasper Stuyven at the 500 meters,
06:46Mark, a lot of movement in that peloton, swings out of the line,
06:49Machu van der Poel goes for it.
06:50Oh, big crash, Gaviria goes down, Machu van der Poel with Jasper Philipsen,
06:56he looks around, Philipsen now kicks, Philipsen goes for the finish line,
07:00Gemmaj is dead there, Milan fretting goes through the center, Philipsen fretting,
07:06Gemmaj, here goes Tim Malia, Tim Malia wins the stage from nowhere.
07:23A chaotic finale, but when the dust settled, another storming victory for Tim Merlier.
07:30Three of the best for the Belgian, the one difference this time, his family there to share the moment.
07:37Because your son and your wife are here, you had to win today.
07:40Yeah, it gave me extra motivation.
07:45It's not easy to win just on the day they are here, so really happy with it.
07:51I think maybe he's still young, but maybe he's going to remember this one later on also.
07:57We can show it later.
08:08Father and son celebrating a hat-trick of wins on this Tour de France,
08:11Meller Senior's most successful Grand Tour of his career, little doubt the fastest sprinter in the world.
08:18Pogaccia kept his engine cool, ready to reignite tomorrow.
08:22Will his 3 minutes 36 lead extend or shrink?
08:27Pedersen survives sanctioned to hold on to his intermediate sprint points and a good thing too,
08:3240 points clear of Gemmaj.
08:36Pogaccia leaves as Polkadot points are back in play tomorrow.
08:39The Category 1 Ballon d'Alsace provides an explosive finale on route to Belfort.
08:45Ayuso, the best young rider on the Tour, will there be a shake-up with 46 seconds separating him,
08:50Sexas and Del Toro.
08:53A crash of consequence, who will be ready for the start line of Stage 13?
09:08The Category 1 Ballon d'Alsace
