The African speed marvel, Biniam Girmay from the Intermarché-Wanty squad, grabbed first place in the 12th stage of the Tour de France, held in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. This marked his third triumph within 11 days. However, despite further cementing his position in the points ranking, a disastrous accident on a traffic island during the race disrupted the overall standings of the event. This crash resulted in one of the top four contenders, Primoz Roglic, losing crucial time and dropping from fourth to sixth place overall. This was additional misfortune for Roglic, who had previously crashed on a hairpin during the Wednesday leg of the race.
The race took place under sweltering conditions, pushing the increasingly weary field of cyclists to their limit, especially those still nursing injuries from the taxing Wednesday stage at the Massif Central. As the competition races through its second week, the number of retirees is on the rise, with Dutch contestant Fabio Jakobsen and last year’s 10th stage victor, Pello Bilbao, among those who have exited the competition.
The departure comes as a great blow to Mark Cavendish, whose chief lead-out, Michael Mørkøv, quit the Tour due to Covid. Cavendish called his departure a “massive blow” and showed concern over the spread of the virus among cyclists. Having achieved an unprecedented 35th-stage victory at Saint-Vulbas, he finished fifth in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
Speaking about Mørkøv, he stated, “In both my professional and personal life, he is one of my closest companions,” He highlighted the substantial role Mørkøv plays in the team as a road captain and a leading out rider. His wellbeing, he added, is more critical than any bicycle race as they plan on adjusting to his absence.
In the recent Thursday’s stage, Sam Bennett managed to secure the 12th rank, and similarly, Ben Healy concluded at the 46th position, leading to his promotion to the 16th spot in overall rankings. However, Bennett achieved a significant jump of three positions, taking him to the 147th spot in the general classification, as reported by The Guardian.